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## Forty-Fourth Chapter
233
I had gone to see my son who was in the forest. I saw that his head had been severed by someone. ||14||
The base of the trunk, where the blood flowed continuously, appeared like a burning pyre. ||15||
Someone had killed my peaceful son and taken the jewel-studded sword, along with the offerings. ||16||
I, the recipient of thousands of sorrows, devoid of fortune, was lamenting, holding my son's head in my lap. ||17||
Then, that wicked killer of Shambuka, embraced me with his arms, desiring something evil. ||18||
Though I begged him to release me, that low-born man, bound by his lustful touch, did not let me go. ||19||
He tore me apart with his nails and teeth in that desolate forest. What can a helpless woman do against a powerful man? ||20||
Yet, by the grace of some remaining merit, I was protected and, with my character intact, I escaped from that ordeal. ||21||
My brother, Ravana, the lord of all the celestial beings, the cause of the upheaval of the three worlds, is known to be undefeated even by Indra. You, Kharadushana, are a mere mortal, yet I have been reduced to this state by fate. ||22-23||
Hearing this, Kharadushana, filled with grief and anger, rushed to the spot and saw his son dead. ||24||
Though he was once bright like the full moon and had eyes like a deer, he became as terrifying as the midday sun in the summer, upon seeing his son dead. ||25||
He quickly returned and entered his palace, where he held a brief council with his friends. ||26||
Some of his ministers, with harsh intentions and devoted to service, knowing the king's mind, quickly said, "O King, the one who killed Shambuka and took the jewel-studded sword, has been ignored. What will you do about it?" ||27-28||
**Note:** The text mentions "आंसुओंसे भीग रहे थे तथा बिखरे हुए बालोंसे आच्छन्न थे" which translates to "She was drenched in tears and her hair was scattered." This is not part of the numbered verses but a description of the mother's state.