Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 45: The Brāhmaṇas from Ayodhyā Follow Rāma
Text 2.45.5
अवेक्षमाणः सस्नेहं चक्षुषा प्रपिबन्निव।
उवाच रामः स्नेहेन ताः प्रजाः स्वाः प्रजा इव॥
avekṣamāṇaḥ sasnehaṁ cakṣuṣā prapibann iva
uvāca rāmaḥ snehena tāḥ prajāḥ svāḥ prajā iva
avekṣamāṇaḥ = while they watched Him; sasneham = with affection; cakṣuṣā = with their eyes; prapiban = drinking Him; iva = as if; uvāca = spoke; rāmaḥ = Rāma; snehena = affectionately; tāḥ = to those; prajāḥ = subjects; svāḥ = [they were] His own; prajāḥ = children; iva = as if.
While they watched Him with affection, as if drinking Him with their eyes, Rāma affectionately spoke to those subjects as if [they were] His own children.