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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.40.3

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: Meanwhile, the citizens continue following Rāma's chariot even after the King has turned back

2.40.3

ayodhyānilayānāṃ hi puruṣāṇāṃ mahāyaśāḥ
babhūva guṇasaṃpannaḥ pūrṇacandra iva priyaḥ

For to the people whose home was Ayodhyā, the greatly renowned one, rich in virtues, was dear as the full moon.

Words: ayodhyānilayānāṃ — of those whose abode is Ayodhyā; hi — for, indeed; puruṣāṇāṃ — of the people, men; mahāyaśāḥ — the greatly renowned; babhūva — was, became; guṇasaṃpannaḥ — endowed with virtues; pūrṇacandra — the full moon; iva — like, as; priyaḥ — dear, beloved

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.