Aja of Kosala

Aja
Aja
	Lamentations of AjabyRaja Ravi Varma
MaharajaofKosala
Predecessor	Raghu
Successor	Dashratha
Born	Ayodhya,Kingdom of Kosala(present-dayUttar Pradesh,India)
Died	Ayodhya, Kingdom of Kosala (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India)
Consort(s)	Indumati
Issue	Dashratha
Dynasty	Raghuvamsha-Suryavamsha
Father	Raghu
Religion	VedicHinduism

Aja(Sanskrit:अज,romanized:Aja) is a king featured inHindu texts.^[1]He is the son ofRaghu.His paternal grandfather is the pious kingDilipa.He rules the kingdom of Kosala on the southern banks of the riverSarayu,withAyodhyaas his capital.^[2]His wife Indumati is the princess of Vidarbha, and his son isDasharatha,the father ofRama,anavatarof theHindudeityVishnu.^[3]

The name Aja is referenced in theRigveda.In the second phase ofBattle of Ten Kings(inRV 1.018.19), the local chieftain Bhida is stated to have been defeated along with three other tribes — Ajas, Śighras, and the Yakṣus bySudas.^[4]

Legend

Indumati used to be anapsara,a celestial damsel named Harini, in her previous birth. Once,Indragrew apprehensive of the rigorous penance practiced by the sage Trinabindu, and sent her against him for disrupting his penance. By exhibiting in front of him her attractive form, she succeeded in interrupting his penance. As a result, the enraged sage cursed her to be born as a mortal woman on earth, and remain there till she beholds celestial flower on the earth. In due course, she was born as a princess ofVidarbha,and chose king Aja as her husband during hersvayamvara.^[5]Soon, Dasharatha was born to them. However, her time on earth soon came to its end. Once, while sageNaradawas traversing the sky, a garland of hisveenafell on Indumati, redeeming her from the curse. Regaining the form of anapsara,she vanished from the earth, leaving Aja behind. KingDasharathawas only eight months old when Indumati died.^[6]

Aja was so grief-stricken when his wife died that he ran into the palace and performed suicide. He is also described to have died due to heartbreak.

Kalidasa's Raghuvamshastates thatVashishthasent his student to console him. Aja, however, never recovered from his pain, and after having ruled for a few more years, he died.^[7]

References

^Thapar, Romila(14 October 2013).The Past Before Us.Harvard University Press. pp.6.ISBN 978-0-674-72651-2.
^Kalidasa(10 April 2012).The Dynasty of Raghu.CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.ISBN 978-1-4751-7250-8.
^Shah 2004,pp. 31–32.
^Brereton, Joel P.; Jamison, Stephanie W., eds. (2014). The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of India. Vol. I. Oxford University Press. pp. 880, 902–905, 923–925, 1015–1016.
^Sastri, B. L. Satyanarayana (1990).Coronation of the Sandals.Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. pp.1.
^Tripathy, Amish(2015).Scion of Ikshvaku.Westland Limited. pp. chapter: vi.ISBN 978-93-85152-14-6.
^Shah 2004,p. 35.

External links

Shah, Natubhai (2004).Jainism: The World of Conquerors.Motilal Banarsidass Publishers.ISBN 978-81-208-1938-2.

[1] Thapar, Romila(14 October 2013).The Past Before Us.Harvard University Press. pp.6.ISBN 978-0-674-72651-2.

[2] Kalidasa(10 April 2012).The Dynasty of Raghu.CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.ISBN 978-1-4751-7250-8.

[FOOTNOTEShah200431–32-3] Shah 2004,pp. 31–32.

[4] Brereton, Joel P.; Jamison, Stephanie W., eds. (2014). The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of India. Vol. I. Oxford University Press. pp. 880, 902–905, 923–925, 1015–1016.

[5] Sastri, B. L. Satyanarayana (1990).Coronation of the Sandals.Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. pp.1.

[6] Tripathy, Amish(2015).Scion of Ikshvaku.Westland Limited. pp. chapter: vi.ISBN 978-93-85152-14-6.

[FOOTNOTEShah200435-7] Shah 2004,p. 35.

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