तमेताः सप्ताक्षितय उपतिष्ठन्ते ।तद्या इमा अक्षंल्लोहिन्यो राजयस्ताभिरेनं रुद्रोऽन्वायत्तः ।अथ या अक्षन्नापस्ताभिः पर्जन्यः ।या कनीनका तयादित्यः ।यत्कृष्णं तेनाग्निर् ।यच्छुक्लं तेनेन्द्रः ।अधरयैनं वर्तन्या पृथिव्यन्वायत्ता ।द्यौरुत्तरया ।नास्यान्नं क्षीयते य एवं वेद ॥बृह. २,२.२ ॥
In plain words
Seven imperishable ones wait upon it. There are these red streaks in the eye, and by them Rudra is joined to it; there is the water in the eye, and by that the rain-god; there is the pupil, and by that the sun; there is the dark part, and by that fire; there is the white part, and by that Indra. By the lower eyelid the earth is joined to it, and by the upper the sky. His food does not fail who knows this.
The commentators
Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣadbhāṣyam
इदानीं तस्यैव शिशोः प्रत्याधान ऊढस्य चक्षुषि काश्च- नोपनिषद उच्यन्ते-
तमेताः सप्तक्षितय उपतिष्ठन्ते- तं करणात्मकं प्राणं शरीरेऽन्नबन्धनं चक्षुष्यूढम् एताः वक्ष्यमाणाः सप्त सप्तसं- ख्याकाः अक्षितयः, अक्षितिहेतुत्वात्, उपतिष्ठन्ते । यद्यपि मन्त्रकरणे तिष्ठतिरूपपूर्वः आत्मनेपदी भवति, इहापि सप्त देवताभिधानानि मन्त्रस्थानीयानि करणानि ; तिष्ठतेः अतः अत्रापि आत्मनेपदं न विरुद्धम् । कास्ता अक्षितय इत्युच्यन्ते- तत् तत्र या इमाः प्रसिद्धाः, अक्षन् अक्षणि लोहिन्यः लोहिताः राजयः रेखाः, ताभिः द्वारभूताभिः एनं मध्यमं प्राणं रुद्रः अन्वायत्तः अनुगतः ; अथ याः अक्षन् अक्षणि आपः धूमादिसंयोगेनाभिव्यज्यमानाः, ताभिः अद्भिर्द्वारभूताभिः पर्जन्यो देवतात्मा अन्वायत्तः अनुगत उपतिष्ठत इत्यर्थः । स च अन्नभूतोऽक्षितिः प्राणस्य, 'पर्जन्ये वर्षत्यानन्दिनः प्राणा भवन्ति' इति श्रुत्यन्तरात् । या कनीनका दृक्शक्तिः तया कनीनकया द्वारेण आदित्यो मध्यमं प्राणमुपतिष्ठते । यत्कृष्णं चक्षुषि, तेन एनमग्निरुपतिष्ठते । यच्छुक्लं चक्षुषि, तेन इन्द्रः । अधरया वर्तन्या पक्ष्मणा एनं पृथिवी अन्वायत्ता, अधरत्वसामान्यात् । द्यौः उत्तरया, ऊर्ध्वत्वसामान्यात् । एताः सप्त अन्नभूताः प्राणस्य संततमुपतिष्ठन्ते- इत्येवं यो वेद, तस्यैतत्फलम्- नास्यान्नं क्षीयते, य एवं वेद ॥
In plain words
Now for a few teachings about the eye of that same child, the breath resting in its second seat, the head.
'These seven imperishable ones stand by him' — by the breath that works like an instrument, tied to food in the body, seated in the eye. Seven of them, soon to be named here, attend him because they are what keeps him from wasting away. (One might object that this verb should not take the middle voice, since its root ordinarily doesn't — but the seven deities named here act for their own benefit, the way any agent does when the fruit of an act returns to itself, so the grammar holds after all.) So what exactly are these seven guardians against decay? Look at the eye. The red threads running through it are Rudra's door, and he stands behind them. The moisture that shows itself whenever smoke or dust touches the eye is Parjanya's door — water, after all, is the breath's own imperishable food, and another scripture confirms it: the breaths grow glad when Parjanya sends down rain. The pupil, the very power of seeing, is Āditya's door — the sun himself stands there through your sight. The black of the eye is Agni's door. The white of it is Indra's. The lower lid belongs to Earth, because both share the quality of being below; the upper lid belongs to Sky, because both share the quality of being above. These seven keep watch over the breath without ever stopping, because they are its food. And whoever knows this receives exactly this: his food never runs out.
Close to the Sanskrit
Now, concerning the eye of that very child, seated in the pratyādhāna, some upaniṣads (hidden equivalences) are told.
'Him these seven imperishable ones attend' — him, the breath having the nature of an instrument, bound to food in the body, mounted in the eye; these, about to be described, seven, numbering seven, imperishable ones, because they are the cause of imperishability, attend him. Although, in the mantra's verb, the form based on 'tiṣṭhati' is ordinarily parasmaipada, here too the seven namings of the deities are agents standing in the place of a mantra; from tiṣṭhati, therefore, here too the middle-voice ending is not improper. What are those called 'the imperishable ones'? On this point: those well-known ones which, in the eye, are the reddish, red streaks, the lines — by those, serving as doorways, Rudra follows and attends this middle breath. And those which, in the eye, are the waters made manifest through contact with smoke and the like — by those waters, serving as doorways, Parjanya, whose nature is that deity, follows and attends; such is the meaning. And that, being food, is the imperishable sustenance of the breath, on the authority of another scriptural text: 'When Parjanya rains, the breaths become joyful.' The pupil, which is the power of sight — through that pupil as doorway, Āditya attends the middle breath. That which is black in the eye — through that, Agni attends him. That which is white in the eye — through that, Indra attends. By the lower eyelid, the Earth follows him, because of their shared lowness. The Sky, by the upper one, because of their shared uppermost-ness. These seven, being the food of the breath, continually attend it — whoever knows this in this way, this is the fruit for him: his food never runs out, whoever knows thus.