batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l10874-l10924
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l10874-l10924
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
passage_locator:
label: END OF THE STORY ON FOOD OFFERED TO THE DEAD. / END OF THE STORY OF THE KURUNGA
ANTELOPE. / END OF THE STORY OF THE DOG. / END OF THE STORY OF THE BHOJA THOROUGHBRED.;
lines 10874-10924
start: '10874'
end: '10924'
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: At Jetavana, the Master addresses a monk who has lost heart by telling
a former-life tale. In Benares, while Brahma-datta reigns, seven kings surround
the city. A chariot fighter uses two Sindh horses who are brothers to break through
six enemy lines and capture six kings. The elder horse is wounded; when the charioteer
begins to harness another horse, the Bodisat, lying wounded, declares that a thoroughbred
remains energetic in every circumstance, unlike a hack horse. The charioteer harnesses
him again, breaks the seventh line, and captures the seventh king. The Bodisat
exhorts the king and dies. The king performs funeral rites, honors the charioteer,
rules righteously, and dies according to his deeds. The Teacher identifies the
king as Ānanda and the horse as the Supreme Buddha.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The Master tells the story at Jetavana to a monk who has lost heart, after
saying that wise people formerly continued exertion even after receiving a blow.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: In the former-life narrative, Brahma-datta reigns in Benares while seven kings
surround the city.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: A warrior fighting from a chariot harnesses two Sindh horses who are brothers,
breaks through six lines, and takes six kings prisoner.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The eldest horse receives a wound; the charioteer removes him from harness,
lays him on his side, and begins to harness another horse.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The wounded Bodisat speaks to the charioteer, saying that a thoroughbred remains
full of fire in every time and place, while a hack horse gives in.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: The charioteer helps the Bodisat up, harnesses him again, breaks through the
seventh line, and brings the seventh king to the king’s gate.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: The Bodisat lies on his side, exhorts the king, and breathes his last.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: The king performs funeral rites for the horse, honors the charioteer, rules
righteously, and passes away according to his deeds.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: The Teacher states that the king in the tale was Ānanda and that the horse
was the Supreme Buddha.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: The Master / Teacher
description: The teacher at Jetavana who tells the tale and later sums up the Jātaka.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Monk who lost heart
description: A monk addressed by the Master; he obtains Arahatship after the proclamation
of the Truths.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Brahma-datta / king of Benares, identified as Ānanda
description: The king reigning in Benares during the former-life narrative; after
the horse’s death he performs rites, honors the charioteer, and rules righteously.
The summation identifies him as Ānanda.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Seven kings
description: Seven kings who surround Benares; six are captured first and the seventh
is captured after the wounded horse is reharnessed.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Chariot warrior
description: A warrior fighting from a chariot who harnesses two Sindh horse brothers
and breaks through six lines.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Two Sindh horse brothers
description: Two brother horses harnessed to the chariot; the elder is the wounded
Bodisat.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Eldest horse / Bodisat / Supreme Buddha
description: The elder Sindh horse, wounded in battle, identified as the Bodisat
during the tale and as the Supreme Buddha in the Jātaka summation.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Charioteer
description: The charioteer who removes the wounded horse, begins to harness another,
then helps the Bodisat up and harnesses him again.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: frame-story teacher
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The Master tells the tale and later summarizes the identities in the Jātaka.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- id: role:2
label: discouraged recipient of instruction
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The monk has lost heart and is addressed through the example of former wise
exertion.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: king and recipient of exhortation
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The king receives the Bodisat’s exhortation and later rules righteously.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:4
label: besieging opponents
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Seven kings surround the city and are taken prisoner.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: role:5
label: chariot fighter
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The warrior fights from a chariot and initially breaks through six lines.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:6
label: brother horse team
assigned_to:
- fig:6
- fig:7
basis: The passage states that the two Sindh horses harnessed to the chariot are
brothers.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:7
label: wounded thoroughbred exemplar
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The wounded elder horse speaks the stanza on the endurance of a thoroughbred
and returns to complete the battle.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:8
label: helper and handler
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The charioteer removes, tends, reharnesses, and drives with the horse.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: thoroughbred war horse
literal_form: wounded elder Sindh horse harnessed to a chariot
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:2
label: wound received in struggle
literal_form: a wound received by the eldest horse
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:3
label: fire of the thoroughbred
literal_form: the stanza’s image that the thoroughbred is “full of fire”
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: chariot and harness
literal_form: war chariot and horse harness used in battle
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: king’s gate
literal_form: the gate where the wounded horse is taken out and where the captive
king is brought
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:7
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Instruction at Jetavana
summary: The Master addresses a discouraged monk by introducing a former-life example
of wise perseverance after injury.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Siege of Benares and six captures
summary: Seven kings surround Benares; a chariot warrior harnesses two brother horses,
breaks six lines, and captures six kings.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Wounded horse removed from harness
summary: The elder horse is wounded, removed from harness, laid on his side, and
apparently about to be replaced.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Stanza of the thoroughbred
summary: The Bodisat speaks from his wounded position, contrasting the thoroughbred’s
endurance with a hack horse’s giving in.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Seventh line broken
summary: The charioteer reharnesses the Bodisat, and together they break through
the seventh line and bring the seventh king to the gate.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:6
label: Exhortation, death, and righteous rule
summary: The Bodisat exhorts the king and dies; the king performs funeral rites,
honors the charioteer, and rules righteously.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:7
label: Jātaka identification
summary: The Teacher declares the identities of the former-life king and horse and
notes the monk’s attainment after the Truths.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:7
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: perseverance after injury
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The frame introduces the tale as an example of wise exertion after receiving
a blow, and the wounded horse returns to battle after declaring the steadfastness
of the thoroughbred.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage emphasizes moral wisdom and
perseverance rather than abstract doctrinal exposition.
- id: motif:2
label: exemplary animal Bodisat instructs humans
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The horse is called the Bodisat, speaks a moral stanza, exhorts the king,
and is identified as the Supreme Buddha in the summation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives a Buddhist Jātaka identification; broader animal-helper
or talking-animal taxonomy should not be assumed from this record alone.
- id: motif:3
label: completion of duty before death
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The wounded horse completes the capture of the seventh king before lying
down, exhorting the king, and dying.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: This is not marked as ritual sacrifice; it should not be coded as sacrificial
without additional evidence.
- id: motif:4
label: righteous kingship following moral counsel
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
basis: After the Bodisat exhorts the king, the king performs rites, honors the charioteer,
and rules with righteousness.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage reports righteous rule but does not explicitly frame the king’s
legitimacy as the main theme.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage itself signals that the siege setting and the Bodisat’s exhortation
repeat elements from an earlier nearby story by using the phrase “as before.”
claim_level: same_function
target: an unspecified previous tale in the same Jātaka sequence referenced only
as “as before”
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: low
limitations: The supplied passage does not include the prior tale’s details, so
the comparison is limited to the internal cross-reference and cannot establish
a full shared motif.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 10882-10886
quote_or_summary: At Jetavana, the Master tells the tale to a monk who lost heart,
saying that wise people formerly continued exertion even after receiving a blow.
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 10890-10894
quote_or_summary: Long ago, under Brahma-datta in Benares, seven kings surrounded
the city; a chariot warrior harnessed two Sindh horse brothers, broke through
six lines, and captured six kings. The wording includes “as before.”
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 10895-10899
quote_or_summary: The eldest horse was wounded; the charioteer took him out of harness
at the king’s gate, laid him on his side, and began harnessing another horse.
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: quote
locator: lines 10900-10907
quote_or_summary: The Bodisat says that “The thoroughbred’s still full of fire”
and that it is a “hack horse” who gives in.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 10909-10911
quote_or_summary: The charioteer helps the Bodisat up, harnesses him, breaks the
seventh line, brings the seventh king, and drives to the king’s gate.
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 10913-10916
quote_or_summary: The Bodisat, lying on his side, exhorts the king “as before,”
then dies; the king performs funeral rites, honors the charioteer, rules righteously,
and passes away according to his deeds.
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 10920-10923
quote_or_summary: After proclaiming the Truths, the Teacher states that the monk
obtained Arahatship and identifies the former king as Ānanda and the horse as
the Supreme Buddha.
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: medium
comparison_claims: low
notes: Core events and figures are explicit. Motif labels are cautious and based
on the frame’s stated moral of continued exertion. The single comparison claim
is limited to internal phrases “as before” and needs review against the surrounding
text.
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 external sources used. Taxonomy references are limited to supplied available references.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg__l10874-l10924
passage_sha256=85b366349e878b68dc55d32228a30d16295db83413ea40c5d1e0b985f164f053