तेषां खल्वेषां भूतानां त्रीण्येव बीजानि भवन्त्याण्डजं जीवजमुद्भिज्जमिति ॥ ६.३.१ ॥
In plain words
Of these beings there are just three seeds: that born from an egg, that born alive, and that born from a sprout.
The commentators
Chāndogyopaniṣadbhāṣyam· bhāṣya
तेषां जीवाविष्टानां खलु एषां पक्ष्यादीनां भूतानाम्, एषा- मिति प्रत्यक्षनिर्देशात्, न तु तेजःप्रभृतीनाम्, तेषां त्रिवृ- त्करणस्य वक्ष्यमाणत्वात् ; असति त्रिवृत्करणे प्रत्यक्षनिर्देशा- नुपपत्तिः । देवताशब्दप्रयोगाच्च तेजःप्रभृतिषु—' इमास्तिस्रो देवताः ' इति । तस्मात् तेषां खल्वेषां भूतानां पक्षिपशुस्था- वरादीनां त्रीण्येव नातिरिक्तानि बीजानि कारणानि भ- वन्ति । कानि तानीति, उच्यन्ते—आण्डजम् अण्डज्जात- मण्डजम् अण्डजमेव आण्डजं पक्ष्यादि । पक्षिसर्पादिभ्यो हि पक्षिसर्पादयो जायमाना दृश्यन्ते । तेन पक्षी पक्षिणां बीजं सर्पः सर्पाणां बीजं तथा अन्यदप्यण्डज्जातं तज्जाती- यानां बीजमित्यर्थः । ननु अण्डज्जातम् अण्डजमुच्यते, अतोऽण्डमेव बीजमिति युक्तम् ; कथमण्डजं बीजमुच्यते ? सत्यमेवं स्यात्, यदि त्वदिच्छातन्त्रा श्रुतिः स्यात् ; स्वतन्त्रा तु श्रुतिः, यत आह अण्डजाद्येव बीजं न अण्डादीति । दृश्यते च अण्डजाद्यभावे तज्जातीयसंतत्यभावः, न अण्डा- द्यभावे । अतः अण्डजादीन्येव बीजानि अण्डजादीनाम् । तथा जीवाज्जातं जीवजं जरायुजमित्येतत्पुरुषपश्वादि । उ-द्भिज्जम् उद्भिनत्तीत्युद्भित् स्थावरं ततो जातमुद्भिज्जम्, धाना वा उद्भित् ततो जायत इत्युद्भिज्जं स्थावरबीजं स्थावराणां बीजमित्यर्थः । स्वेदजसंशोकजयोरण्डजोद्भिज्जयोरेव यथासंभवमन्तर्भावः । एवं हि अवधारणं त्रीण्येव बीजानीत्युपपन्नं भवति ॥
In plain words
Of these beings, the birds and the others into which the jīva has entered: these are meant, because 'of these' points to what is right before us, and not to fire and the rest, since their triplication is still to be told, and until they are made threefold they cannot be pointed to as present before us. It is not fire and the rest also because the word 'deity' is used of them: 'these three deities'. So, of these beings, birds, beasts, plants and the others, there are only three seeds, that is, causes, and no more. Which are they? They are named: āṇḍaja. Aṇḍaja means born from an egg, and āṇḍaja is just aṇḍaja: birds and the like. For birds, serpents and the like are seen to be born from birds, serpents and the like. So a bird is the seed of birds, a serpent the seed of serpents, and in the same way whatever else is born from an egg is the seed of its own kind. But surely what is born from an egg is called egg-born, so it would make sense for the egg itself to be the seed. How can the egg-born be called the seed? True, it would be so if the śruti depended on your wish. But the śruti is independent, for it says that the egg-born and the others are the seed, not the egg and the like. And it is seen that when the egg-born creature is gone its kind does not go on, while this is not so when the egg is gone. So the egg-born and the others are themselves the seeds of the egg-born and the others. Likewise, jīvaja is what is born from a living being, the womb-born: man, cattle and the rest. Udbhijja: udbhid is what breaks through, the plant, and what is born from it is udbhijja. Or udbhid is grain, and what is born from it is udbhijja, the plant-seed, meaning the seed of plants. The sweat-born and the heat-born are included, each where it fits, in the egg-born and the sprout-born. Only in this way does the restriction 'only three seeds' hold good.
Close to the Sanskrit
Of those, indeed, of these beings, the birds and the rest, entered by the jīva: [these are meant] because 'of these' points to what is directly present, and not fire and the rest, since their triplication is yet to be told; and in the absence of triplication, pointing to them as directly present is not possible. [It is not fire and the rest] also because the word 'deity' is used of fire and the rest: 'these three deities'. Therefore, of those, indeed, of these beings, birds, beasts, plants and the rest, there are three seeds alone, not more, [that is,] causes. Which are they? They are told: āṇḍaja. Aṇḍaja is what is born from an egg; āṇḍaja is aṇḍaja itself, the bird and the rest. For birds, serpents and the rest are seen being born from birds, serpents and the rest. So a bird is the seed of birds, a serpent the seed of serpents; likewise whatever else is born from an egg is the seed of those of its kind: this is the meaning. Surely what is born from an egg is called aṇḍaja; hence it is fitting that the egg itself is the seed. How is the egg-born called the seed? True, it would be so, if the śruti depended on your wish. But the śruti is independent, since it says that the egg-born and the rest are the seed, not the egg and the rest. And it is seen that in the absence of the egg-born and the rest there is an absence of the line of their kind, not in the absence of the egg and the rest. Hence the egg-born and the rest alone are the seeds of the egg-born and the rest. Likewise, jīvaja is what is born from a living being, [that is,] the womb-born: man, cattle and the rest. Udbhijja: udbhid is what breaks through, the plant; what is born from it is udbhijja. Or udbhid is grain; what is born from it is udbhijja, the plant-seed, [that is,] the seed of plants: this is the meaning. The sweat-born and the heat-born are included, as fits each, in the egg-born and the sprout-born alone. For thus the restriction 'three seeds alone' holds.