Verse 3.8-9

Sanskrit text and transliteration:

अन्वयव्यतिरेकोक्तिर्ब्रह्मणो वोपलब्धये ॥ ८ ॥
अनिर्देश्यस्य वा भूम्नो लक्षणस्य प्रवृत्तये ।
अन्नं प्राणमितीत्यादि प्रत्यग्धर्मोपदिश्यते ॥ ९ ॥

anvayavyatirekoktirbrahmaṇo vopalabdhaye || 8 ||
anirdeśyasya vā bhūmno lakṣaṇasya pravṛttaye |
annaṃ prāṇamitītyādi pratyagdharmopadiśyate || 9 ||

English translation of verse 3.8-9:

Food, vital force, etc., which are inward qualities, are mentioned for getting the knowledge of Brahman through the method of anvaya and vyatireka or for the purpose of defining Brahman, the unutterable and the infinite.

Notes:

Bhṛgu requested Varuṇa to teach him Brahman. Instead of teaching him Brahman, Varuṇa spoke of food, etc. So it many appear that the answer given by Varuṇa is not relevant to what was asked by Bhṛgu. But it is not really so. Two explanations can be given to show how reference to food, etc., is quite relevant in the context. (1) Food, life, etc:, are mentioned with a view to bring in the method of anvaya and vyatireka (i.e., the method of agreement in presence and in absence) for the purpose of discriminating the Self from the not-Self. Food, vital force, etc., are not always cognized; sometimes they are cognized, and sometimes they are not. Further, when one is cognized, the other is not. But the Self, on the other hand, is always present. It is that which reveals all other things when they are present as well as when they are absent. Being uniformly present at all times, the Self is, therefore, different from food, the vital force, etc. (2) There is also another ṛeason for mentioning them. The infinite Brahman is free from attributes. It cannot be designated by words. Nor can it be comprehended by the mind. Food, vital force, etc., are mentioned with a view to give a definition of Brahman per accidens.