Shloka 20
मारीचप्रलोभनम् / Ravana Solicits Maricha’s Aid
Golden Deer Stratagem
ततस्तयोरपाये तु शून्ये सीतां यथासुखम्।निराबाधो हरिष्यामि राहुश्चन्द्रप्रभामिव।।।।
tatas tayor apāye tu śūnye sītāṃ yathāsukham |
nirābādho hariṣyāmi rāhuś candraprabhām iva ||
پھر جب وہ دونوں دور چلے جائیں اور جگہ خالی رہ جائے، تو میں سیتا کو آسانی سے اور بے روک ٹوک اٹھا لے جاؤں گا—جیسے راہو چاند کی روشنی کو نگل لیتا ہے۔
Then during their absence it will be easy for me to abduct Sita in an isolated place without obstruction, like Rahu eclipsing the light of the moon.
FAQs
The verse depicts adharma as cowardly opportunism: harming the vulnerable by engineering isolation. Dharma protects the unprotected; abducting another’s spouse is a grave breach of satya and social order.
Rāvaṇa outlines the key step of his scheme: once Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa are drawn away, he will seize Sītā.
By negation, the virtue of maryādā (moral boundaries) is emphasized: Rāvaṇa’s plan is defined by crossing boundaries that dharma requires one to honor.