Bhashya
जगत्कृत्स्नमिति श्रुतिस्मृतीवादाः शतशो व्यवस्थिताः ;अतो युक्तमेव हि-शब्देन व्याख्यानम् ।यत्तद्ब्राह्मणान्तरेष्वि-दमाहुः—संवत्सरं पयसा जुह्वदप पुनर्मृत्युं जयतीति ;संवत्सरेण किल वीणि षष्टिशतान्याहुतीनां सप्त च श-तानि विंशतिश्चेति याजुष्मतीरिष्टका अभिसंपद्यमानाः संव-त्सरस्य च अहोरात्राणि, संवत्सरमग्निं प्रजापतिमाप्नुवन्ति ;एवं कृत्वा संवत्सरं जुह्वत् अपजयति पुनर्मृत्युम्—इतः प्रेत्यदेवेषु संभूतः पुनर्न म्रियत इत्यर्थः—इत्येवं ब्राह्मणवादाआहुः ।न तथा विद्वान् न तथा द्रष्टव्यम् ; यदहरेव जुहो-ति तदहः पुनर्मृत्युमपजयति न संवत्सराभ्याममपेक्षते ;एवं विद्वान्सन्—यदुक्तम्, पयसि हीदं सर्वं प्रतिष्ठितं पय-आहुतिविपरिणामात्मकत्वात्सर्वस्येति, तत्—एकेनैवाह्ना जग-दात्मत्वं प्रतिपद्यते ; तदुच्यते— अपजयति पुनर्मृत्युं पुनर्मर-णम् , सकृन्मृत्वा विद्वान् शरीरेण वियुज्य सर्वात्मा भवतिन पुनर्मरणाय परिच्छिन्नं शरीरं गृह्णातीत्यर्थः ।कः पुनर्हे-तुः, सर्वात्माप्त्या मृत्युमपजयतीति ? उच्यते—सर्वं समस्तंहि यस्मात् देवेभ्यः सर्वेभ्यः अन्नाद्यम् अन्नमेव तदाद्यं चसायंप्रातराहुतिप्रक्षेपेण प्रयच्छति ।तदुक्तम्—सर्वमाहुतिम-यमात्मानं कृत्वा सर्वदेवान्नरूपेण सर्वैः देवैः एकात्मभावं गत्वासर्वदेवमयो भूत्वा पुनर्न म्रियत इति ।अथैतदप्युक्तं ब्राह्मणेन—'ब्रह्म वै स्वयंभु तपोऽतप्यत, तदैक्षत न वै तपस्यानन्त्यमस्ति हन्ताहं भूतेष्वात्मानं जुह्वानि भूतानि चात्मनीति, तत्सर्वेषु भूतेष्वात्मानं हुत्वा भूतानि चात्मनि सर्वेषां भूतानां श्रेष्ठ्यं स्वाराज्यमाधिपत्यं पर्येत्' इति ॥
In plain words
Hundreds of scriptural texts establish that the entire universe is pervaded by this truth; therefore, explaining it with the word 'hi' is entirely fitting. Consider what other brahmana texts declare: 'By making daily milk-oblations for a full year, one conquers repeated death.' The ritual explanation shows that when the yearly oblations and the days and nights are fully integrated, the sacrificer attains the year, which is fire and Prajapati. Through this sustained practice, one transcends mortality, departs this life, becomes luminous among the gods, and never dies again. Yet, the enlightened one does not wait for a full year; the very day he performs the sacrifice, that very day he conquers death, needing no prolonged duration. Because the entire universe is rooted in the primal substance of oblations, the wise one attains universal identity in a single day. To die once as an individual, detach from the limited body, and realize oneself as the all-self means never again taking on a finite body for the sake of dying. What is the cause of this victory? By recognizing that one's daily offering sustains the entire pantheon, one becomes identified with all the gods and the cosmic food itself, thereby rising above mortality forever. As the ancient brahmana text proclaims: the self-existent Brahman, perceiving the limits of mere austerity, resolved to offer itself into all beings and all beings into itself, thereby attaining supreme sovereignty, self-rule, and mastery over all existence.
Close to the Sanskrit
The entirety of the world, thus hundreds of statements of shruti and smriti are established; hence explanation with the word 'hi' is indeed proper. That which they speak of in other brahmana texts—'sacrificing with milk for a year, one conquers re-death'—the yajuṣmatī bricks becoming completely attained with the year, and the days and nights of the year, they attain the year as fire and Prajapati; doing thus, sacrificing through the year, he conquers away re-death—departing from here, having become born among the gods, he does not die again, this is the meaning—thus the brahmana statements declare. Not so the knower, not thus is it to be seen; on whatever day he sacrifices, on that very day he conquers re-death, he does not wait for two years. Being thus a knower—what was said, 'for all this is established in milk, because everything has the nature of a transformation of oblations,' that—by a single day he attains the state of being the self of the world; that is spoken—he conquers re-death, repeated dying, dying once the knower becomes separated from the body and becomes the self of all, he does not take a limited body again for the sake of dying, this is the meaning. What again is the cause, that by attaining the all-self he conquers death? It is spoken—because he gives all complete food-sustenance to all the gods by casting the morning and evening oblations. That is said—making himself consisting of oblations, having attained identity with all gods in the form of all gods and food, having become one whose nature is all gods, he does not die again. And this also was spoken by the brahmana—'Brahman indeed the self-existent practiced austerity, it perceived—there is no infinity in austerity, come now, let me sacrifice myself in beings and beings in myself', having thus sacrificed himself in all beings and beings in himself, he attained preeminence, self-rule, and lordship of all beings.