Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 46: Rāvaṇa Disguises Himself and Approaches Sītā
Text 3.46.8
रामस्य त्वन्तरप्रेप्सुर्दशग्रीवस्तदन्तरे।
उपतस्थे च वैदेहीं भिक्षुरूपेण रावणः॥
rāmasya tv antara-prepsur daśagrīvas tad-antare
upatasthe ca vaidehīṁ bhikṣu-rūpeṇa rāvaṇaḥ
rāmasya tu antara-prepsuḥ = seeking Rāma’s separation [from Sītā-devī]; daśagrīvaḥ = the ten-headed; tat-antare upatasthe = approached; ca = at the [earliest] opportunity; vaidehīm = Vaidehī; bhikṣu-rūpeṇa = in the form of a sannyāsī; rāvaṇaḥ = Rāvaṇa.
Seeking Rāma’s separation [from Sītā-devī], the ten-headed Rāvaṇa approached Vaidehī in the form of a sannyāsī at the [earliest] opportunity.1
1 Rāmāyaṇa-bhūṣaṇa: tad-antare tasminn avakāśe.
At first, Rāvaṇa walked towards Sītā [from where he was]. Then he went near her āśrama. Then he saw Sītā-devī and then he went near her. This is the sequence [of Rāvaṇa’s activities].
The author states that Rāvaṇa went near Sītā in the next verse.