Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 46: Rāvaṇa Disguises Himself and Approaches Sītā
Text 3.46.20
चारुस्मिते चारुदति चारुनेत्रे विलासिनि।
मनो हरसि मे कान्ते नदीकूलमिवाम्भसा॥
cāru-smite cāru-dati cāru-netre vilāsini
mano harasi me kānte nadī kūlam ivāmbhasā
cāru-smite = O lady of lovely smiles; cāru-dati = lovely teeth; cāru-netre = and lovely eyes; vilāsini = O sportive; manaḥ = mind; harasi = you steal; me = my; kānte = and charming woman; nadī = a river; kūlam = [takes away] its bank; iva = just as; ambhasā = with its current.
O lady of lovely smiles, lovely teeth and lovely eyes, O sportive and charming woman, you steal my mind just as a river [takes away] its bank with its current.
The previous statements of Rāvaṇa were made so that he could speak this verse.1
Her sportive nature is compared to the current [of a river]; therefore the comparison in this verse is not bad.2
GLOSS. [The glossator reads rāme instead of kānte which indicates that] Rāvaṇa addresses her as “O [pleasing lady] Sītā!” Nadī kūlam ivāmbhasā indicates that he wanted to tell her, “Because you are a lady of lovely smiles and so on, you steal my mind.”
The third line can also be read as mano harasi me ’rāme indicating [that Rāvaṇa’s mind was attracted to her] in the absence of Rāma.