Shloka 9
तमद्भुतं बालकमम्बुजेक्षणं चतुर्भुजं शङ्खगदाद्युदायुधम् । श्रीवत्सलक्ष्मं गलशोभिकौस्तुभं पीताम्बरं सान्द्रपयोदसौभगम् ॥ ९ ॥ महार्हवैदूर्यकिरीटकुण्डल- त्विषा परिष्वक्तसहस्रकुन्तलम् । उद्दामकाञ्च्यङ्गदकङ्कणादिभि- र्विरोचमानं वसुदेव ऐक्षत ॥ १० ॥
tam adbhutaṁ bālakam ambujekṣaṇaṁ catur-bhujaṁ śaṅkha-gadādy-udāyudham śrīvatsa-lakṣmaṁ gala-śobhi-kaustubhaṁ pītāmbaraṁ sāndra-payoda-saubhagam
Vasudeva then beheld that wondrous newborn child: lotus-eyed, four-armed, holding the śaṅkha, cakra, gadā, and padma. Upon His chest was the mark of Śrīvatsa, and at His neck the radiant Kaustubha gem; clad in yellow, His dark beauty was like a dense raincloud.
To support the word adbhutam, meaning “wonderful,” the decorations and opulences of the newborn child are fully described. As confirmed in the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.30) , barhāvataṁsam asitāmbuda-sundarāṅgam: the hue of the Lord’s beautiful form resembles the blackish color of dense clouds ( asita means “blackish,” and ambuda means “cloud”). It is clear from the word catur-bhujam that Kṛṣṇa first appeared with four hands, as Lord Viṣṇu. No ordinary child in human society has ever been born with four hands. And when is a child born with fully grown hair? The descent of the Lord, therefore, is completely distinct from the birth of an ordinary child. The Vaidūrya gem, which sometimes appears bluish, sometimes yellow and sometimes red, is available in Vaikuṇṭhaloka. The Lord’s helmet and earrings were decorated with this particular gem.
FAQs
In this verse, Śukadeva describes the newborn as a wondrous lotus-eyed infant in a four-armed Viṣṇu form, holding the conch and mace, marked with Śrīvatsa and adorned with the Kaustubha jewel and yellow garments.
Because the Supreme Lord initially manifested His divine Viṣṇu form to reveal His Godhood to Vasudeva (and Devakī) before later appearing as a two-armed child for intimate parental love (vātsalya-bhakti).
Regularly hearing and remembering the Lord’s divine qualities and beauty (śravaṇa and smaraṇa) strengthens faith, steadies the mind, and nurtures devotion even amid fear and uncertainty.