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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.22.9

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 22: Omens on Khara’s march. Blood-coloured rain, darkness and bodily tremors warn of disaster, Khara dismisses them and advances with his leading warriors

In the sequence: predators cry, darkness spreads before twilight, jackals howl, the sun is obscured, and stars appear by day

3.22.9

kṣatajārdrasavarṇābhā saṃdhyākālaṃ vinā babhau
kharasyābhimukhaṃ nedus tadā ghorā mṛgāḥ khagāḥ

Though it was not twilight, (the sky) shone with a hue like that of moist blood; and then dreadful beasts and birds cried out facing Khara.

Words: kṣatajārdrasavarṇābhā — with a hue like moist blood; saṃdhyākālaṃ — the twilight time; vinā — without, apart from; babhau — shone; kharasyābhimukhaṃ — facing Khara; nedus — cried out; tadā — then; ghorā — dreadful; mṛgāḥ — beasts; khagāḥ — birds

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.