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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.53.5

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: he describes the country as grieving with its people: trees wilted, creatures quiet, ponds clouded, and flowers without their former freshness

2.53.5

na ca sarpanti sattvāni vyālā na prasaranti ca
rāmaśokābhibhūtaṃ tan niṣkūjam abhavad vanam

'The creatures do not creep about, and the beasts of prey do not roam; overwhelmed with grief for Rāma, that forest fell silent.'

Words: na — not; ca — and; sarpanti — creep, move about; sattvāni — the creatures; vyālā — beasts of prey; na — not; prasaranti — roam, range; ca — and; rāmaśokābhibhūtaṃ — overwhelmed with grief for Rāma; tan — that; niṣkūjam — silent, songless; abhavad — became; vanam — forest

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.