Shloka 3.49.17
सीताहरणम् — Ravana reveals his true form and abducts Sita
वामेन सीतां पद्माक्षीं मूर्धजेषु करेण सः।।3.49.17।।ऊर्वोस्तु दक्षिणेनैव परिजग्राह पाणिना।
vāmena sītāṃ padmākṣīṃ mūrdhajeṣu kareṇa saḥ | ūrvos tu dakṣiṇenaiva parijagrāha pāṇinā ||
With his left hand he seized lotus-eyed Sītā by her hair, and with his right hand he gripped her beneath the thighs.
Ravana seized with his left hand the lotus-eyed Sita by the hair and lifted her by the thighs with his right hand.
The verse highlights adharma: the violation of a woman’s autonomy and dignity through force, underscoring that power used without restraint is ethically corrupt.
Rāvaṇa physically seizes Sītā in the forest, initiating the abduction by brute force.
By contrast (through negation), dharmic restraint and respect for others are implied as virtues—qualities Rāvaṇa abandons here.