Shloka 3.54.13
सीताहरणोत्तरं लङ्काप्रवेशः — Sita’s Abduction and Ravana’s Entry into Lanka
तत्र तामसितापाङ्गां शोकमोहपरायणाम्।।।।निदधे रावणस्सीतां मयो मायामिवस्त्रियम्।
tatra tām asitāpāṅgāṃ śoka-moha-parāyaṇām |
nidadhe rāvaṇaḥ sītāṃ mayo māyām iva striyam ||
There Rāvaṇa placed Sītā—dark-eyed, given over to grief and bewilderment—just as it is said the asura Maya kept Māyā, a woman of illusion.
Sita, with her dark eye lashes and lost in utter sorrow was kept in the harem by Ravana, like demon Maya kept Mayamayi.
Treating a person as property is adharma; the simile with Māyā underscores how desire and domination are allied with delusion, not truth (satya).
Rāvaṇa confines Sītā within the inner quarters of his palace after bringing her to Laṅkā.
Sītā’s moral purity stands in contrast to the atmosphere of māyā (delusion); her sorrow is human, yet her dharmic steadfastness is implied by her refusal to consent.