सोऽकामयत, भूयसा यज्ञेन भूयो यजेयेति । सोऽश्राम्यत्, स तपोऽतप्यत; तस्य श्रान्तस्य तप्तस्य यशो वीर्यमुदक्रामत् । प्राणा वै यशो वीर्यम्; तत्प्राणेषूत्क्रान्तेषु शरीरं श्वयितुमध्रियत; तस्य शरीर एव मन आसीत् ॥ ६ ॥
so’kāmayata, bhūyasā yajñena bhūyo yajeyeti | so’śrāmyat, sa tapo’tapyata; tasya śrāntasya taptasya yaśo vīryamudakrāmat | prāṇā vai yaśo vīryam; tatprāṇeṣūtkrānteṣu śarīraṃ śvayitumadhriyata; tasya śarīra eva mana āsīt || 6 ||
6. He desired, ‘Let me sacrifice again with the great sacrifice.’ He was tired, and he was distressed. While he was (thus) tired and distressed, his reputation and strength departed. The organs are reputation and strength. When the organs departed, the body began to swell, (but) his mind was set on the body.
He desired, etc. This and part of the next paragraph are introduced to give the derivation of the words ‘Aśva’ (horse) and ‘Aśvamedha’ (horse sacrifice). ‘Let me sacrifice again with the great sacrifice.’ The word ‘again’ has reference to his performance in the previous life. Prajāpati had performed a horse sacrifice in his previous life, and was born at the beginning of the cycle imbued with those thoughts. Having been born as identified with the act of horse sacrifice, its factors and its results, he desired, ‘Let me sacrifice again with the great sacrifice.’ Having desired this great undertaking, he was tired, like other men, and he was distressed. While he was (thus) tired and distressed —these words have already been explained (in par. 2)—his reputation and strength departed. The Śruti itself explains the words: The organs are reputation, being the cause of it, for one is held in repute as long as the organs are in the body; likewise, strength in the body. No one can be reputed or strong when the organs have left the body. Hence these are the reputation and strength in this body. So the reputation and strength consisting of the organs departed. When the organs forming reputation and strength departed, the body of Prajāpati began to swell, and became impure or unfit for a sacrifice. (But) although Prajāpati had left it, his mind was set on the body, just as one longs for a favourite object even when one is away.