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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.36.21

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 36: Story of Gaṅgā & Umā: Kārttikeya’s birth and six nurses. Gaṅgā releases Agni’s unbearable embryo onto the mountain, its radiance produces minerals and six Kṛttikās nurse the child who becomes the Devas’ commander

In the sequence: its radiance turns the surrounding forest to gold, and gold is henceforth called jātarūpa

1.36.21

nikṣiptamātre garbhe tu tejobhir abhirañjitam
sarvaṃ parvatasaṃnaddhaṃ sauvarṇam abhavad vanam

The moment the embryo was set down, the whole forest clinging to the mountain, tinged by its radiances, turned to gold.

Words: nikṣiptamātre — as soon as it was deposited; garbhe — the embryo (loc.); tu — and, but; tejobhir — by (its) radiances; abhirañjitam — tinged, coloured; sarvaṃ — whole, all; parvatasaṃnaddhaṃ — clinging to the mountain; sauvarṇam — golden; abhavad — became; vanam — forest

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki, the ādikavi of the ādikāvya: the first poet of the first poem. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.