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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.40.19
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: the brāhmaṇas explain that they have brought their sacred fires and the white parasols earned through Vājapeya sacrifices, which they offer to hold over him for shade
2.40.19
brāhmaṇyaṃ kṛtsnam etat tvāṃ brahmaṇyam anugacchati
dvijaskandhādhirūḍhās tvām agnayo 'py anuyānty amī
This whole body of brahmins follows you, the friend of brahmins; and these sacred fires too, borne upon the shoulders of the twice-born, come after you.
Words: brāhmaṇyaṃ — the brahmin community; kṛtsnam — whole, entire; etat — this; tvāṃ — you; brahmaṇyam — the friend of brahmins, devout one; anugacchati — follows; dvijaskandhādhirūḍhās — mounted on the shoulders of brahmins; tvām — you; agnayo 'py — the fires too; anuyānty — follow after; amī — these
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.