Shloka 25
Dhruva-vaṁśa Continuation: Utkala’s Renunciation, Aṅga’s Sacrifice, and the Birth of Vena
Prelude to Pṛthu
मैत्रेय उवाच अङ्गोऽश्वमेधं राजर्षिराजहार महाक्रतुम् । नाजग्मुर्देवतास्तस्मिन्नाहूता ब्रह्मवादिभि: ॥ २५ ॥
maitreya uvāca aṅgo ’śvamedhaṁ rājarṣir ājahāra mahā-kratum nājagmur devatās tasminn āhūtā brahma-vādibhiḥ
मैत्रेय उवाच—विदुर, राजर्षिरङ्गो महाक्रतुमश्वमेधं राजहार। तस्मिन् ब्रह्मवादिभिराहूताः देवताः सर्वथा नाजग्मुः, न च तत्र प्रादुर्भवन्॥
A Vedic sacrifice is not an ordinary performance. The demigods used to participate in such sacrifices, and the animals sacrificed in such performances were reincarnated with new life. In this Age of Kali there are no powerful brāhmaṇas who can invite the demigods or give renewed life to animals. Formerly, the brāhmaṇas well conversant in Vedic mantras could show the potency of the mantras, but in this age, because there are no such brāhmaṇas, all such sacrifices are forbidden. The sacrifice in which horses were offered was called aśvamedha. Sometimes cows were sacrificed ( gavālambha ), not for eating purposes, but to give them new life in order to show the potency of the mantra. In this age, therefore, the only practical yajña is saṅkīrtana-yajña, or chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra twenty-four hours a day.
FAQs
This verse states that although the brāhmaṇas properly invited them, the demigods did not appear—indicating a disruption in divine cooperation with the sacrifice, foreshadowing problems in the kingdom and the consequences connected with Aṅga’s line.
Maitreya Ṛṣi is the speaker, narrating the history of King Aṅga and the unfolding events in Canto 4.
External ritual alone is not the final guarantee of spiritual success; divine grace and inner alignment with dharma are essential—encouraging sincerity, purity, and devotion rather than mere formal performance.