Arajā (Araja) was the eldest daughter of Bhārgava (Bhargava) Śukrācārya (Sukracharya). King Daṇḍa (Danda) , charmed by her beauty, made a proposal of love to him. Arajā, in order to pray for her father’s permission, requested Daṇḍa to wait. But Daṇḍa did not listen to her and made love to her by force. As a result, Śukrācārya destroyed the kingdom of Daṇḍa, putting everything to ashes. That place is known as Daṇḍakāraṇya (Dandakaranya). As instructed by her father, Arajā remained in a sarovara (lake) waiting for a release from sin.