פירוש על פרה 6:2

היה קדוש צף על פני המים – that he placed upon the water many ashes. And the ash itself is called קידוש/putting ashes in the water of lustration.

If the ashes floated on the water: Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Shimon rule: one may take some of them and use them in another preparation; But the sages say: with any ashes that have touched water no other mixture may be prepared from them. According to Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Shimon if there are some ashes that are floating on the water after he has mixed them in, one can take those ashes and reuse them with other water to make more hatat waters. Think of it as red cow recycling. The other sages say that after the process has been performed once with some ashes, it cannot be performed again with the same ashes.

נוטל – he takes from that ash.

If he emptied out the water and some ashes were found at the bottom: Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Shimon rule: one may dry them and then use them for another preparation; But the sages rule: with any ashes that have touched water no other mixture may be prepared. This is basically the same dispute as in section one, except here ashes have settled to the bottom of the vessel into which they were mixed.

ומקדש – [and mixes it] in other waters, and even with that (i.e., the ashes) that touched the water, he mixes and returns and mixes several times, but he dries them off.

זלף את המים (if he used all the water for sprinkling) – he sprinkled from the water that were mixed upon a person and upon vessels until all the water was completed, and the ashes remain in the rim at the bottom o fthe vessel.

וחכמים אומרים וכו' – And the Halakha is according to the Sages in both of these things (i.e., whatever ash has touched the water, they do not mix [another preparation] with it and whatever has touched he water, they do not mix with it.).