Just like you give daksina to your spiritual master for initiation, similarly, here also, it is said, saradvatam gurum krtva. Everything must be executed under the guidance of a guru, not whimsically

Expressions researched:
"Just like you give dakṣiṇa to your spiritual master upon initiation, similarly, here also it is said, śāradvataṁ guruṁ kṛtvā. Everything must be executed under the guidance of a guru, not whimsically"

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Just like you give dakṣiṇa to your spiritual master for initiation, similarly, here also, it is said, śāradvataṁ guruṁ kṛtvā. Everything must be executed under the guidance of a guru, not whimsically, "Oh, I have got my own idea, I have got my own God. I can do whatever I like." This is simply waste of time. Yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya vartate kāma-kārataḥ (BG 16.23). In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that "Anyone who does not follow the instruction of the śāstra, how things should be done," śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya vartate kāma-kārataḥ, "does things whimsically," na sukhaṁ sāvāpnoti, "he will never get happiness."

Lecture on SB 1.16.3 -- Los Angeles, December 31, 1973:

So another important point is, ājahārāśva-medhāṁs trīn, three times. The aśvamedha-yajña is so expensive that the king of heaven, Indra, he executed the aśvamedha-yajña seven times. So Mahārāja Pṛthu was also going to complete seven times. So there was some, I mean to say, competition. The Indra would not allow him to complete seven times. Otherwise he would become equal with him. So amongst the kings, not only in this planet, but in other planets also, the aśvamedha-yajña was performed by very, very powerful, rich kings, not ordinary kings. It is very expensive job. Because it is stated, bhūri-dakṣiṇān, and vast amount of money required for distribution in charity. Then you can perform aśvamedha-yajña. Similarly, there is gomedha-yajña. Aśvamedha-yajña was to send the horse with flag that, "Such-and-such king is the emperor of the whole world." So if some king in some state, he does not agree that, "He is emperor," he will capture the horse, "I don't agree. I don't accept." Then there will be fight, "You have to accept." In this way there will be sacrifice.

So Mahārāja Parīkṣit was the emperor of the whole world, whole this planet. So he performed three times. Now, that means three times he challenged, "If there is any dispute, any objection of my becoming emperor?" This is aśvamedha-yajña, "If you have got any objection, then I will make you obliged to accept me. Otherwise, if you accept, that's all right. You remain in your state, give me tax." This is the . . . so this is very expensive job. Formerly one king performed this aśvamedha-yajña, and bhūri-dakṣiṇān, he gave in dakṣiṇa . . . dakṣiṇa means in charity. Just like you give dakṣiṇa to your spiritual master upon initiation, similarly, here also it is said, śāradvataṁ guruṁ kṛtvā. Everything must be executed under the guidance of a guru, not whimsically, "Oh, I have got my own idea. I have got my own God. I can do whatever I like." This is simply waste of time. Yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya vartate kāma-kārataḥ (BG 16.23). In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that, "Anyone who does not follow the instruction of the śāstra, how things should be done," śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya vartate kāma-kārataḥ, "does things whimsically," na sukhaṁ sāvāpnoti, "he will never get happiness."