तस्य ह वा एतस्य हृदयस्य पञ्च देवसुषयः स योऽस्य प्राङ्सुषिः स प्राणस्तच्चक्षुः स आदित्यस्तदेतत्तेजोऽन्नाद्यमित्युपासीत तेजस्व्यन्नादो भवति य एवं वेद ॥ ३.१३.१ ॥
In plain words
This heart has five openings for the gods. Its eastern opening is the out-breath, and that is the eye, and that is the sun. Let a man worship it as splendour and food. He who knows this becomes full of splendour and an eater of food.
The commentators
Chāndogyopaniṣadbhāṣyam· bhāṣya
तस्य ह वा इत्यादिना गायत्र्याख्यस्य ब्रह्मण उपास नाङ्गत्वेन द्वारपालादिगुणविधानाथमारभ्यते । यथा लोके द्वारपाला राज्ञ उपासनेन वशीकृता राजप्राप्त्यर्था भवन्ति, तथेहापीति । तस्य इति प्रकृतस्य हृदयस्येत्यर्थः । एतस्य अनन्तरनिर्दिष्टस्य पञ्च पञ्चसंख्याका देवाना सुषय देव सुषय स्वर्गलोकप्राप्तिद्वारच्छिद्राणि, देवै प्राणादित्यादिभि रक्ष्यमाणानि इत्यतो देवसुषय , तस्य स्वर्गलोकभवनस्य हृद- यस्य अस्य य प्राङ्मुषि पूर्वाभिमुखस्य प्राग्गत यच्छिद्र द्वार स प्राण , तत्स्थ तेन द्वारेण य सचरति वायुविशेष स प्रागनिटीति प्राण । तेनैव सबद्धमव्यतिरिक्त तच्चक्षु , तथैव स आदित्य ‘आदित्यो ह वै बाह्यप्राण ’ इति श्रुते चक्षुरूपप्रतिष्ठाक्रमेण हृदि स्थित , ‘स आदित्य कस्मि- विशेष साऽशितपीते सम नयतीति समान । तत्संबद्ध मनोऽन्त करणम्, स पर्जन्या वृष्ट्यात्मको देव पर्जन्यनि- मित्ताश्च आप इति, 'मनसा सृष्टा आपश्च वरुणश्च' इति श्रुते । तदेतत्कीर्तिश्च, मनसा ज्ञानस्य कीर्तिहेतुत्वात् । आत्मपरोक्ष विश्रुतत्व कीर्तियश । स्वकरणसंबद्ध विश्रुत त्व व्युष्टि कान्तिर्देहगत लावण्यम् । ततश्च कीर्तिसभवा त्कीर्तिश्चेति । समानमन्यत् ॥
In plain words
Beginning with 'Tasyaha va', the text sets forth the meditation on the Gayatri-Brahman by introducing the qualities of its gatekeepers. Just as earthly gatekeepers, won over through service, grant access to a king, so do these divine faculties grant access to the highest realm. The heart has five apertures—the divine channels leading to heaven, guarded by deities such as prana and the sun. The eastern gate is prana itself, connected with the sun and the eye. The remaining gates likewise correspond to the vital breaths, the mind, the rain-cloud, and the waters, culminating in glory and radiance.
Close to the Sanskrit
With 'Tasyaha va' etc., the commentary begins to prescribe the gatekeeper and other qualities as auxiliary to the meditation on Brahman named as Gayatri. Just as in the world, gatekeepers won over by the worship of a king become means for attaining the king, so here too. 'Tasya' means of the heart mentioned in context. Of this immediately specified heart there are five apertures of the gods, which are door-holes for attaining the heavenly world, protected by the gods beginning with prana and the sun; hence they are called divine apertures...