Shloka 48
Secondary Creation Begins: Brahmā’s Productions, the Guṇas, and the Emergence of Orders of Beings
येऽहीयन्तामुत: केशा अहयस्तेऽङ्ग जज्ञिरे । सर्पा: प्रसर्पत: क्रूरा नागा भोगोरुकन्धरा: ॥ ४८ ॥
ye ’hīyantāmutaḥ keśā ahayas te ’ṅga jajñire sarpāḥ prasarpataḥ krūrā nāgā bhogoru-kandharāḥ
O dear Vidura, the hairs that fell from that body became snakes; and as the body crawled with its hands and feet drawn in, there arose from it fierce serpents and Nāgas with expanded hoods.
FAQs
In Canto 3, Chapter 20, this verse describes that serpents and nāgas manifested during Brahmā’s secondary creation, with nāgas characterized as great hooded serpents with powerful necks.
Śukadeva explains the stages of creation (sarga/visarga) to establish the Lord’s supreme control over the cosmos and to situate all beings within the Bhagavatam’s devotional worldview for Parīkṣit’s final hearing.
It encourages humility and God-consciousness: seeing all species as part of a divinely ordered creation helps reduce pride, cultivate reverence for life, and deepen devotion to the Supreme Lord beyond material classifications.