Shloka 3.18.26
शूर्पणखाविरूपणम् (The Disfigurement of Śūrpaṇakhā)
ततस्सभार्यं भयमोहमूर्छिता सलक्ष्मणं राघवमागतं वनम्।विरूपणं चात्मनि शोणितोक्षिता शशंस सर्वं भगिनी खरस्य सा।।।।
tatas sabhāryaṃ bhayamohamūrchitā salakṣmaṇaṃ rāghavam āgataṃ vanam |
virūpaṇaṃ cātmani śoṇitokṣitā śaśaṃsa sarvaṃ bhaginī kharasya sā ||
Then Khara’s sister—overcome by fear and bewilderment, drenched in blood—told him everything: that Rāghava had come to the forest with his wife and with Lakṣmaṇa, and how she herself had been disfigured.
Thereafter the sister of Khara, wild with fear and delusion and drenched in blood, narrated all about the arrival of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana in the forest and her disfigurement.ityārṣē śrīmadrāmāyaṇē vālmīkīya ādikāvyē araṇyakāṇḍē aṣṭādaśassarga৷৷Thus ends the eighteenth sarga of Aranyakanda of the holy Ramayana the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.
Actions generate consequences that spread through communities: one act of aggression triggers broader conflict, showing why dharma emphasizes self-control and non-harm.
Śūrpaṇakhā reports to Khara the presence of Rāma with Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa in the forest and describes her own disfigurement, prompting retaliation.
On the righteous side, steadfast companionship (Rāma with Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa) is highlighted; on the adversarial side, fear-driven retaliation is foreshadowed.