Bhashya
तत्रायं दृष्टान्तः यथोक्तेऽर्थे— स यथा शकुनिः पक्षीशकुनिघातकस्य हस्तगतेन सूत्रेण प्रबद्धः पाशितः दिशंदिशं बन्धनमोक्षार्थी सन् प्रतिदिशं पतित्वा अन्यत्र ब-न्धनात् आयतनम् आश्रयं विश्रमणाय अलब्ध्वा अप्राप्यबन्धनमेवोपश्रयते ।एवमेव यथा अयं दृष्टान्तः खलु हेसोम्य तन्मनः तत्प्रकृतं षोडशकलमन्नोपचितं मनो निर्धारितम्, तत्प्रविष्टः तत्स्थः तदुपलक्षितो जीवः तन्मन इति निर्दिश्यते—मञ्चाक्रोशनवत् ।स मनआख्योपाधिः जीवः अविद्याकामकर्मोपदिष्टं दिशं दिशं सुखदुःखादिलक्षणां जाग्रत्स्वप्नयोः पतित्वा गत्वा अनुभूयेत्यर्थः, अन्यत्र सदाख्यात् स्वात्मनः आयतनं विश्रमणस्थानमलब्ध्वा प्राणमेव, प्राणेन सर्वकार्यकरणाश्रयेणोपलक्षिता प्राण इत्युच्यते सदाख्या परा देवता, ‘प्राणस्य प्राणम्’ ‘प्राणशरीरो भारूपः’ इत्यादिश्रुतेः ।अतः तां देवतां प्राणं प्राणाख्यामेव उपश्रयते ।प्राणो बन्धनं यस्य मनसः तत्प्राणबन्धनं हि यस्मात् सोम्य मनः प्राणोपलक्षितदेवताश्रयम्, मन इति तदुपलक्षितो जीव इति ॥
In plain words
Here is an illustration of this truth: Just as a bird, tethered by a string in the fowler's hand and desperate to be free, flies off in every direction seeking a place to rest, but finding none anywhere else, has no choice but to return to the very tether that binds it—so too, dear one, the individual soul, whose nature is limited by the sixteen-fold mind nourished by food, wanders through waking and dreaming, tossed by joy and sorrow. Failing to find any true home or rest apart from its own true Self, the Supreme Reality known as Sat, it takes refuge in prana alone. For prana is the tether of the mind, dear one, because the mind rests upon that deity known as prana.
Close to the Sanskrit
Here is this example on the stated meaning: Just as a bird, a winged creature, bound by a string held in the hand of a bird-catcher, ensnared, desiring release from bondage, having flown in every direction and having failed to attain an abode or shelter elsewhere for rest, resorts only to the bondage itself; exactly thus, indeed, as this example is, O dear one, that mind—the sixteen-fold, food-nourished mind as ascertained, wherein the jiva has entered and is situated, being characterized by it—is designated as 'mind', like the shouting on a platform. That jiva, whose adjunct is called mind, having flown in every direction—characterized by happiness and sorrow in waking and dreaming—and having experienced them, failing to find elsewhere than the Sat-named true Self an abode and place of repose, resorts only to prana...