Shloka 3.49.8
सीताहरणम् — Ravana reveals his true form and abducts Sita
स परिव्राजकच्छद्म महाकायो विहाय तत्।।3.49.8।।प्रतिपद्य स्वकं रूपं रावणो राक्षसाधिपः।संरक्तनयनः क्रोधाज्जीमूतनिचयप्रभः।।3.49.9।।रक्ताम्बरधरस्तस्थौ स्त्रीरत्नं प्रेक्ष्य मैथिलीम्।
sa parivrājakacchadma mahākāyo vihāya tat || 3.49.8 ||
pratipadya svakaṁ rūpaṁ rāvaṇo rākṣasādhipaḥ |
Casting off that mendicant’s disguise, the mighty-bodied Rāvaṇa—the lord of the rākṣasas—assumed his own true form.
Ravana, chief of the demons, shed the mendicant's form and assumed his real self. Clad in red garments, his eyes turned red in anger. Looking like layers of clouds, he stood in front of Sita, a gem among women.
Dharma is aligned with satya (truthfulness) and straightforward conduct; deception—especially used to harm the innocent—is portrayed as adharma.
Rāvaṇa abandons the ascetic disguise he used to approach Sītā and reveals his real identity and power.
The implied virtue is honesty and integrity; the verse highlights its opposite—fraudulent appearance used as a weapon.