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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.36.11
Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 36: Ayodhyā falls into mourning. Palace women lament, offerings and daily activity cease, animals refuse food and the city loses its joy
In the sequence: their cries deepen Daśaratha's grief → normal activity breaks down: offerings are neglected, animals refuse food or fail to nurse their young, and ominous changes appear in the sky
2.36.11
nakṣatrāṇi gatārcīṃṣi grahāś ca gatatejasaḥ
viśākhāś ca sadhūmāś ca nabhasi pracakāśire
The lunar mansions with their rays gone dim, and the planets robbed of their brilliance, and the Viśākhā stars veiled in smoke, showed themselves in the sky.
Words: nakṣatrāṇi — the lunar mansions, stars; gatārcīṃṣi — with rays gone; grahāś ca — and the planets; gatatejasaḥ — of vanished splendour; viśākhāś ca — and the Viśākhā stars; sadhūmāś ca — and smoky, veiled in smoke; nabhasi — in the sky; pracakāśire — shone, appeared
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.