Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 1: Contents of the Rāmāyaṇa Summarized
Text 1.1.46
वने तस्मिन्निवसता जनस्थाननिवासिनाम्।
रक्षसां निहतान्यासन्सहस्राणि चतुर्दश॥
vane tasmin nivasatā janasthāna-nivāsinām
rakṣasāṁ nihatāny āsan sahasrāṇi caturdaśa
vane = at forest; tasmin = that; nivasatā = While residing; janasthāna-nivāsinām = residing at Janasthāna; rakṣasām = rākṣasas; nihatāni āsan = He annihilated; sahasrāṇi caturdaśa = 14,000.
While residing at that forest, He annihilated 14,000 rākṣasas residing at Janasthāna.
This verse informs us of the number of rākṣasas killed [by Rāmacandra]. Lord Rāma had no assistance at hand, for He
resided in the forest. Those rākṣasas were residing at Janasthāna, a forest area, and so [it is clear that they were] extremely ferocious. These were [Rāvaṇa’s] soldiers.
Having described Rāma’s fulfillment of His promise [to the sages], Nārada Muni sets the scene to explain how Sītā-devī functioned as the mediator [between the conditioned souls seeking the Lord’s mercy and Him].