वाग्वाव नाम्नो भूयसी वाग्वा ऋग्वेदंविज्ञापयति यजुर्वेदँ सामवेदमाथर्वणंचतुर्थमितिहासपुराणं पञ्चमं वेदानां वेदंपित्र्यँ राशिं दैवं निधिं वाकोवाक्यमे-कायनं देवविद्यां ब्रह्मविद्यां भूतविद्यांक्षत्रविद्याँ सर्पदेवजनविद्यां दिवं च पृ-थिवीं च वायुं चाकाशं चापश्च तेजश्चदेवाँश्च मनुष्याँश्च पशूँश्च वयाँसिच तृणवनस्पतीञ्श्वापदान्याकीटपतङ्गपि-पीलकं धर्मं चाधर्मं च सत्यं चानृतं चसाधु चासाधु च हृदयज्ञं चाहृदयज्ञं चयद्वै वाङ्नाभविष्यन्न धर्मो नाधर्मो व्य-ज्ञापयिष्यन्न सत्यं नानृतं न साधु ना-साधु न हृदयज्ञो नाहृदयज्ञो वागेवैत-त्सर्वं विज्ञापयति वाचमुपास्स्वेति ॥ १ ॥
In plain words
Speech indeed. Speech is the sense organ situated in the eight places like the root of the tongue, revealing letters. Letters constitute name; therefore speech is said to be greater than name. In the world, a cause is seen to be greater than its effect, just as a father is greater than a son. How is speech greater than name? Speech makes known the Rigveda, saying 'This is the Rigveda,' and similarly the other Vedas. What is dear to the heart is heart-knowing; its opposite is not. If there were no speech, righteousness and other principles would not be made known; without speech there is no study, without study no hearing of meaning, and without hearing, righteousness and other truths could not be known. Therefore speech alone makes all this known through the utterance of sound. Thus speech is greater than name. Therefore meditate on speech as brahman.
Close to the Sanskrit
Speech indeed. Speech is the sense organ located in the eight places such as the root of the tongue, the manifestor of letters. Letters also are name; hence speech is said to be greater than name. For a cause is seen to be greater than its effect in the world — as a father is greater than a son, like that. And how is speech greater than name? It says: speech indeed makes known the Rigveda — 'This is the Rigveda.' And similarly with the Yajurveda and so on. Heart-knowing means dear to the heart; the contrary is not-heart-knowing. If speech had not been, it would not have made known righteousness and others; in the absence of speech there is absence of study, in the absence of study absence of hearing its meaning, in the absence of hearing that, righteousness and others would not have been known, is the meaning. Therefore speech alone makes all this known by the utterance of sound. Hence speech is greater than name. Therefore meditate on speech as brahman.