Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 1: Contents of the Rāmāyaṇa Summarized
Text 1.1.43
प्रतिज्ञातश्च रामेण वधः संयति रक्षसाम्।
ऋषीणामग्निकल्पानां दण्डकारण्यवासिनाम्॥
pratijñātaś ca rāmeṇa vadhaḥ saṁyati rakṣasām
ṛṣīṇām agni-kalpānāṁ daṇḍakāraṇya-vāsinām
pratijñātaḥ ca = promised; rāmeṇa = Rāma; vadhaḥ = that He would kill; saṁyati = in battle; rakṣasām = the rākṣasas; ṛṣīṇām = the ṛṣis; agni-kalpānām = firelike; daṇḍakāraṇya-vāsinām = living at Daṇḍakāraṇya.
Rāma promised the firelike ṛṣis living at Daṇḍakāraṇya that He would kill the rākṣasas in battle.
Agni-kalpānām indicates that the sages were almost like fire.
In some manuscripts, pratijñātam appears instead of pratijñātaḥ. [The meaning of the verse is the same.]
How Lord Rāma began to fulfill the promise is noted next.