अपाने जुह्वति प्राण प्राणेऽपानं तथाऽपरे।प्राणापानगती रुद्ध्वा प्राणायामपरायणाः ॥

Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.

• 4.24Brahman is the oblation; Brahman is the melted butter (ghee); by Brahman is the oblation poured into the fire of Brahman; Brahman indeed shall be attained by one who always sees Brahman in action.
• 4.25Some yogis perform sacrifice to the gods alone; while others, who have realized the Self, offer the Self as sacrifice in the fire of Brahman alone.
• 4.26Some again offer the organ of hearing and other senses as a sacrifice in the fire of restraint; others offer sound and other objects of the senses as a sacrifice in the fire of the senses.
• 4.27Others again sacrifice all the functions of the senses and those of the breath (vital energy, or Prana) in the fire of the Yoga of self-restraint, kindled by knowledge.
• 4.28Others again offer wealth, austerity, and Yoga as sacrifice, while ascetics of self-restraint and rigid vows offer the study of scriptures and knowledge as sacrifice.

• 4.29Others offer as sacrifice the outgoing breath into the incoming, and the incoming into the outgoing, restraining the flow of the outgoing and the incoming breaths, solely absorbed in the restraint of the breath.

• 4.30Others who regulate their diet offer life-breaths in each life-breath. All these are knowers of sacrifice, whose sins are destroyed through sacrifice.
• 4.31Those who eat the remnants of the sacrifice, which are like nectar, go to the eternal Brahman. This world is not for the one who does not perform sacrifice; how then can they have the other, O Arjuna?
• 4.32Thus, manifold sacrifices are spread out before Brahman at the face of Brahman. Know them all to be born of action, and thus knowing, you shall be liberated.
• 4.33Superior is wisdom-sacrifice to the sacrifice with objects, O Parantapa (scorcher of the foes). All actions in their entirety, O Arjuna, culminate in knowledge.

apāne

the incoming breath

juhvati

sacrifice

prāṇam

the outgoing breath

prāṇe

in the outgoing breath

apānam

incoming breath

tathā

also

apare

others

prāṇa

of the outgoing breath

apāna

and the incoming breath

gatī

movement

ruddhvā

blocking

prāṇa-āyāma

control of breath

parāyaṇāḥ

wholly devoted apare—others

niyata

having controlled

āhārāḥ

food intake

prāṇān

life-breaths

prāṇeṣhu

life-energy

sarve

all

api

also

ete

these

yajña-vidaḥ

knowers of sacrifices

yajña-kṣhapita

being cleansed by performances of sacrifices

kalmaṣhāḥ

of impurities