अथ हेममासन्यं प्राणमूचुस्त्वं न उद्गायेति ।तथेति तेभ्य एष प्राण उदगायत् ।तेऽविदुरनेन वै न उद्गात्रात्येष्यन्तीति ।तमभिद्रुत्य पाप्मनाविव्यत्सन् ।स यथाश्मानमृत्वा लोष्टो विध्वंसेतैवं हैव विध्वंसमाना विष्वञ्चो विनेशुः ।ततो देवा अभवन्, परासुरा ।भवत्यात्मना, परास्य द्विषन् भ्रातृव्यो भवति य एवं वेद ॥बृह. १,३.७ ॥
In plain words
Then they said to this breath in the mouth, "Sing the Udgītha for us." "So be it," said this breath, and sang the Udgītha for them. The demons knew, "By this singer they will overcome us." They rushed upon it and sought to pierce it with evil. But as a clod is shattered when it strikes a rock, so they were shattered and flew apart in every direction and perished. Thereupon the gods prevailed and the demons were defeated. He prevails by his own self, and his hateful rival is defeated, who knows this.
The commentators
Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣadbhāṣyam· Leaf 8.69· bhāṣya
अथ अनन्तरम्, ह इममित्यभिनयप्रदर्शनार्थम्, आस- न्यम् आस्ये भवमासन्यं मुखान्तर्बिलस्थं प्राणमूचुः— 'त्वं न उद्गाय' इति । तथेत्येवं शरणमुपगतेभ्यः स एष प्राणो मुख्य उद्गायत् इत्यादि पूर्ववत् । पाप्मना अविध्यत्सन् वेधनं कर्तुमिष्टवन्तः, ते च दोषासंसर्गिणं सन्तं मुख्यं प्राणम्, स्वेन आसङ्गदोषेण वागादिषु लब्धप्रसरास्तदभ्यासा- नुवृत्त्या, संस्रक्ष्यमाणा विनेशुः विनष्टा विध्वस्ताः ; कथ- मिवेति दृष्टान्त उच्यते— स यथा स दृष्टान्तो यथा— लोके अश्मानं पाषाणम्, ऋत्वा गत्वा प्राप्य, लोष्टः पांसु- पिण्डः, पाषाणचूर्णनायाश्मनि निक्षिप्तः स्वयं विध्वंसेत विस्रंसेत विचूर्णीभवेत्; एवं हैव यथायं दृष्टान्त एवमेव,
In plain words
Then, to demonstrate the teaching, the organs approached the vital breath stationed within the mouth and said, 'Sing out for us.' Agreeing to their plea, the chief breath chanted for them. When evil sought to afflict them, the organs—tainted by their own attachments and persisting in error—collided with the unblemished breath and were utterly shattered. To illustrate how this happens: just as a fragile clod of earth, hurled against a solid rock to crush it, simply shatters and turns to dust upon impact, exactly so...
Close to the Sanskrit
Now afterwards, indeed, for the purpose of showing a demonstration, they spoke to the principal breath situated in the mouth cavity: 'Sing out for us.' Saying 'so be it,' to them who had approached for refuge, this chief prāṇa sang out, and so forth, as before. Evil having pierced them, desiring to accomplish piercing, and they, the speech-organs and others, having gained scope through their own flaw of attachment, through the persistence of that habit, about to collide perished, destroyed, scattered. How is it? An example is stated: Just as that example in the world, a clod of earth, a ball of dust, having gone, reached, attained a stone, thrown upon the stone to crush the stone, itself would disintegrate, would loosen, would become powdered; even so just like this example, exactly thus...
Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣadbhāṣyam· Leaf 8.71· bhāṣya
वति कश्चिद्भ्रातृव्यो भरतादितुल्यः; यस्त्विन्द्रियविषया- सङ्गजनितः पाप्मा, भ्रातृव्यो द्वेष्टा च, पारमार्थिकात्मस्व- रूपतिरस्करणहेतुत्वात्-- स च पराभवति विशीर्यते, लो- ष्टवत्, प्राणपरिष्वङ्गात् । कस्यैतत्फलमित्याह-- य एवं वेद, यथोक्तं प्राणमात्मत्वेन प्रतिपद्यते पूर्वयजमानवदि- त्यर्थः ॥
In plain words
An internal enemy arises like a hostile rival—the sin born of attachment to sense objects. Because it obscures the true nature of the supreme Self, it acts as an adversary and hater. Yet that very enemy is defeated and shattered like a clod of earth through alignment with the vital breath. Whose fruit is this? The text answers: one who knows thus, realizing the described prāṇa as his own Self, gains the result of the ancient sacrificer.
Close to the Sanskrit
Like some rival equal to Bharata and others; but that sin which is born from attachment to sense-objects, a rival and hater, because it is the cause of concealing the true nature of the supreme Self — that too is defeated, is shattered, like a clod of earth, due to the embrace of prāṇa. Whose fruit is this, he says: he who thus knows, who realizes the stated prāṇa as the Self, like the former sacrificer, is the meaning.