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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.70.9

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 70: Daśaratha’s cremation. The body is lifted from oil and carried to a fragrant-wood pyre, the family offers water in the Sarayū and begins ten days of mourning

In the sequence: Bharata grieves over the decisions made during his absence and asks who will now protect the Kingdom

2.70.9

vidhavā pṛthivī rājaṃs tvayā hīnā na rājate
hīnacandreva rajanī nagarī pratibhāti mām

Widowed and bereft of you, O king, the earth shines no more; the city appears to me like a night without its moon.

Words: vidhavā — widowed; pṛthivī — the earth; rājaṃs — O king; tvayā — of you, by you; hīnā — bereft; na — not; rājate — shines; hīnacandreva — like (a night) whose moon is gone; rajanī — night; nagarī — the city; pratibhāti — appears; mām — to me

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.