annādvai prajāḥ prajāyante | yāḥ kāśca pr̥thivīm̐ śritāḥ | atho annenaiva jīvanti | athainadapi yantyantatḥ | annm̐ hi bhūtānāṃ jyeṣṭham | tasmāt sarvauṣadhamucyate | sarvṃ vai te'nnamāpnuvanti | ye'nnṃ brahmopāsate | annm̐ hi bhūtānāṃ jyeṣṭham | tasmāt sarvauṣadhamucyate | annād bhūtāni jāyante | jātānyannena vardhante | adyate'tti ca bhūtāni | tasmādannṃ taducyata iti | tasmādvā etasmādannarasamayāt | anyo'ntara ātmā prāṇamayḥ | tenaiṣa pūrṇḥ | sa vā eṣa puruṣavidha eva | tasya puruṣavidhatām| anvayṃ puruṣavidhḥ | tasya prāṇa eva śirḥ | vyāno dakṣiṇḥ pakṣḥ | apāna uttarḥ pakṣḥ | ākāśa ātmā | pr̥thivī pucchṃ pratiṣṭhā | tadapyeṣa śloko bhavati ||
“From food are creatures born, by food they live, into food they dissolve at the end; food is the eldest of beings, the cure-all. Who worships food as Brahman obtains all food. Within the food-made self lies the breath-made self, person-shaped, with breath as head and the regions as its limbs.”