अथान्यत्राप्युक्तं यः कर्ता सोऽयं वै भूतात्मा करणैः कारयितान्तःपुरुषोऽथ यथाग्निनायःपिण्डो वाभिभूतः कर्तृभिर्हन्यमानो नानात्वमुपैत्येवं वाव खल्वसौ भूतात्मान्तःपुरुषेणाभिभूतो गुणैर्हन्यमानो नानात्वमुपैत्यथ यत्त्रिगुणं चतुरशीतिलक्षयोनिपरिणतं भूतत्रिगुणमेतद्वै नानात्वस्य रूपं तानि ह वा इमानि गुणानि पुरुषेणेरितानि चक्रमिव चक्रिणेत्यथ यथायःपिण्डे हन्यमाने नाग्निरभिभूयत्येवं नाभिभूयत्यसौ पुरुषोऽभिभूयत्ययं भूतात्मोपसंश्लिष्टत्वादिति ॥३.३ ॥
In plain words
And it is said elsewhere too: He who acts is the elemental self, and the inner person is the one who makes it act through the instruments. And as a lump of iron, overcome by fire and beaten by smiths, takes on many shapes, so that elemental self, overcome by the inner person and beaten by the strands, takes on many shapes. And that which has three strands and is transformed into eighty-four hundred thousand wombs, the threefold nature of the elements, is the very form of manifoldness. And these strands are driven by the person as a wheel by a potter. And as, when the lump of iron is beaten, the fire is not overcome, so that person is not overcome; it is this elemental self that is overcome, because it is closely joined to the body.