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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.40.17

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

2.40.17

dvijātīṃs tu padātīṃs tān rāmaś cāritravatsalaḥ
na śaśāka ghṛṇācakṣuḥ parimoktuṃ rathena saḥ

But Rāma, tender toward good conduct, of compassionate eye, could not bring himself to leave those brahmins behind on foot by driving on in the chariot.

Words: dvijātīṃs — the brahmins, twice-born; tu — but; padātīṃs — going on foot; tān — those; rāmaś — Rāma; cāritravatsalaḥ — fond of, tender toward good conduct; na śaśāka — could not, was unable; ghṛṇācakṣuḥ — with compassionate eye; parimoktuṃ — to leave, forsake; rathena — by the chariot; saḥ — he

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.