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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.36.7
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
2.36.7
iti sarvā mahiṣyas tā vivatsā iva dhenavaḥ
ruruduś caiva duḥkhārtāḥ sasvaraṃ ca vicukruśuḥ
Thus all those queens, like cows bereft of their calves, wept and, stricken with grief, cried aloud with one voice.
Words: iti — thus; sarvā — all; mahiṣyas — the queens; tā — those; vivatsā — bereft of calves; iva — like, as; dhenavaḥ — cows; ruruduś caiva — and wept; duḥkhārtāḥ — stricken with grief; sasvaraṃ — with one voice, aloud; ca — and; vicukruśuḥ — cried out, wailed
Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki. 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.