Shloka 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 ||
美と若さに満ちたヴァイデーヒーよ、あなたを得てなお平静でいられる男がいようか。たとえそれがピターマハ（梵天）その人であっても。
"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?
FAQs
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.