अथाधिदैवतम्—ज्वलिष्याम्येवाहमित्यग्निर्दध्रे, तप्स्याम्यहमित्यादित्यः, भास्याम्यहमिति चन्द्रमाः, एवमन्या देवता यथादेवतम्; स यथैषां प्राणानां मध्यमः प्राणः, एवमेतासां देवतानां वायुः,; निम्लोचन्ति हान्या देवताः, न वायुः; सैषानस्तमिता देवता यद्वायुः ॥ २२ ॥
athādhidaivatam—jvaliṣyāmyevāhamityagnirdadhre, tapsyāmyahamityādityaḥ, bhāsyāmyahamiti candramāḥ, evamanyā devatā yathādevatam; sa yathaiṣāṃ prāṇānāṃ madhyamaḥ prāṇaḥ, evametāsāṃ devatānāṃ vāyuḥ,; nimlocanti hānyā devatāḥ, na vāyuḥ; saiṣānastamitā devatā yadvāyuḥ || 22 ||
22. Now with reference to the gods: Fire took a vow, ‘I will go on burning.’ The sun: ‘I will give heat.’ The moon: ‘I will shine.’ And so did the other gods according to their functions. As is the vital force in the body among these organs, so is Vāyu (air) among these gods. Other gods sink, but not air. Air is the deity that never sets.
Now the meditation with reference to the gods is being described. It is being decided which deity is the best for the purpose of observing his functions as a vow. Everything here is as in the preceding paragraph with reference to the body. Fire took a vow, ‘I will go on burning.’ The sun: ‘I will give heat.’ The moon: ‘I will shine.’ And so did the other gods according to their functions. As, with reference to the body, is the vital force in the body among these organs, not overtaken by death, nor stopped from functioning—remaining intact in its vow of functioning as the vital force, so is Vāyu (air) among these gods such as fire. Other gods such as fire sink, or set, cease to function, like the organ of speech etc. in the body, but not air, like the vital force in the body. Therefore air is the deity that never sets. Thus it is decided after consideration that the vow of one who identifies oneself with the vital force with reference to the body, and with air with reference to the gods, is unbroken.