Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, 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
Wahai Vidura yang terkasih, rambut yang gugur dari tubuh itu berubah menjadi ular; dan ketika tubuh itu merayap dengan tangan dan kaki mengerut, darinya lahir ular-ular ganas serta para Nāga dengan tudung mengembang.
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.