स होवाच ये वै के चास्माल्लोकात्प्रयन्ति चन्द्रमसमेव ते सर्वे गच्छन्ति ।तेषां प्राणैः पूर्वपक्ष आप्यायते ।अथापरपक्षे न प्रजनयति ।एतद्वै स्वर्गस्य लोकस्य द्वारं यश्चन्द्रमास्तं यत्प्रत्याह तमतिसृजतेऽथ य एनं प्रत्याहतमिह वृष्टिर्भूत्वा वर्षति स इह कीटो वा पतङ्गो वा शकुनिर्वा शार्दूलो वा सिंहो वा मत्स्यो वा परश्वा वा पुरुषो वान्यो वैतेषु स्थानेषु प्रत्याजायते यथाकर्म यथाविद्यम् ।तमागतं पृच्छति कोऽसीति तं प्रतिब्रूयाद्विचक्षणादृतवो रेत आभृतं पञ्चदशात्प्रसूतात्पित्र्यावतस्तन्मा पुंसि कर्तर्येरयध्वं पुंसा कर्त्रा मातरि मा निषिक्तः स जायमान उपजायमानो द्वादश त्रयोदश उपमासो द्वादशत्रयोदशेन पित्रा सन्तद्विदेहं तन्म ऋतवो मर्त्यव आरभध्वम् ।तेन सत्येन तपसर्तुरस्म्यार्तवोऽस्मि कोऽसि त्वमस्मीति तमतिसृजते ॥ २ ॥
In plain words
He said: All those who depart from this world go to the moon. In the bright fortnight the moon swells with their breaths; in the dark fortnight it sends them on to birth. The moon is the door of the heavenly world. Whoever answers it, him it lets pass beyond; but whoever does not answer it, he becomes rain here and rains down, and is born again here as a worm or an insect or a bird or a tiger or a lion or a fish or a boar or a man or as something else in these several stations, according to his deeds and according to his knowledge. When he comes, the moon asks him, "Who art thou?" He should answer: "From the shining one the seasons gathered the seed, sent forth from the fifteenfold, from the abode of the fathers. Set me in a man as agent; through a man as agent pour me into a mother. So am I born, being born again, as a thirteenth month, through a father who is a thirteenth month. I know this, and I know it not. Bring me to this, ye seasons, unto immortality. By that truth, by that austerity I am a season, I am born of the seasons. Who am I? I am thou." Then it lets him pass beyond.