Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 1: Contents of the Rāmāyaṇa Summarized
Text 1.1.60
प्रतिज्ञातं च रामेण तदा वालिवधं प्रति।
वालिनश्च बलं तत्र कथयामास वानरः॥
pratijñātaṁ ca rāmeṇa tadā vāli-vadhaṁ prati
vālinaś ca balaṁ tatra kathayām āsa vānaraḥ
pratijñātam ca = promised; rāmeṇa = Rāma; tadā = then; vāli-vadham prati = that He would kill Vālī; vālinaḥ ca = Vālī’s; balam = strength; tatra = then at Ṛśyamūka; kathayām āsa = described vānaraḥ = the monkey Sugrīva.
Then Rāma promised that He would kill Vālī. [Then] at Ṛśyamūka, the monkey Sugrīva described Vālī’s strength.
Sugrīva will describe Vālī’s strength in statements such as:
samudrāt paścimāt pūrvaṁ dakṣiṇād api cottaram
krāmaty anudite sūrye vālī vyapagata-klamaḥ
“Without getting fatigued [in the least], Vālī crosses from the western ocean to the eastern ocean and from the southern ocean to the northern ocean before sunrise.” (Rāmāyaṇa 4.11.4)
Sugrīva described Vālī’s strength to increase [Rāma’s] enthusiasm [to kill him].