Daṇḍa and Araja

Daṇḍa was a powerful king who came to the great gathering at Hāṭakeśvara. There he was filled with desire for Araja, the daughter of Śukrācārya, and wronged her by force. Her father’s anger fell on Daṇḍa and on his whole kingdom in the form of a terrible śāpa (a curse). The land became the empty forest called Daṇḍakāraṇya.

The gathering at Hāṭakeśvara

These events took place at the great sacred site of Hāṭakeśvara. Kings, ṛshis, yakshas and celestial beings had come together there for the wedding of several divine women. Among them were Citrāṅgadā, daughter of Viśvakarmā, and Nandayantī, daughter of the yaksha Añjana. Daṇḍa was one of the kings who came to this occasion.

Araja

Araja was the daughter of Śukrācārya, the great brahmarshi and teacher of the asuras. Her name means “free from dust”, and it speaks of her purity. She came with her father to the gathering at Hāṭakeśvara. Her beauty was extraordinary, and this beauty drew the fatal notice of King Daṇḍa.

Daṇḍa’s wrong

Daṇḍa was overcome with desire when he saw Araja. He followed her and wronged her by force. This was an attack on the daughter of one of the most formidable ṛshis in creation. Śukrācārya knew the science of life and death (mṛtasañjīvanī vidyā, the knowledge that brings the dead back to life), and so he was most dangerous to offend. Araja went at once to her father and told him what had happened.

Śukrācārya’s śāpa

Śukrācārya’s anger was sudden and complete. He spoke a terrible śāpa against Daṇḍa, and not against the king alone but against his whole realm: his kingdom, his people, his cities, his forests, every living being in his lands. The śāpa came as a great disaster beyond nature. Fire rained from the sky. Ash filled the air. A thick darkness came down. The land was swept clean of every dwelling and every living thing. The country that had been Daṇḍa’s kingdom became a waste where no one could live.

Origin of Daṇḍakāraṇya

From then on the ruined land was called Daṇḍakāraṇya, the forest of Daṇḍa. It carries his name for all time. The name has come down as that of a place of fearful desolation. It is the wilderness that Rāma, Sītā and Lakshmaṇa entered in their years of exile.

Sources

• Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa, Chapters 37–38 (the gathering at Hāṭakeśvara)
• Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa, Chapters 37–40 (Araja)
• Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 40 (Daṇḍa’s wrong, Śukrācārya’s śāpa, the origin of Daṇḍakāraṇya)