Shloka 3.49.10
सीताहरणम् — Ravana reveals his true form and abducts Sita
स तामसितकेशान्तां भास्करस्य प्रभामिव।।3.49.10।।
वसनाभरणोपेतां मैथिलीं रावणोऽब्रवीत्।
sa tām asitakeśāntāṃ bhāskarasya prabhām iva | vasanābharaṇopetāṃ maithilīṃ rāvaṇo ’bravīt ||
Rāvaṇa addressed Maithilī—her dark hair gleaming, radiant like the Sun’s splendor, adorned with garments and ornaments.
Ravana said to the princess from Mithila, whose black hair was shining, who was luminous like the Sun and was clad in the best of cothes and ornaments.
The verse sets up the ethical tension: admiration must remain within dharma; when desire treats a person as an object to possess, it moves toward adharma.
The narration frames Sītā’s splendor as Rāvaṇa begins speaking directly to her, leading into his proposal and coercion.
Sītā’s dignity is highlighted through poetic description, even as the scene foreshadows the violation of that dignity by adharma.