Shloka 3.36.20
मारीचप्रलोभनम् / Ravana Solicits Maricha’s Aid (Golden Deer Stratagem)
ततस्तयोरपाये तु शून्ये सीतां यथासुखम्।निराबाधो हरिष्यामि राहुश्चन्द्रप्रभामिव।।।।
tatas tayor apāye tu śūnye sītāṃ yathāsukham |
nirābādho hariṣyāmi rāhuś candraprabhām iva ||
Then, when those two are away and the place is left empty, I will abduct Sītā easily and without hindrance—like Rāhu seizing the moon’s radiance.
Then during their absence it will be easy for me to abduct Sita in an isolated place without obstruction, like Rahu eclipsing the light of the moon.
The verse depicts adharma as cowardly opportunism: harming the vulnerable by engineering isolation. Dharma protects the unprotected; abducting another’s spouse is a grave breach of satya and social order.
Rāvaṇa outlines the key step of his scheme: once Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa are drawn away, he will seize Sītā.
By negation, the virtue of maryādā (moral boundaries) is emphasized: Rāvaṇa’s plan is defined by crossing boundaries that dharma requires one to honor.