Question: In the first sentence of the purport to SB 1.9.41, Srila Prabhupada wrote: “After gaining victory in the Battle of Kurukñetra, Mahäräja Yudhiñöhira, the Emperor of the world, performed the Räjasüya sacrificial ceremony.”
How to understand this statement, since it is well known that Mahäräja Yudhiñöhira performed the Räjasüya sacrifice LONG before the Battle of Kurukñetra occurred?
Answer by Romapada Swami:
If it is possible to reconcile and justify the views of one’s guru-janas from śāstra, then the faithful disciple should definitely take that route. Otherwise, one runs the risk of the offense of maryädä-vyatikrama, or impertinently surpassing a greater personality (see SB 3.4.26).
Puräëic Śāstra itself as well as our acäryas do not put much importance on historical chronology. There are often things told out of order, or with a merging of similar occurrences that happened at different times.
For example, in the attached pdf we find a detailed meticulous account by Jiva Goswami of unscrambling the non-chronologically narrated sequence of events in Krsna’s lila leading up to His return to Vrndavan – which of course followed the killing of Kamsa, as well as it followed the 1st and well-known Räjasüya.
Conclusion: Although there is no Śāstric reference I am aware of mentioning a 2nd Räjäsuya yajna, considering the meaning of a Räjäsuya yajna, it would make sense to conduct a second one after the Pändavas win the war. This is one possible and even plausible explanation for this SB 1.9.41 purport statement.
