Arajā
Arajā was the daughter of Śukrācārya, the great ācārya (teacher) of the asuras. She was known for her great beauty. King Daṇḍa, a student of her father, forced himself on her. When Śukrācārya learned of it, he cursed Daṇḍa’s whole kingdom to destruction. The ruined land became Daṇḍakāraṇya.
Who she was
Arajā was the daughter of Śukrācārya, the foremost ācārya of the asuras and one of the most powerful ṛshis. He knew the mṛtasañjīvanī vidyā (the knowledge that brings the dead back to life). She belonged to the Bhārgava line, one of the most respected brahmarshi lines. Her name means “free from dust”.
The Padma Mahā Purāṇa says she lived in her father’s āśrama, in the protected home of that great tapasvin (one who practises tapas, austerity). It says her beauty was extraordinary.
At the gathering at Hāṭakeśvara
The Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa says Arajā went with Śukrācārya to the great gathering at Hāṭakeśvara, where many divine weddings were being celebrated. Kings, ṛshis, yakshas and celestial beings had come, and it was a time of great festivity. There Daṇḍa saw her and, overcome by desire, violated her.
Arajā at once went to her father and told him what had happened. Her report led to the curse that wiped out Daṇḍa’s kingdom.
The wrong done by Daṇḍa
The Padma Mahā Purāṇa tells that King Daṇḍa was a student of Śukrācārya and the ruler of the Vindhya-Nīla region. He met Arajā and, overcome by desire, forced himself on her. In doing so he broke the sanctity of his guru’s household, did violence to an innocent young woman, and betrayed the code of kshatriya honour and devotion to the guru.
Her father’s response
When Śukrācārya learned what had happened to his daughter, his anger was great. He pronounced a śāpa (a curse) of complete destruction on Daṇḍa. The king, the kingdom and all its people would perish within seven days under a rain of ash. The Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa says the curse reached not only the king but his whole kingdom and every one who lived in it.
The Padma Mahā Purāṇa says Arajā’s suffering was the direct cause of Śukrācārya’s curse and of the making of Daṇḍakāraṇya.
Sources
- Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Sṛshṭi Khaṇḍa, Chapter 37
- Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa, Chapters 37 to 40 (the account of the gathering at Hāṭakeśvara is from Chapter 40)