स्पर्धच्छ्रिया परिवृतो वनमालयाद्यः ।
बर्हिष्मतः पुरुष आह सुतान्प्रपन्नान्
पर्जन्यनादरुतया सघृणावलोकः ॥७॥
pÄ«nÄyatÄá¹£á¹a-bhuja-maṇá¸ala-madhya-laká¹£myÄ
spardhac-chriyÄ parivá¹›to vana-mÄlayÄdyaḥ
barhiá¹£mataḥ puruá¹£a Äha sutÄn prapannÄn
parjanya-nÄda-rutayÄ saghṛṇÄvalokaḥ
pÄ«na - stout; Äyata - long; aá¹£á¹a - eight; bhuja - arms; maṇá¸ala - encirclement; madhya - in the midst of; laká¹£myÄ - with the goddess of fortune; spardhat - contending; Å›riyÄ - whose beauty; parivá¹›taḥ - encircled; vana-mÄlayÄ - by a flower garland; Ädyaḥ - the original Personality of Godhead; barhiá¹£mataḥ - of King PrÄcÄ«nabarhi; puruá¹£aḥ - the Supreme Personality of Godhead; Äha - addressed; sutÄn - the sons; prapannÄn - surrendered; parjanya - like a cloud; nÄda - whose sound; rutayÄ - by a voice; sa-ghṛṇa - with mercy; avalokaḥ - His glancing.
Around the neck of the Personality of Godhead hung a flower garland that reached to His knees. His eight stout and elongated arms were decorated with that garland, which challenged the beauty of the goddess of fortune. With a merciful glance and a voice like thunder, the Lord addressed the sons of King PrÄcÄ«nabarhiá¹£at, who were very much surrendered unto Him.
The word Ädyaḥ in this verse is very significant. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the origin even of ParamÄtmÄ and Brahman. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ (14.27), brahmaṇo hi pratiá¹£á¹hÄham: the Absolute Truth begins not with the impersonal Brahman but with the original Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. When Arjuna realized Kṛṣṇa’s greatness, he addressed Him in this way:
paraá¹ brahma paraá¹ dhÄma
pavitraá¹ paramaá¹ bhavÄn
puruá¹£aá¹ Å›ÄÅ›vataá¹ divyam
Ädi-devam ajaá¹ vibhum
“You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine person. You are the primal God, transcendental and original, and You are the unborn and all-pervading beauty.†(Bg. 10.12)
The Brahma-saá¹hitÄ also says, anÄdir Ädir govindaḥ sarva-kÄraṇa-kÄraṇam: “The Supreme Lord is not caused by anything [anÄdi], but He is the cause of all causes.†The VedÄnta-sÅ«tra says, janmÄdy asya yataḥ: “The Absolute Truth is that from which everything emanates.†The Absolute Truth is described as Ädi-puruá¹£a. The Absolute Truth is therefore a person and is not impersonal.
