Shloka 3.49.16
सीताहरणम् — Ravana reveals his true form and abducts Sita
इत्युक्त्वा मैथिलीं वाक्यं प्रियार्हां प्रियवादिनीम्।अभिगम्य सुदुष्टात्मा राक्षसः काममोहितः।।3.49.16।।जग्राह रावणस्सीतां बुधः खे रोहिणीमिव।
ity uktvā maithilīṁ vākyaṁ priyārhāṁ priyavādinīm | abhigamya suduṣṭātmā rākṣasaḥ kāmamohitaḥ || 3.49.16 || jagrāha rāvaṇaḥ sītāṁ budhaḥ khe rohiṇīm iva |
Having thus spoken to Maithilī, worthy of love and gentle of speech, the rākṣasa—evil at heart and deluded by desire—approached and seized Sītā, as Budha (Mercury) in the heavens seizes Rohiṇī.
Just as Budha (planet Mercury) catches Rohini (a cluster of five stars) in the sky, the evil-minded, infatuated Ravana advanced towards the pitiable, pleasing Sita and caught hold of her.
Rāvaṇa’s act is driven by kāma (lust) and moha (delusion), leading him to violate dharma by forcibly seizing another man’s wife—an act condemned as unrighteous and destructive.
The celestial simile underscores the force and inevitability of the seizure, contrasting cosmic imagery with moral collapse: despite lofty comparisons, the deed remains adharma, showing how desire can eclipse satya and right conduct.