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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.65.18

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 65: Bharata reaches Ayodhyā. He hastens ahead of his company, finds the city silent and neglected and enters his father’s residence in alarm

In the sequence: the silence alarms him: the usual crowds, traffic, festivities, and lively gardens are absent

2.65.18

udyānāni hi sāyāhne krīḍitvoparatair naraiḥ
samantād vipradhāvadbhiḥ prakāśante mamānyadā

For at eventide the gardens used to shine for me, thronged with men hurrying about on all sides after they had ceased their play.

Words: udyānāni — the gardens; hi — for, indeed; sāyāhne — at evening; krīḍitvoparatair — who had rested after playing; naraiḥ — by men; samantād — on all sides; vipradhāvadbhiḥ — running about, hurrying; prakāśante — shine, appear bright; mamānyadā — for me at another time

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.