स होवाच किं मे वासो भविष्यतीत्याप इति होचुस्तस्माद्वा एतदशिष्यन्तः पुरस्ताच्चोपरिष्टाच्चाद्भिः परिदधति लम्भुको ह वासो भवत्यनग्नो ह भवति ॥ ५.२.२ ॥
sa hovāca kiṃ me vāso bhaviṣyatītyāpa iti hocustasmādvā etadaśiṣyantaḥ purastāccopariṣṭāccādbhiḥ paridadhati lambhuko ha vāso bhavatyanagno ha bhavati || 5.2.2 ||
2. Prāṇa asked, ‘What will be my covering?’ The organs replied, ‘Water.’ This is why, before and after eating their meals, people cover him with water [i.e., they sip water]. He then becomes covered with a cloth and is no longer naked.
Word-for-word explanation:
Saḥ ha uvāca, he [prāṇa] said; kim me vāsaḥ bhaviṣyati iti, what will be my covering; āpaḥ iti ha ucuḥ, [the other organs] replied, ‘Water’; tasmāt, that is why; vai aśiṣyantaḥ purastāt ca, people before eating; upariṣṭāt ca, and after [eating]; etat adbhiḥ paridadhati, cover him [prāṇa] with water [i.e., they sip water]; lambhukaḥ ha vāsaḥ bhavati, thereby he becomes covered with a cloth; anagnaḥ ha bhavati, he is no longer naked.
Commentary:
The water that is sipped before the meal is said to be the lower cloth, and that which is sipped afterwards is said to be the upper cloth.