Shloka 5.20.14
रावणस्य सीताप्रलोभनम् (Ravana’s Persuasion and Coercive Courtship of Sita)
त्वां समासाद्य वैदेहि रूपयौवनशालिनीम्।कः पुमानतिवर्तेत साक्षादपि पितामहः।।5.20.14।।
tvāṃ samāsādya vaidehi rūpayauvanaśālinīm |
kaḥ pumān ativarteta sākṣād api pitāmahaḥ || 5.20.14 ||
O Vaidehī, radiant with beauty and youth—what man could remain composed upon attaining you, even were he Pitāmaha (Brahmā) himself?
"O Vaidehi! you have (extraordinary) beauty and (exuberant) youth. Who would not lose his balance of mind even if he were Brahma the grandsire himself after getting you?
Dharma upholds self-control (dama) and respect for others’ bonds; the verse normalizes loss of restraint as inevitable, which the Ramayana treats as a moral failure leading to ruin.
Rāvaṇa argues that desire for Sītā is irresistible, attempting to excuse his own lack of restraint.
The implied virtue is self-mastery—contrasted with Rāvaṇa’s indulgence; Sītā’s steadfast restraint remains the moral counterpoint.