Shloka 3.46.10
रावणस्य परिव्राजकवेषेण सीतासमीपगमनम् (Ravana Approaches Sita Disguised as a Mendicant)
स पापो भव्यरूपेण तृणैः कूप इवावृतः।।।।अतिष्ठत्प्रेक्ष्य वैदेहीं रामपत्निं यशस्विनीम्।
sa pāpo bhavyarūpeṇa tṛṇaiḥ kūpa iva āvṛtaḥ | atiṣṭhat prekṣya vaidehīṃ rāmapatnīṃ yaśasvinīm || 3.46.10 ||
That sinful one, concealed beneath a respectable guise—like a well hidden by grass—stood there, watching Vaidehī, the illustrious wife of Rāma.
Just like a well is concealed by an overgrowth of grass, Ravana guised as a holy man stood looking at illustrious Sita, the wife of Rama.
The verse warns that adharma often masks itself in respectable appearances; discernment (viveka) is necessary because truth and intent may be concealed beneath outward piety.
Rāvaṇa, disguised as a holy figure, stands near the hut and watches Sītā after Lakṣmaṇa has departed.
By contrast (through the simile), the virtue implied is discernment—recognizing deceit even when it appears ‘holy’.