Hare Krishna prabhus,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Please help me to remove a doubt. I read in Srimad Bhagavatam 1.9.41:
http://vedabase.net/sb/1/9/41/en
At the Rājasūya-yajña [sacrifice] performed by Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, there was the greatest assembly of all the elite men of the world, the royal and learned orders, and in that great assembly Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was worshiped by one and all as the most exalted Personality of Godhead. This happened during my presence, and I remembered the incident in order to keep my mind upon the Lord.
If the rajasuya sacrifice was performed after the battle of Kuruksetra, how could Bhismadeva have been present? Was he was lying full of arrows from the end of the battle, all the time necessary to send the challenge horses throughout the world, and was he still lying on his bed of arrows during the sacrifice?
Please explain this point to me and remove my doubt. Thanking you very much in advance.
Your servant,
Dhananjaya Pandit das
Replies
Yes, Prabhu, I am now convinced and clear in my mind, than you and the other prabus for your time and patience with me. I hope I can bring any doubts which come to me in the future to this forum and have them cleared by your mercy.
Hare Krishna!
your servant,
Dhananjaya Pandit das
Hare Krishna to all, dandavath pranam ..all glories to guru and gouranga ..
The above purport says: "After gaining victory in the Battle of Kurukṣetra, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, the Emperor of the world, performed the Rājasūya sacrificial ceremony."
is it not confusing ???
Ur servant
I did not read the purport :O
But I do recall the Ashwamedha Yagna being performed. Anyhow, Prabhu, your inquiry is valid, but in my opinion, there will always be tidbits of little facts that we (materially entangled fools) can't say for sure. There will always be arguments that perhaps it's supposed to be this or that or there must be an error here and there, etc... but why create something from nothing :)
Srila Prabhupada's books are perfect in the sense that it teaches us 150% how to go back home back to Godhead. Sure they may be some editing errors between editors or the publisher, etc. but these are small cases like this.
I once had a similar question about something Srila Prabhupada said in the Gita (cannot remember the exact passage), but it had something to do with Arjuna meeting Lord Shiva and which event was true. I asked a senior devotee about this and I was told that these little things don't really matter in the long run -- in our goal to serve and please Krishna. So I humbly request you to remove your doubt and confusion through this method: by realizing that Srila Prabhupada's clear instructions are to chant and preach Krishna's beautiful names :)
It's not the answer to your particular question, but hopefully I have in some way helped lower your confusion :)
Perhaps another devotee with more information can contribute
YS
Thanks prabhu, of course you are right, I try to understand things as best I can with my small intelligence, and sometimes when I have a doubt it can open a dangerous crack in my faith. This is because I am an overly intellectual person and I give disproportionate weight to intellectual arguments. Maybe there were two rajasuya sacrifices!
:)
ys,
Dhananjaya Pandita das
Oh, I guess that is obvious. Thanks prabhu.
Just to add, it was performed after Indraprastha was built and after Bhimsen (through Krishna's grace) defeated Jarasandha. The course of events are something as follows:
Partition of the Kuru Kingdom (Duryodhan gets Hastinapura, Pandavas get Kandhavaprasta (the old capital and ruins of the Kurus)
Kandhavaprasta becomes Indraprastha through hard work and Krishna's blessings
Narada Muni advises King Yuddhistira to perform the Rajasuya Yagna; but it cannot be possible without defeating Jarasandha
Bhimsen (through Krishna's blessings) defeats Jarasandha in wrestling
Yuddhistira performs the Rajasuya Yagna
Dice Game
Drapadi Vastraharan
Dice Game 2
Exile
Anonymous Year of Exile in Virata
Krishna goes as a peace messenger (exile ends)
War
Hare Krishna Radhe prabhu,
Thank you for the additional details. I thought that the rajasuya was performed sending a challenge horse to all parts of the world, to establish complete dominion. Since before the war of Kuruksetra, Duryodhana always had some power, I assumed that Duryodhana would have challenged the sacrifice.
ys,
Dhananjaya Pandit das