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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.36.9
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
2.36.9
nāgnihotrāṇy ahūyanta sūryaś cāntaradhīyata
vyasṛjan kavalān nāgā gāvo vatsān na pāyayan
The fire-oblations were not offered, and the sun was hidden away; the elephants let fall their mouthfuls, and the cows did not suckle their calves.
Words: nāgnihotrāṇy — the fire-oblations not; ahūyanta — were offered, invoked; sūryaś cāntaradhīyata — and the sun vanished; vyasṛjan — let fall, released; kavalān — mouthfuls, morsels; nāgā — the elephants; gāvo — the cows; vatsān — the calves; na pāyayan — did not suckle, give to drink
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.