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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.87.5

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 87: Bharata locates Citrakūṭa. The marching army disturbs the forest, scouts report smoke and Bharata halts the main force to approach the dwelling

In the sequence: The large expedition moves through the forest, frightening the animals

2.87.5

turaṃgaughair avatatā vāraṇaiś ca mahājavaiḥ
anālakṣyā ciraṃ kālaṃ tasmin kāle babhūva bhūḥ

Overspread with floods of horses and with swift elephants, the earth at that time was invisible for a long while.

Words: turaṃgaughair — with floods of horses; avatatā — overspread, covered; vāraṇaiś — and with elephants; ca — and; mahājavaiḥ — of great speed, swift; anālakṣyā — invisible, not to be discerned; ciraṃ kālaṃ — for a long time; tasmin kāle — at that time; babhūva — became, was; bhūḥ — the earth

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.