सा वै वाचमेव प्रथमामत्यवहत् ।सा यदा मृत्युमत्यमुच्यत सोऽग्निरभवत् ।सोऽयमग्निः परेण मृत्युमतिक्रान्तो दीप्यते ॥बृह. १,३.१२ ॥
In plain words
It carried speech across first. When speech was freed from death, it became fire. This fire, having passed beyond death, shines.
The commentators
Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣadbhāṣyam· Leaf 8.76· bhāṣya
स वै वाचमेव प्रथमामत्यवहत्— स प्राणः, वाचमेव, प्रथमां प्रधानामित्येतत्—उद्गीथकर्मणीतरकरणापेक्षया साध-
In plain words
What is the nature of her pre-eminence? He carried her across first, performing that transport. What form does she assume after being carried across and leaving death behind? That speech, at the very time she spontaneously shook off death and limitation, became fire. Even before this, she was essentially fire, and upon parting from death she remains fire still. Yet there is this distinction: this fire now shines on the far side of death. Before liberation, bound by death in the form of individual speech, it was not luminous as it is now. Now, freed from death, it shines in its own unhindered splendor.
Close to the Sanskrit
What is that supremacy of hers?—He carried her first across, performing the carrying. What is the form of her, who has been carried across and has transcended death, is spoken of—that speech, when at which time she was freed from sin and death, transcending and being liberated spontaneously, then she became fire—that speech, being fire even previously, became fire indeed even upon separation from death. But this is the difference upon separation from death: this fire, having crossed over, shines beyond death, further than death; prior to liberation, fettered by death in the form of the individual speech-self, it was not luminous like now; now, however, it shines beyond death due to the separation from death.
Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣadbhāṣyam· Leaf 8.77· bhāṣya
कतमत्वं प्राधान्यं तस्याः—तां प्रथमामत्यवहत् वहनं कृतवान् । तस्याः पुनर्मृत्युमतीत्योढायाः किं रूपमित्युच्यते—सा वाक्, यदा यस्मिन्काले, पाप्मानं मृत्युम्, अत्यमुच्यत अतीत्यामुच्यत मोचिता स्वयमेव, तदा सः अग्निः अभवत्—सा वाक्—पूर्वमप्यग्निरेव सती मृत्युवियोगेऽप्यग्निरेवाभवत् । एतांवांस्तु विशेषो मृत्युवियोगे—सोऽयमतिक्रान्तोऽग्निः, परेण मृत्युं परस्तान्मृत्योः, दीप्यते ; प्राङ्मोक्षान्मृत्युप्रतिबद्धोऽध्यात्मवागात्मना नेदानीमिव दीप्तिमानासीत् ; इदानीं तु मृत्युं परेण दीप्यते मृत्युवियोगात् ॥
In plain words
What is the nature of her preeminence? The vital force carried her first—it performed the act of carrying her over. What is the form of speech after she has been carried beyond death? This is now explained: when speech was freed from the evil of death—liberated by the vital force—she became Fire. Speech, who was indeed Fire even before, became Fire once again upon being separated from death. But there is this difference after her separation from death: this Fire, having transcended death, now shines beyond the reach of death. Before liberation, obstructed by death and identified with the individual organ of speech, it did not shine as it does now. But now, freed from death, it shines in its full cosmic glory.
Close to the Sanskrit
Which-ness is the preeminence of her—that first one it carried, carrying it did. Of her, again, who was carried having crossed over death, what is the form, thus is said—she, speech, when, in which time, evil, death, crossed over and was freed, crossed over and was freed, liberated herself indeed, then he, fire, became—she, speech—previously also being fire alone, in separation from death also fire alone became. This much but is the difference in separation from death—that this transcended fire, beyond death, beyond death, shines; before liberation, obstructed by death, by the self as individual speech, not like now was radiant; now but death beyond shines, from separation from death.