Verse 44

³⁹They burned, blaming themselves out of envy, in the pain of having no child and in the king's want of regard for them. ⁴⁰Shame on a childless woman, a wretched thing, unhonoured in her husband's house, pushed aside like a slave girl by fellow wives who have fine children. ⁴¹What burning is there for slave women, who by waiting on the master are always given some regard? We are worse off than a slave girl's slave girl. ⁴²Burning so at the wealth their fellow wife had in her son, and having no standing with the king, their hatred grew strong. ⁴³With their minds destroyed by hatred, hard-hearted, unable to bear it against the king, the women gave the boy poison.

⁴⁴Krtadyuti, not knowing the great crime of her fellow wives, looked at him and thought he was only asleep, and went about the house.