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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.111.4

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 111: Departure from Atri’s hermitage. Sītā wears Anasūyā’s gifts, Rāma, Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa receive warnings of rākṣasas and take the forest path

In the sequence: she points out the evening scene: birds returning to rest, munis coming back from bathing, smoke rising from agnihotras, darkness gathering, and the moon appearing

2.111.4

divasaṃ prati kīrṇānām āhārārthaṃ patatriṇām
saṃdhyākāle nilīnānāṃ nidrārthaṃ śrūyate dhvaniḥ

At twilight is heard the noise of the birds that had scattered abroad all day in search of food and are now settling down to sleep.

Words: divasaṃ prati — throughout the day; kīrṇānām — of the scattered ones; āhārārthaṃ — for the sake of food; patatriṇām — of the birds; saṃdhyākāle — at twilight; nilīnānāṃ — of those roosting, settling; nidrārthaṃ — for the sake of sleep; śrūyate — is heard; dhvaniḥ — the sound

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.