SB 1.16.3 (1965)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT No. 3
Ajahara aswamedhan strin gangayam bhun dakshinan Savdbatam gurum kritwa devayatra akshigocharah.
ENGLISH SYNONYMS
Ajahara—performed, Aswamedhan—horse-sacrifices, Strin—three Gangayam—the bank of the Ganges, Bhuri—sufficiently, Dakshinam—rewards, Sardbatam—unto Kripacharya, Gurnm—Spiritual master, Kritwa—having selected, Deva—the demigods, Yatra—wherein, Akshi—eyes, Gocharah—within the purview.
TRANSLATION
Maharaj Parikshit after having selected Kripacharya as his spiritual master, for guidance, performed three horse-sacrifices on the bank of the Ganges executed with sufficient rewards for the attendants. And in these sacrifices even the common man could see demigods within the purview of their vision.
PURPORT
It appears from this verse that interplanetary travel by the denizens of higher planets is easier than that of the inhabitants of this earth. In many places in the statements of Bhagwatam, we have observed that the demigods from heaven used to visit this earth to attend sacrifices performed by influential kings and emperors. Herein also we find that during the time of the horse sacrifice ceremony of Maharaj Parikshit the demigods from other planets were visible even for the common man on account of the sacrificial ceremony. The demigods are not generally visible to common man as much as the Lord is not visible But as the Lord also, by His causeless mercy, descends to be visible by the common man, similarly the demigods also become visible to the common man by their own grace. Although Celestial beings are not visible to the naked eyes of the inhabitants of this earth, it was due to the influence of Maharaj Parikshit that the demigods also agreed to be visible. The Kings used to spend very lavishly during such sacrifices as much as the cloud distribute rains. The cloud is nothing but another state of the reservoires of waters or in other words the sea waters of the earth transform into cloud, similarly the charity made by the kings in such sacrifices is but another form of the taxes collected from the citizens. But as the rains fall down very lavishly and it appears to be more than the necessity, similarly the charity made by such kings, do also seem to be more than what the citizen needs. Such satisfied citizens of the state can never organize any sort of agitation against the king and thus there was no need of changing the monarchical state into an oligarchical state of a few diplomats.
Even for a king like Maharaj Yudhisthir there was need of the spiritual master for guidance. Without such guidance nobody can make any progress in spiritual values. The spiritual master must be bonafide and one who wants to have self-realisation must approach and take shelter of such bonafide spiritual master for achieving real success.