batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l10577-l10728
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l10577-l10728
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
passage_locator:
label: END OF THE STORY OF THE SWIFT ANTELOPE. / END OF THE STORY OF THE DEER WHO
WOULD NOT LEARN. / END OF THE STORY ON FOOD OFFERED TO THE DEAD. / END OF THE
STORY OF THE KURUNGA ANTELOPE.; lines 10577-10728
start: '10577'
end: '10728'
translation: Buddhist birth stories; or, Jataka tales, Volume 1
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: 'The passage closes the Kurunga Antelope story by identifying the former
hunter as Devadatta and the antelope as the Teacher. It then begins the Kukkura
Jātaka: the Bodisat is born as a dog living in a cemetery with many dogs. After
royal dogs gnaw the king’s wet chariot harness, the king orders dogs killed indiscriminately.
The Bodisat reasons that the palace dogs must be guilty, enters the city unharmed,
challenges the king’s unjust partiality, proves the royal dogs’ guilt by having
them drink buttermilk mixed with grass so that they vomit leather, and then instructs
the king in righteousness before returning his sceptre.'
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The Teacher identifies the hunter in the preceding story as Devadatta and
the Kurunga Antelope as himself.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The Bodisat is born as a dog and lives in a great cemetery attended by several
hundred dogs.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The king’s state-chariot is drawn by milk-white steeds, and its harness is
left in the courtyard after sunset.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: Rain wets the harness during the night, and the royal dogs from the palace
gnaw the leather work and straps.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The king becomes angry and orders dogs killed wherever they are seen.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: Dogs endangered by the king’s order escape to the cemetery and join the Bodisat.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The Bodisat reasons that outside dogs could not enter the guarded palace and
that the royal dogs must be the real culprits.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: The Bodisat promises to restore his relations to safety and goes alone to
see the king.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: The Bodisat guides himself by thoughts of love, recalls his Perfections, and
commands that no one throw a club or clod at him.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: The Bodisat runs under the king’s throne, is protected from the attendants
by the king, and then questions the king about the killings.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:11
text: The Bodisat argues that killing all dogs while exempting royal dogs is partial
and unjust.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:12
text: The Bodisat teaches in verse that the policy is not righteous vengeance but
slaughter of the weak.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:13
text: The Bodisat asks for the royal dogs, buttermilk, and Dabba grass to prove
the culprits’ identity.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:14
text: After drinking crushed grass in buttermilk, the royal dogs vomit up bits of
leather.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:15
text: The king is delighted, gives his sceptre to the Bodisat, and receives instruction
in righteousness and the Five Commandments.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Teacher
description: Narrator of the Jātaka frame who identifies past figures with present
ones.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Devadatta
description: Identified as the former hunter in the preceding Kurunga Antelope story.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Kurunga Antelope
description: Identified by the Teacher as himself in the preceding story.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Bodisat as dog
description: Born as a dog, lives in a cemetery with many dogs, saves the endangered
dogs, proves the real culprits, and teaches the king.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:5
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: King Brahma-datta of Benares
description: King who orders dogs killed after his chariot harness is gnawed, then
listens to the Bodisat and is instructed in righteousness.
role_refs:
- role:7
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:8
- ev:10
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Royal dogs
description: Dogs living in the king’s house who gnaw the chariot harness and later
vomit up bits of leather.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:9
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Endangered dogs
description: Dogs threatened by the king’s order who flee to the cemetery and join
the Bodisat.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: King’s servants and attendants
description: Servants report the damaged harness; attendants try to drive the Bodisat
away before the king stops them.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: frame narrator and identifier
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The Teacher makes the connection between past and present figures.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: former aggressor
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Devadatta is identified as the hunter who tried to slay the Teacher in a
former life.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: past-life identity of the Teacher
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The Kurunga Antelope is identified as the Teacher himself.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:4
label: Bodisat animal incarnation
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The Bodisat comes to life as a dog.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: protector of kin
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: He acts to save the lives of his endangered kinsfolk.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:6
label: wise preacher and judge-corrector
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: He rebukes the king’s injustice, proves the culprits, and teaches righteousness.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: role:7
label: unjust ruler corrected
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The king orders indiscriminate killing but later accepts correction.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:8
- ev:10
- id: role:8
label: recipient of moral instruction
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The Bodisat instructs him in righteousness and the Five Commandments.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:9
label: hidden culprits
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The royal dogs eat the harness and are exposed by vomiting leather.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:9
- id: role:10
label: innocent threatened group
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Dogs not shown to be guilty are threatened by the king’s general order and
flee for safety.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:11
label: royal functionaries
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: They report the damage and act around the king’s throne.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: cemetery refuge
literal_form: great cemetery where the Bodisat dog lives and where endangered dogs
gather
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: sym:2
label: gnawed leather harness
literal_form: leather work and straps of the king’s chariot harness
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: king’s throne
literal_form: the place under the king’s throne where the Bodisat dog takes shelter
before speaking
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:4
label: buttermilk and Dabba grass test
literal_form: crushed Dabba grass in buttermilk given to the royal dogs to drink
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:5
label: sceptre
literal_form: the king’s sceptre, given to the Bodisat and then returned
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: sym:6
label: milk-white steeds
literal_form: milk-white steeds drawing the king’s state-chariot
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Kurunga Antelope identification
summary: The Teacher closes the preceding tale by identifying Devadatta with the
former hunter and himself with the Kurunga Antelope.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Bodisat born among cemetery dogs
summary: The Bodisat is born as a dog and lives in a cemetery with a large troop
of dogs.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Royal dogs damage the chariot harness
summary: After the king returns from the park, the wet harness is left in the courtyard
and palace dogs gnaw the leather.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Indiscriminate order and flight
summary: The king orders dogs killed wherever seen, and threatened dogs flee to
the cemetery and join the Bodisat.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:7
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Bodisat resolves to save the innocent
summary: The Bodisat reasons that the palace dogs are guilty and promises to restore
his kinsfolk to safety.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:6
label: Unafraid entry into the city
summary: The Bodisat uses thoughts of love and recollection of his Perfections,
commands nonviolence toward himself, and enters the city unharmed.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:7
label: Challenge before the throne
summary: The Bodisat takes shelter under the throne, questions the king, and rebukes
the partial execution order as slaughter of the weak.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:8
label: Exposure of the hidden culprits
summary: The Bodisat has the royal dogs drink crushed Dabba grass in buttermilk,
causing them to vomit up leather and reveal their guilt.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: scene:9
label: Instruction of the king
summary: The king honors the Bodisat with his sceptre; the Bodisat teaches righteousness
and the Five Commandments, then returns the sceptre.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: past-life identification of adversary and protagonist
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The frame explicitly identifies the former hunter as Devadatta and the Kurunga
Antelope as the Teacher.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: high
cautions: This motif belongs to the closing lines of the preceding tale, not the
Kukkura Jātaka narrative proper.
- id: motif:2
label: wise animal incarnation corrects a king
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The Bodisat as a dog exposes the king’s unjust judgment, proves the truth,
and teaches righteousness.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage presents practical and moral
wisdom rather than a separate abstract wisdom deity or object.
- id: motif:3
label: innocent group threatened by collective punishment
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The king orders all dogs killed after the harness is damaged, though the
Bodisat reasons that only palace dogs could be guilty.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The motif is social and ethical rather than supernatural.
- id: motif:4
label: hidden culprits revealed by physical proof
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The Bodisat proposes a test with buttermilk and grass; the royal dogs vomit
leather and are exposed as the guilty ones.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not describe the test as magic; it functions as an evidentiary
demonstration.
- id: motif:5
label: ruler instructed in righteous judgment
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The Bodisat rebukes partiality, calls the order slaughter of the weak, and
instructs the king in righteousness and the Five Commandments.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives only a brief summary of the longer instruction.
- id: motif:6
label: power of loving intention to pass unharmed
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Before entering the city, the Bodisat guides himself by thoughts of love,
recalls his Perfections, commands that no one harm him, and is not attacked.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage states the sequence but does not explain the mechanism in
detail.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 10577-10582
quote_or_summary: The Teacher states that Devadatta had formerly tried to slay him
and identifies the former hunter as Devadatta and the Kurunga Antelope as himself.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 10594-10597
quote_or_summary: The Bodisat comes to life as a dog and lives in a great cemetery
attended by several hundred dogs.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 10599-10606
quote_or_summary: The king rides in a state-chariot drawn by milk-white steeds;
after rain wets the harness left in the courtyard, royal dogs gnaw its leather
work and straps.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 10606-10617
quote_or_summary: Servants report that dogs ate the harness; the enraged king orders
dogs killed wherever seen, and endangered dogs flee to the cemetery and join the
Bodisat.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 10619-10628
quote_or_summary: The Bodisat reasons that outside dogs could not have entered the
guarded palace, identifies the royal dogs as likely culprits, and resolves to
save his kinsfolk.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 10630-10635
quote_or_summary: The Bodisat guides himself by thoughts of love, recalls his Perfections,
commands that no one throw a club or clod at him, and enters the city without
provoking anger.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 10637-10648
quote_or_summary: The king sits in judgment; the Bodisat runs under the throne,
the king stops attendants from driving him away, and the Bodisat asks whether
the king is having dogs slain.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 10650-10676
quote_or_summary: The Bodisat questions the justice of killing all dogs without
knowing the culprits and argues that exempting royal dogs while killing poor dogs
is partiality and slaughter of the weak.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 10678-10700
quote_or_summary: The Bodisat names the king’s own thoroughbred dogs as culprits
and proves it by having them drink crushed Dabba grass in buttermilk, after which
they vomit bits of leather.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 10702-10709
quote_or_summary: The king, delighted, gives his sceptre to the Bodisat; the Bodisat
teaches righteousness and the Five Commandments, exhorts the king to continue
in well doing, and returns the sceptre.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: high
comparison_claims: high
notes: Extraction is based directly on the supplied passage. The line range appears
to include the end of one Jātaka and the beginning of another; the record separates
those scenes where possible. No external comparisons are asserted.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
No comparison claims were added because the passage itself does not make an explicit cross-textual comparison beyond the standard Jātaka past-life identifications.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg__l10577-l10728
passage_sha256=ef148c01930067133db831b26554fb1cddea0a54f12cc670103850974d9485de