The Brahman swells by means of brooding (penance); hence is produced matter (food); from matter breath, mind, the true, the worlds (seven), and from the works (performed by men in the worlds), the immortal (the eternal effects, rewards, and punishments of works).

In plain words: Brahman, the one reality behind everything, grows through deep inner concentration, and from it comes matter, called "food" here. From matter come breath, mind, the elements, the worlds, and the deeds people do there, whose results last on and on.