स होवाच प्राणोऽस्मि प्रज्ञात्मा तं मामायुरमृतमित्युपास्व |आयुः प्राणः प्राणो वा आयुः प्राण एवाचामृतम् ।यावद्ध्यस्मिञ्छरीरे प्राणो वसति तावदायुः ।प्राणेन ह्येवामुष्मिंल्लोकेऽमृतत्वमाप्नोति ।प्रज्ञया सत्यसङ्कल्पं स यो ममायुरमृतमित्युपास्ते सर्वमायुरस्मिंल्लोक एति ।आप्नोत्यमृतत्वमक्षितिं स्वर्गे लोके ।तद्धैक आहुरेकभूयं वै प्राणा गच्छन्तीति ।न हि कश्चन शक्नुयात्सकृद्वाचा नाम प्रज्ञापयितुं चक्षुषा रूपं श्रोत्रेण शब्दं मनसा ध्यानमित्येकभूयं वै प्राणाः ।एकैकमेतानि सर्वाण्येव प्रज्ञापयन्ति ।वाचं वदन्ती सर्वे प्राणा अनुवदन्ति ।चक्षुः पश्यत्सर्वे प्राणा अनुपश्यन्ति श्रोत्रं शृण्वत्सर्वे प्राणा अनुशृण्वन्ति मनो ध्यायत्सर्वे प्राणा अनुध्यायन्ति प्राणं प्राणन्तं सर्वे प्राणा अनुप्राणन्तीति ।एवमुहैवैतदिति हेन्द्र उवाच ।अस्तीत्येव प्राणानां निःश्रेयसादानमिति ॥ २ ॥
In plain words
He said: "I am the breath, the self of wisdom. Worship me as life, as the immortal. Life is breath and breath is life; for so long as breath dwells in this body, so long is there life. It is by breath that a man attains immortality in that world, and by wisdom true resolve. He who worships me as life, as the immortal, gains his full span of life in this world and attains immortality, imperishability, in the heavenly world." Now some say: "The breaths become one." For no one could at once make known a name with speech, a form with the eye, a sound with the ear, a thought with the mind. The breaths become one: one after another they make all these known. When speech speaks, all the breaths speak after it. When the eye sees, all the breaths see after it. When the ear hears, all the breaths hear after it. When the mind thinks, all the breaths think after it. When the breath breathes, all the breaths breathe after it. "So it is indeed," said Indra. "But there is a taking of the highest place among the breaths."