ह्रीः कीर्तिः श्रीः शुभा लक्ष्मीरप्सरा वा शुभानने।
भूतिर्वा त्वं वरारोहे रतिर्वा स्वैरचारिणी॥१६॥
hrīḥ kīrtiḥ śrīḥ śubhā lakṣmīr apsarā vā śubhānane
bhūtir vā tvaṁ varārohe ratir vā svairacāriṇī
hrīḥ = [are you] Bhūmi; kīrtiḥ = Kīrti; śrīḥ = Kamalā; śubhā = the auspicious; lakṣmīḥ = goddess of beauty; apsarāḥ vā = an apsarā; śubha-ānane = O woman with a beautiful face; bhūtiḥ vā = the goddess of mystic powers; tvam = you; vara-ārohe = O elegant lady; ratiḥ = Rati, the wife of Kāmadeva; vā = or; svairacāriṇī = are independently moving about.
1 He says, “You are independent” because she has come to a forest (and is alone in the forest). Technical note: svairacāriṇītvaṁ vana āgamanāt.
2 Kamalā is the goddess of fortune, the chief eternal consort of Lord Viṣṇu. Rāmāyaṇa-bhūṣaṇa: śrīḥ kamalā lakṣmīḥ kānty-adhiṣṭhāna-devatāḥ. Technical note: bhūtir aṇimādi-siddhiḥ.
1 Since it is well known from other scriptures that Lord Nārāyaṇa’s two wives are Śrī and Bhūmi, it is understood that hrīḥ and lakṣmīḥ in this Puruṣa-sūkta text refers to Bhūmi and Śrī respectively.
Hrīḥ refers to Bhūmi-devī because the Śruti states—hrīś ca te lakṣmīś ca patnyau: “Your wives are Hrī and Lakṣmī.”1