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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.53.12

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 53: Daśaratha’s remorse. Sumantra describes the horses’ reluctance and the country’s grief, Daśaratha regrets his uncounselled decision and begs to see Rāma

In the sequence: in Ayodhyā, people of every disposition seemed equally distressed

2.53.12

aprahṛṣṭamanuṣyā ca dīnanāgaturaṃgamā
ārtasvaraparimlānā viniḥśvasitaniḥsvanā

'Its people joyless, its elephants and horses wretched, wilted with cries of distress, resounding with sighs—'

Words: aprahṛṣṭamanuṣyā — with joyless people; ca — and; dīnanāgaturaṃgamā — with wretched elephants and horses; ārtasvaraparimlānā — wilted with cries of distress; viniḥśvasitaniḥsvanā — resounding with sighs

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.