रेत एव यस्यायतनम्, हृदयं लोकः, मनोज्योतिः, यो वै तं पुरुषं विद्यात्सर्वस्यात्मनः परायणम्, स वै वेदिता स्याद्याज्ञवल्क्य । वेद वा अहं तं पुरुषं सर्वस्यात्मनः परायणं यमात्थ; य एवायं पुत्रमयः पुरुषः स एषः, वदैव शाकल्य; तस्य का देवतेति; प्रजापतिरिति होवाच ॥ १७ ॥
reta eva yasyāyatanam, hṛdayaṃ lokaḥ, manojyotiḥ, yo vai taṃ puruṣaṃ vidyātsarvasyātmanaḥ parāyaṇam, sa vai veditā syādyājñavalkya | veda vā ahaṃ taṃ puruṣaṃ sarvasyātmanaḥ parāyaṇaṃ yamāttha; ya evāyaṃ putramayaḥ puruṣaḥ sa eṣaḥ, vadaiva śākalya; tasya kā devateti; prajāpatiriti hovāca || 17 ||
17. ‘He who knows that being whose abode is the seed, whose instrument of vision is the intellect, whose light is the Manas, and who is the ultimate resort of the entire body and organs, knows truly, O Yājñavalkya.’ ‘I know that being of whom you speak—who is the ultimate resort of the entire body and organs. It is the being who is identified with the son. Go on, Śākalya.’ ‘Who is his deity?’ ‘Prajāpati (the father),’ said he.
‘Whose abode is the seed.’ ‘It is the being identified with the son,’ who is the particular abode of the being.who inhabits the seed. ‘The being identified with the son’ here means the bones, marrow and seed derived from the father. ‘Who is his deity?’ ‘Prajāpati,’ said he. ‘Prajapati’ here means the father, for from him the son is born.