After Arjuna departed from Manalura (Manipura), he continued visiting sacred pilgrimage sites in southern India.
There he noticed five famous tirthas (holy bathing spaces) which had been abandoned by sages. Arjuna questioned the sages about it and the sages said that five dangerous crocodiles lived there and anyone entering the waters would be dragged down.
Arjuna fearlessly decided to investigate the tirthas and entered the tirtha called ‘Soubhadra’. Just as he entered, a giant crocodile attacked him and tried dragging him into the water. Arjuna overpowered it and dragged it out of the water.
The crocodile touched the land and transformed into a beautiful apsara named Varga.
Varga explained to Arjuna that she and her four friends, Sourabheyi, Samichi, Budbuda, and Lata, were celestial apsaras.
But one day, they tried to distract a Brahmana. Seeing their actions, the Brahmana was filled with anger and cursed the apsaras to become crocodiles and live in water for a hundred years.