॥ द्वितीयोऽवाकः ॥अन्नाद्वै प्रजाः प्रजायन्ते ।याः काश्च पृथिवीँ श्रिताः ।अथो अन्नेनैव जीवन्ति ।अथैनदपि यन्त्यन्ततः ।अन्नँ हि भूतानां ज्येष्ठम् ।तस्मात् सर्वौषधमुच्यते ।सर्वं वै तेऽन्नमाप्नुवन्ति ।येऽन्नं ब्रह्मोपासते ।अन्नँ हि भूतानां ज्येष्ठम् ।तस्मात् सर्वौषधमुच्यते ।अन्नाद् भूतानि जायन्ते ।जातान्यन्नेन वर्धन्ते ।अद्यतेऽत्ति च भूतानि ।तस्मादन्नं तदुच्यत इति ।तस्माद्वा एतस्मादन्नरसमयात् ।अन्योऽन्तर आत्मा प्राणमयः ।तेनैष पूर्णः ।स वा एष पुरुषविध एव ।तस्य पुरुषविधताम् ।अन्वयं पुरुषविधः ।तस्य प्राण एव शिरः ।व्यानो दक्षिणः पक्षः ।अपान उत्तरः पक्षः ।आकाश आत्मा ।पृथिवी पुच्छं प्रतिष्ठा ।तदप्येष श्लोको भवति ॥ १ ॥
In plain words
From food indeed are creatures born, whatever creatures dwell upon the earth; and by food alone do they live, and into it they go at the end. For food is the eldest of beings, and therefore it is called the healing herb of all. All food do they obtain who worship food as Brahman; for food is the eldest of beings, and therefore it is called the healing herb of all. From food are beings born; being born, they grow by food; it is eaten and it eats beings, and therefore it is called food. Other than this self made of the essence of food, and within it, is a self made of breath, by which the first is filled. That too has the shape of a person: after the shape of that one it has the shape of a person. Its head is the out-breath, its right side the diffused breath, its left side the down-breath, its trunk space, and its tail, its foundation, the earth. On this too there is a verse.