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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.6.16

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 6: Daśaratha and Ayodhyā’s inhabitants. Daśaratha rules a prosperous and disciplined population, supported by trained warriors, fine horses and powerful elephants

In the sequence: the four social orders honor devatās and guests and follow their assigned responsibilities

1.6.16

varṇeṣv agryacaturtheṣu devatātithipūjakāḥ
dīrghāyuṣo narāḥ sarve dharmaṃ satyaṃ ca saṃśritāḥ

Among all four classes, from the foremost onward, the people were worshippers of gods and guests, long-lived, and devoted to dharma and truth.

Words: varṇeṣv — among the classes; agryacaturtheṣu — from the first to the fourth (all four); devatātithipūjakāḥ — worshippers of gods and guests; dīrghāyuṣo — long-lived; narāḥ — the people, men; sarve — all; dharmaṃ — dharma; satyaṃ ca — and truth; saṃśritāḥ — holding to, devoted to

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.