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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.85.46

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 85: Bharadvāja’s divine feast. Invoked devatās provide the army with food, drink and comforts, Bharata honours Rāma’s throne and sits as a minister

In the sequence: through Bharadvāja's power, trees become drummers, cymbal-players, dancers, and attendants, while other trees and creepers take women's forms

2.85.46

bilvā mārdaṅgikā āsañ śamyā grāhā bibhītakāḥ
aśvatthā nartakāś cāsan bharadvājasya tejasā

By the power of Bharadvāja, bilva trees became drummers, bibhītaka trees became cymbal-players, and aśvattha trees became dancers.

Words: bilvā — bilva trees; mārdaṅgikā — drummers; āsañ — became; śamyā grāhā — cymbal-players; bibhītakāḥ — bibhītaka trees; aśvatthā — aśvattha (fig) trees; nartakāś cāsan — and became dancers; bharadvājasya — of Bharadvāja; tejasā — by the power

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.