batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l10927-l11058
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l10927-l11058
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 KURUNGA ANTELOPE. / END OF THE STORY OF THE DOG.
/ END OF THE STORY OF THE BHOJA THOROUGHBRED. / END OF THE STORY OF THE THOROUGHBRED.;
lines 10927-11058
start: '10927'
end: '11058'
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: A monk formerly born repeatedly in goldsmith families fails to benefit
from meditation on impurity assigned by Sāriputta. The Buddha, said to know hearts
and motives, gives the monk pleasing conditions and directs him to watch a beautiful
lotus that he causes to decay. Seeing the flower fade and fall apart, the monk
realizes the impermanence of composite things and attains Arahatship. The monks
praise the Buddha's ability to know dispositions, and the Buddha introduces a
former-life tale in which the Bodisat, as an adviser to King Brahma-datta, is
asked to discover why the royal charger refuses to enter a ford after a common
hack was rubbed down there.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Sāriputta prescribed meditation on impurity for a junior monk, but the monk
failed to grasp it after four months.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The passage explains the monk's difficulty by saying he had lived in goldsmith
households for five hundred successive births and was habituated to seeing pure
gold.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The Master states that Sāriputta does not understand the hearts and motives
of men in this case.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The Master gives the monk better robes, keeps him near himself on the begging-round,
gives him pleasant food, and later takes him to a mango-grove.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: In the mango-grove, the Master creates a pond with lotuses and one flower
of exceptional size and beauty, and tells the monk to watch that flower.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The watched lotus fades, loses its color, drops its petals, falls apart at
the heart, and leaves only the centre knob.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The monk reflects that if such a beautiful lotus can decay, his own body also
can decay, and concludes that nothing composite is enduring.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: The Master sends an appearance of himself and recites a stanza instructing
the monk to root out love of self and devote himself to the way of peace.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: At the end of the stanza, the monk reaches Arahatship and expresses joy at
deliverance from future life.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: The brethren contrast Sāriputta's lack of knowledge of hearts and motives
in this case with the Master's ability to procure Arahatship for the monk in one
day.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:11
text: The Master says that he knew this man's disposition in a former time as well
as now.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:12
text: In the introduced former-life tale, Brahma-datta reigns in Benares and the
Bodisat serves as his adviser in spiritual and temporal matters.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:13
text: A common hack is rubbed down at the ford where the king's state charger is
usually bathed.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:14
text: The state charger is offended by the previous presence of the hack at the
ford and refuses to enter the water.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:15
text: The king sends the Bodisat to find out why the horse will not go into the
water at the ford.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: The Master / the Buddha / the Blessed One
description: Teacher at Jetavana who knows the monk's disposition, creates the lotus
scene, sends an appearance of himself, and later introduces a former-life tale.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Sāriputta / Minister of Righteousness
description: Senior monk who assigns meditation on impurity to the junior monk and
then brings him to the Master when it fails.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Junior monk formerly a goldsmith
description: A monk under Sāriputta's rule, formerly born many times in goldsmith
households, who attains Arahatship after contemplating the decaying lotus.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Brahma-datta
description: King reigning in Benares in the former-life tale.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: The Bodisat
description: Adviser to Brahma-datta in spiritual and temporal matters, sent to
discover why the charger refuses the ford.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: King's state charger
description: Royal horse that refuses to enter the ford after a common hack has
been rubbed down there.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Common hack
description: An ordinary horse rubbed down at the ford where the state charger is
usually bathed.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Horsekeeper
description: Person who reports to the king that the state charger will not enter
the water.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: The brethren
description: Monks who discuss and praise the Master's knowledge of dispositions
in the Lecture Hall.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: knower of hearts and motives
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The passage says this knowledge belongs to Buddhas and depicts the Master
knowing the monk's disposition.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: role:2
label: tailored spiritual instructor
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The Master changes the monk's treatment and gives him a lotus-based exercise
that leads to insight.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:3
label: well-intentioned but mistaken instructor
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Sāriputta assigns an unsuitable meditation and brings the monk to the Master
when it fails.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: role:4
label: recipient of instruction leading to Arahatship
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The junior monk watches the decaying lotus, reflects on impermanence, and
attains Arahatship.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:5
label: king who commissions inquiry
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Brahma-datta sends the Bodisat to discover why the horse will not enter the
water.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: role:6
label: wise royal adviser and investigator
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The Bodisat is described as adviser in spiritual and temporal matters and
is sent to determine the horse's reason for refusal.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: role:7
label: offended royal animal
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The state charger is offended that a common hack had been rubbed down at
its bathing ford and refuses to enter.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:8
label: low-status animal causing offense by prior use of place
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The common hack is rubbed down at the ford used by the king's state charger.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:9
label: reporting attendant
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The horsekeeper tells the king that the state charger will not enter the
water.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:10
label: witnessing monastic audience
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The brethren discuss the event and praise the power of the Buddhas.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: decaying lotus flower
literal_form: One lotus flower of surpassing size and beauty that fades, loses color,
drops petals, and falls apart while watched.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: sym:2
label: created pond with lotuses
literal_form: A pond created in the mango-grove, containing a large cluster of lotuses.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:3
label: autumn lotus uprooted by hand
literal_form: The stanza compares rooting out love of self to taking an autumn lotus
with the hand.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: moon released from Rahu's jaws
literal_form: A praise-hymn image comparing freedom to the moon after an eclipse
has passed from Rahu's jaws.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: sun dissipating clouds
literal_form: A praise-hymn image of the thousand-rayed sun shedding light and dissipating
clouds.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:6
label: ford water
literal_form: The ford and water where the king's state charger is usually bathed
and refuses to enter.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Failed meditation and appeal to the Buddha
summary: Sāriputta's assigned meditation on impurity fails for a monk formerly habituated
to pure gold, so he brings the monk to the Master, who identifies Sāriputta's
lack of knowledge of the monk's disposition.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Lotus contemplation in the mango-grove
summary: The Master gives the monk pleasant support, creates a pond with lotuses
in a mango-grove, and instructs him to watch a beautiful lotus as it decays.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Insight and Arahatship
summary: Seeing the lotus decay, the monk reflects on the impermanence of his own
body and of composite things; the Master sends a stanza, and the monk reaches
Arahatship and praises liberation.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Monastic discussion and transition to former-life tale
summary: The brethren praise the Master's ability to know the monk's disposition,
and the Master says he knew it formerly also before telling a tale.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:9
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: The royal charger at the ford
summary: In the former-life tale, King Brahma-datta's state charger refuses to enter
the ford after a common hack has been rubbed down there, and the king sends the
Bodisat to investigate.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Wisdom through knowledge of individual disposition
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The Master succeeds where Sāriputta fails because he knows the monk's hearts
and motives and gives instruction suited to the monk's disposition.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage states the theme explicitly, but its full doctrinal framing
belongs to the wider Jataka context not included here.
- id: motif:2
label: Contemplation of a decaying beautiful object as a lesson in impermanence
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The monk watches a beautiful lotus decay and draws the conclusion that his
own body and all composite things are not enduring.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy has no specific lotus or impermanence category, so the broader
wisdom family is used.
- id: motif:3
label: Liberating instruction delivered by an apparition or projected presence
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Without leaving his apartment, the Master sends an appearance of himself
and recites a stanza after which the monk reaches Arahatship.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage describes an appearance but gives limited detail about its
ontological status.
- id: motif:4
label: Wise adviser discovers the hidden cause of an animal's refusal
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The former-life tale begins with a royal horse refusing the ford and the
king sending the Bodisat to find out why.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: Only the opening of the tale is included; the investigation and resolution
are outside the provided passage.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage itself frames the former-life horse-at-the-ford episode as a
precedent for the present episode of knowing a being's disposition or hidden motive.
claim_level: same_function
target: Present-life instruction of the monk and former-life inquiry into the royal
charger's refusal
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The supplied passage includes only the beginning of the former-life
tale, so the exact resolution of the parallel is not present.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 10927-11058
quote_or_summary: Sāriputta assigns meditation on impurity to the junior monk; the
monk fails for four months, and the text connects this to five hundred former
births in goldsmith households and long habituation to pure gold.
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: quote
locator: lines 10927-11058
quote_or_summary: "“O Sāriputta! you don’t understand the hearts and motives of
men.”"
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:3
type: summary
locator: lines 10927-11058
quote_or_summary: The Master gives the monk better robes and pleasant food, takes
him to a mango-grove, creates a pond with lotuses, and tells him to sit and watch
one exceptionally beautiful flower.
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 10927-11058
quote_or_summary: The flower decays before the monk's eyes; he observes its fading
and falling apart and reflects that his body too is subject to decay and that
nothing composite endures.
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 10927-11058
quote_or_summary: The Master sends an appearance of himself and recites a stanza
about rooting out self-love like an autumn lotus; when the stanza ends, the monk
attains Arahatship and praises liberation with images of the moon freed from Rahu
and the sun dispelling clouds.
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 10927-11058
quote_or_summary: The brethren praise the Buddha for knowing the monk's disposition
and gaining Arahatship for him in one day; the Master replies that he knew this
man's disposition formerly also and begins a tale.
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 10927-11058
quote_or_summary: The former-life tale opens with Brahma-datta reigning in Benares
and the Bodisat serving as his adviser in spiritual and temporal matters.
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 10927-11058
quote_or_summary: A common hack is rubbed down at the ford where the king's state
charger is usually bathed; the charger is offended and refuses to enter the water.
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 10927-11058
quote_or_summary: The horsekeeper reports the refusal to the king, and the king
sends the Bodisat to find out why the horse will not enter the water at the ford.
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: medium
notes: The present-life episode is complete enough for confident extraction. The
former-life horse tale is only beginning in the supplied range, limiting motif
and comparison confidence for that section.
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: |-
Only provided passage text and supplied taxonomy references were used. No external Jataka material was added.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg__l10927-l11058
passage_sha256=423947a299971edf15880ef0533bd71d98ae3efaf23e9fa28fdb3dff1b7cca22