AJA

AJA Aja wept, when he was made to eat the dung he gave in charity. (Var Ramkali M. 3, Shalok M. l, p. 953) Aja was a king of the solar dynasty. He was the son of king Raghu, father of Dashratha and grandfather of Shri Rama. Once a hermit came to him and asked for charity. He was in his stable and inspecting the horses. At first he did not pay attention to the request of the hermit, but when reminded, he in his pride and anger gave some dung to the recluse, which was accepted and preserved by him.

As the time passed, the dung increased in volume and size. On an hunting expedition, the king thought of testing the modesty of his wife, therefore, soaking his clothes in a deer\’s blood, he sent them to his queen, giving the impression, that he had passed away during the expedition. The queen full of extreme sorrow and anguish, became a \’Sati\’. The King out of repentance for his action, left his kingdom and resorted to the forest. There he went to the same hermit, whom he had given the horse\’s dung in charity.

The hermit offered to him the dung from the preserved heap. The king felt highly ashamed and wept for his rudeness and arrogance. Aja means unconquerable. It is one of the names of Brahma also. The above episode exhibits the punishment for the rude behaviour. One has to feel ashamed and penitent.

References :

1. Kohli, Surindar Singh, Dictionary of Mythological References in Guru Granth Sahib, 1993