Verse 11

सहस्र-शीर्षा पुरुषः सहस्राक्षः सहस्र-पात्
सहस्र-बाहुर् विश्वात्मा सहस्रांशः सहस्र-सूः ॥ ११॥

sahasra-śīrṣā puruṣaḥ sahasrākṣaḥ sahasra-pāt
sahasra-bāhur viśvātmā sahasrāṁśaḥ sahasra-sūḥ

The Puruṣa possesses thousands of heads, thousands of eyes, thousands of feet, and thousands of arms. He is the soul of the universe, possesses thousands of expansions, and generates thousands of living entities.

sahasra-śīrṣā—possessing thousands of heads; puruṣaḥ—the Puruṣa; sahasra-akṣaḥ—possessing thousands of eyes; sahasra-pāt—possessing thousands of feet; sahasra-bāhuḥ—possessing thousands of arms; viśva-ātmā—the soul of the universe; sahasra-aṁśaḥ—possessing thousands, or innumerable, expansions and avatāras; sahasra-sūḥ—producing thousands, or innumerable, living entities.

Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā

Jīva Gosvāmī

This verse further elaborates upon that same form, the Puruṣa. The word sahasrāṁśaḥ means: “He whose innumerable expansions are avatāras.” And sahasra-sūḥ means: “He who produces innumerable living entities.”

Throughout the verse, the word sahasra (“thousand”) should not be understood literally, but in the sense of an immeasurable quantity.

This form is also described in the commentary on the Second Canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.6.42), on the words ādyo ‘vatāraḥ puruṣaḥ parasya. “The Puruṣa is the first avatāra of the Supreme.” The commentary explains: “The Puruṣa of the Supreme Infinite Lord sets material nature into motion. His pastime form is described by statements beginning with ‘He possesses thousands of heads.’ He is the original avatāra.”

Brahma-saṁhitā-prakāśinī

Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
Verse 11

That Lord of the universe, Mahā-Viṣṇu, possesses thousands upon thousands of heads, thousands upon thousands of eyes, thousands upon thousands of feet, and thousands upon thousands of arms. Through thousands upon thousands of His portions, He manifests thousands upon thousands of avatāras. He is the soul of the universe and the generator of thousands upon thousands of living beings.

That Mahā-Viṣṇu, praised by all the Vedas, possesses unlimited causal potency and is the original puruṣa-avatāra, the source of all avatāras.

Annotations

Bhakti Gauravani Goswami

Jīva Gosvāmī refers here to the Second Canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Chapter 6, Text 42 and its commentary. Śrīla Prabhupāda translates this verse and comments as follows:

Kāraṇārṇavaśāyī Viṣṇu is the first incarnation of the Supreme Lord, and He is the master of eternal time, space, cause and effects, mind, the elements, the material ego, the modes of nature, the senses, the universal form of the Lord, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, and the sum total of all living beings, both moving and nonmoving.

[...]

This first incarnation in the material creation, namely Kāraṇārṇavaśāyī Viṣṇu, is the plenary part of the original Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, described in the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.48) as follows:

yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya
jīvanti loma-vila-jā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ
viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“All the innumerable universes are maintained only during the breathing period of Mahā-Viṣṇu, or Kāraṇārṇavaśāyī Viṣṇu, who is only a plenary part of Govinda, the original Personality of Godhead Lord Kṛṣṇa.”

Thus Mahā-Viṣṇu is the original puruṣa-avatāra through whom material nature is set into motion.