Bhashya
तथोक्तेषु पित्रा प्राणेषु सा ह वाक् उच्चक्राम उत्क्रान्त-वती ; सा च उत्क्रम्य संवत्सरमात्रं प्रोष्य स्वव्यापारान्निवृत्ता सती पुनः पर्येत्य इतरान्प्राणानुवाच— कथं केन प्रकारेणाशकत शक्तवन्तो यूयं महते मां विना जीवितुं धारयितुमात्मानमिति ; ते ह ऊचुः— यथा कला इत्यादि, कलाः मूकाः यथा लोकेऽवदन्तो वाचा जीवन्ति ।कथम् ? प्राणन्तः प्राणेन पश्यन्तश्चक्षुषा शृण्वन्तः श्रोत्रेण ध्यायन्तो मनसा, एवं सर्वकरणचेष्टां कुर्वन्त इत्यर्थः ।एवं वयमजीविष्मेत्यर्थः ।आत्मनोऽश्रेष्ठतां प्राणेषु बुद्ध्वा प्रविवेश ह वाक् पुनः स्वव्यापारे प्रवृत्ता बभूवेत्यर्थः ।समानमन्यत् चक्षुर्होच्चक्राम श्रोत्रं होच्चक्राम मनो होच्चक्रामेत्यादि ।यथा बाला अमनसः अप्ररूढमनस इत्यर्थः ॥
In plain words
When Speech was thus addressed by the Father regarding the vital powers, she departed upward. Having left and spent a year away from her proper function, she returned to the other breaths and asked: 'How and by what means were you able to live and sustain yourselves without me?' They replied: 'Just as mute people live in the world without speaking, yet continue to breathe with breath, see with the eye, hear with the ear, and think with the mind—performing all their daily functions just like that, so did we live.' Realizing her own lack of supreme importance among the vital powers, Speech re-entered the body and resumed her function. The rest is similar: Sight departed, Hearing departed, Mind departed, and so forth—just like infants whose minds are yet undeveloped.
Close to the Sanskrit
Thus when speech was addressed by the father regarding the vital breaths, that speech indeed departed upward. Having departed, having stayed away for the space of a year, having turned back from her own activity, she approached the other breaths again and asked: 'How, by what manner, were you able, being capable, without me, to live and maintain yourselves?' They indeed replied: 'Like the arts, etc.,—just like mute persons in the world live without speaking by speech. How? Breathing by breath, seeing by eye, hearing by ear, contemplating by mind, thus performing all sense activity, we lived thus.' Realizing her own non-superiority among the breaths, speech entered again and became engaged in her own activity, is the meaning. The rest is similar: the eye departed indeed, the ear departed indeed, the mind departed indeed, etc., like children devoid of mind, meaning whose minds are undeveloped.