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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.40.16

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: elderly brāhmaṇas call to the horses to turn around → unwilling to ride ahead while these old men struggle on foot, Rāma gets down, and Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa walk with him

2.40.16

padbhyām eva jagāmātha sasītaḥ sahalakṣmaṇaḥ
saṃnikṛṣṭapadanyāso rāmo vanaparāyaṇaḥ

Then, with Sītā and with Lakṣmaṇa, Rāma, bound for the forest, went on foot, setting his steps close together.

Words: padbhyām — on foot, with the two feet; eva — indeed; jagāmātha — then went; sasītaḥ — with Sītā; sahalakṣmaṇaḥ — together with Lakṣmaṇa; saṃnikṛṣṭapadanyāso — setting his steps close together; rāmo — Rāma; vanaparāyaṇaḥ — bound for the forest

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.