Shloka 23
सीताहरणम्
Ravana reveals his true form and abducts Sita
ततस्सा राक्षसेन्द्रेण ह्रियमाणा विहायसा।।3.49.23।।भृशं चुक्रोश मत्तेव भ्रान्तचित्ता यथाऽऽतुरा।
tatas sā rākṣasendreṇa hriyamāṇā vihāyasā | bhṛśaṃ cukrośa matteva bhrāntacittā yathāturā ||
ततः सा राक्षसेन्द्रेण विहायसा ह्रियमाणा, मत्तेव भ्रान्तचित्ता यथाऽऽतुरा भृशं चुक्रोश।
While Sita was being carried off in the sky by the king of demons, she screamed a lot in agony and anxiety like a mad woman in a bewildered state:
FAQs
The verse foregrounds the human cost of adharma: unrighteous acts produce intense suffering, and the victim’s distress becomes a moral indictment of the aggressor.
Sītā is being abducted through the air; she screams repeatedly in panic and grief.
The virtue implied is compassion and protection of the vulnerable—precisely what dharma demands and what is absent in the abductor.