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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.40.11

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 40: The citizens follow to the Tamasā. Rāma asks them to support Bharata, then leaves his chariot to walk beside the elderly brāhmaṇas

In the sequence: his concern only strengthens their determination to stay with him

2.40.11

yathā yathā dāśarathir dharmam evāsthito 'bhavat
tathā tathā prakṛtayo rāmaṃ patim akāmayan

The more the son of Daśaratha stood firm in righteousness, the more the subjects longed for Rāma as their lord.

Words: yathā yathā — in proportion as, the more; dāśarathir — the son of Daśaratha; dharmam — righteousness; evāsthito — firmly stood in; 'bhavat — became, was; tathā tathā — so much the more; prakṛtayo — the subjects; rāmaṃ — Rāma; patim — as lord, husband; akāmayan — longed for, desired

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.