Texts 9-10
tam adbhutaṁ bālakam ambujekṣaṇaṁ
catur-bhujaṁ śaṅkha-gadādy-udāyudham
śrīvatsa-lakṣmaṁ gala-śobhi-kaustubhaṁ
pītāmbaraṁ sāndra-payoda-saubhagam
mahārha-vaidūrya-kirīṭa-kuṇḍala-
tviṣā pariṣvakta-sahasra-kuntalam
uddāma-kāñcy-aṅgada-kaṅkaṇādibhir
virocamānaṁ vasudeva aikṣata
tam — that; adbhutam — wonderful; bālakam — child; ambuja-īkṣaṇam — with eyes resembling lotuses; catuḥ-bhujam — with four hands; śaṅkha-gadā-ādi — bearing a conchshell, club, disc and lotus (in those four hands); udāyudham — different weapons; śrīvatsa-lakṣmam — decorated with a particular type of hair called Śrīvatsa, which is visible only on the chest of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; gala-śobhi-kaustubham — on His neck was the Kaustubha gem, which is particularly available in Vaikuṇṭhaloka; pīta-ambaram — His garments were yellow; sāndra-payoda-saubhagam — very beautiful, being present with the hue of blackish clouds; mahā-arha-vaidūrya-kirīṭa-kuṇḍala — of His helmet and earrings, which were studded with very valuable Vaidūrya gems; tviṣā — by the beauty; pariṣvakta-sahasra-kuntalam — brilliantly illuminated by scattered, fully grown hair; uddāma-kāñcī-aṅgada-kaṅkaṇa-ādibhiḥ — with a brilliant belt on His waist, armbands on His arms, bracelets on His wrists, etc.; virocamānam — very beautifully decorated; vasudevaḥ — Vasudeva, the father of Kṛṣṇa; aikṣata — saw.
Vasudeva then saw the newborn child, who had very wonderful lotuslike eyes and who bore in His four hands the four weapons śaṅkha, cakra, gadā and padma. On His chest was the mark of Śrīvatsa and on His neck the brilliant Kaustubha gem. Dressed in yellow, His body blackish like a dense cloud, His scattered hair fully grown, and His helmet and earrings sparkling uncommonly with the valuable gem Vaidūrya, the child, decorated with a brilliant belt, armlets, bangles and other ornaments, appeared very wonderful.
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.