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## The Eighth Chapter
His mind filled with sorrow, he wandered about, forgetting his mother's grief, like a man possessed. (319) He traveled through many lands and reached the city of Sindhu. Though in such a state, he was still endowed with great strength and vigor. (320) As he went out to play, the women of the city saw him and stood motionless, their eyes wide with wonder. (321) His eyes were like lotus petals, his chest broad as the Meru mountain, his shoulders like the tusks of an elephant, and his thighs like pillars. (322) The women, their minds lost in wonder, could not take their eyes off him, and their desire to see him was never satisfied. (323) Then, a wild elephant, its body covered in dust and its eyes filled with rage, charged towards the women. (324) The elephant's mahout shouted, "Run, women! I cannot hold the elephant back. If you have any strength, flee!" (325) But the women, their minds fixed on the noble Harishena, could not hear the mahout's words, nor could they flee. (326) The mahout continued to shout, and the women, their hearts filled with fear, turned their attention to him. (327) Trembling with fear, they sought refuge in Harishena. Their desire to be with him had brought them this unexpected protection. (328) Harishena, filled with compassion and his body tingling from the touch of the beautiful women, thought to himself, (329) "On this side is a deep river, on that side a wall, and on the other side an elephant. In this time of danger, I must protect these creatures." (330) Just as a bull digs a mound with its horns, not a mountain, and a man pierces a banana tree with an arrow, not a rock, (331) so too, this world, filled with wicked deeds, overcomes the weak. Even if one tries to help, one does not wish to be involved with the harsh. (332)