batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l11244-l11360
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l11244-l11360
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 DOG. / END OF THE STORY OF THE BHOJA THOROUGHBRED.
/ END OF THE STORY OF THE THOROUGHBRED. / END OF THE STORY OF THE FORD.; lines
11244-11360
start: '11244'
end: '11360'
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 a preceding Jātaka by identifying its past-life figures,
then tells the Abhiṇha Jātaka. In the frame story, an old monk and a lay convert
are noted for their close friendship. The Teacher says they were also close allies
in a former birth. In the former-birth tale, the Bodisat is a minister under King
Brahma-datta. A dog becomes intimate with the state elephant by eating fallen
rice near him and playing with his trunk. When a peasant buys and removes the
dog, the elephant refuses food, drink, and bathing. The Bodisat infers that grief
over a loved companion is the cause, advises a royal proclamation, and the dog
is released. The dog returns; the elephant lifts him, weeps, watches him eat,
and then resumes eating. The Teacher identifies the dog with the lay convert,
the elephant with the old monk, and the minister with himself.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The preceding story is concluded by identifying Girly-face as the traitor-monk,
the king as Ānanda, and the minister as the Teacher himself in a former birth.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: In the frame story of the Abhiṇha Jātaka, an old monk and a lay convert maintain
daily companionship involving meals, conversation at the monastery, and accompaniment
to the city gate.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The Teacher states that the old monk and lay convert were close allies in
a former birth as well as in the present.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: In the former-birth tale, the Bodisat is born as a minister when Brahma-datta
reigns in Benares.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: A dog eats fallen rice at the state elephant’s stable and becomes close friends
with the elephant.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The dog plays by holding the elephant’s trunk and swinging to and fro.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: A peasant pays the elephant-keeper for the dog and takes the dog to his village.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: After the dog is removed, the elephant refuses to eat, drink, or bathe.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: The king sends the Bodisat to determine the cause of the elephant’s behavior.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: The Bodisat concludes that the elephant has no bodily illness and is grieving
for someone near and dear.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:11
text: The elephant-keepers report that the elephant was very fond of a dog that
someone took away.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:12
text: The Bodisat tells the king that the elephant misses a dog and refuses food
because of that friendship.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:13
text: The Bodisat advises the king to proclaim a fine for anyone in whose house
the dog is found.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:14
text: The man who had taken the dog releases it after hearing the proclamation.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: obs:15
text: The dog returns to the elephant, and the elephant lifts him in his trunk,
places him on his forehead, weeps, sets him down, watches him eat, and then eats
himself.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: obs:16
text: The king honors the Bodisat for knowing the motives of animals.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: obs:17
text: The Teacher identifies the dog with the lay convert, the elephant with the
old monk, and the minister Paṇḍit with himself.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: The Teacher
description: Narrator in the frame who explains the former birth and identifies
the figures at the end.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:14
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: old monk
description: A monk whose close friendship with a lay convert is discussed by the
brethren.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:14
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: lay convert
description: A lay friend who feeds the old monk and spends time with him; identified
with the dog in the former birth.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:14
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Bodisat / minister Paṇḍit
description: Minister to Brahma-datta who diagnoses the elephant’s grief and advises
the royal proclamation.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:8
- ev:10
- ev:11
- ev:13
- ev:14
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: King Brahma-datta
description: King of Benares who sends the Bodisat to investigate the elephant and
honors him afterward.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:13
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: state elephant
description: Royal elephant who befriends the dog, refuses food, drink, and bathing
after the dog is taken, and rejoices at the dog’s return.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:12
- ev:14
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: dog
description: Dog who eats fallen rice near the state elephant, becomes his close
friend, is taken away, and later returns.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:12
- ev:14
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: peasant / man who took the dog
description: A peasant who pays for the dog, takes it to his village, and later
releases it after the proclamation.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:12
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: elephant-keeper
description: Person who receives money from the peasant for the dog.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: elephant-keepers
description: Attendants who tell the Bodisat that the elephant was very fond of
the dog.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Ānanda
description: Identified as the king in the preceding Girly-face story’s past-life
summation.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: traitor-monk
description: Identified as Girly-face in the preceding story’s past-life summation.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
roles:
- id: role:1
label: frame-story interpreter
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The Teacher states the connection between present figures and their former-birth
identities.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:14
- id: role:2
label: close ally or intimate companion
assigned_to:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:6
- fig:7
basis: The passage emphasizes close companionship in both the present frame and
the former-birth animal tale.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:14
- id: role:3
label: wise diagnostician
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The Bodisat infers that the elephant’s symptoms come from grief rather than
bodily illness.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:10
- id: role:4
label: royal adviser
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The Bodisat advises the king to issue a proclamation that leads to the dog’s
release.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: role:5
label: ruler who seeks counsel
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The king sends the Bodisat to investigate the elephant’s condition and acts
on his advice.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:11
- id: role:6
label: grieving separated companion
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The elephant refuses food, drink, and bathing after the dog is removed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:10
- id: role:7
label: returned companion
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The dog is released and hastens back to the elephant.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: role:8
label: remover of companion
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The peasant buys the dog and takes it away, later releasing it after the
proclamation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:12
- id: role:9
label: seller or transfer agent
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The elephant-keeper receives money for the dog from the peasant.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:10
label: informants
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: The elephant-keepers inform the Bodisat about the elephant’s attachment to
the dog and the dog’s removal.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: state elephant
literal_form: royal elephant in the elephant stable
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:2
label: dog companion
literal_form: dog who eats fallen rice near the elephant and returns after being
released
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:12
- id: sym:3
label: elephant stable
literal_form: the state elephant’s stable where the dog finds fallen rice
associated_figures:
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: fallen rice and food
literal_form: lumps of rice, rice or grass, and food refused by the elephant until
the dog returns
associated_figures:
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:10
- ev:12
- id: sym:5
label: bath
literal_form: bath refused by the elephant while separated from the dog
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:10
- id: sym:6
label: trunk-lift reunion gesture
literal_form: the elephant takes the dog up in his trunk and places him on his forehead
associated_figures:
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: sym:7
label: royal proclamation
literal_form: proclamation threatening a fine where the dog is found
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Summation of the preceding Girly-face story
summary: 'The Teacher identifies the former-birth figures of the preceding story:
Girly-face, the king, and the minister.'
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:11
- fig:12
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Present friendship of monk and lay convert
summary: The old monk and lay convert maintain close daily fellowship, which becomes
a subject of discussion among the monks.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Former-birth explanation introduced
summary: The Teacher says the two present friends were also close allies in a former
birth and begins the tale.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Dog and elephant become companions
summary: At the state elephant’s stable, a dog feeds on fallen rice and becomes
so close to the elephant that neither is happy without the other.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Removal of the dog and the elephant’s distress
summary: A peasant takes the dog away after paying the elephant-keeper; the elephant
then refuses food, drink, and bathing.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:6
label: Bodisat diagnoses grief
summary: Sent by the king, the Bodisat observes that the elephant is not bodily
ill and infers grief over a beloved companion; attendants confirm the dog’s absence.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: scene:7
label: Proclamation and return
summary: The Bodisat advises a proclamation imposing a fine on whoever keeps the
dog; the man releases the dog, which returns to the elephant.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: scene:8
label: Animal reunion and restored appetite
summary: The elephant lifts the dog, places him on his forehead, weeps, watches
him eat, and then resumes eating.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:4
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: scene:9
label: Honor and Jātaka identification
summary: The king honors the Bodisat, and the Teacher identifies the dog, elephant,
and minister with the lay convert, old monk, and himself.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- ev:14
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: close friendship carried across births
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The frame friendship of the old monk and lay convert is explicitly paralleled
with the former-birth friendship of the elephant and dog.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:14
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents the connection through Jātaka rebirth identification;
no broader comparative claim is required.
- id: motif:2
label: cross-species animal friendship
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The dog and the state elephant become so intimate that neither is happy without
the other.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: This is a literal narrative pattern in the passage, not a taxonomy-listed
motif family.
- id: motif:3
label: separation causing refusal of food and care
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: After the dog is taken away, the elephant refuses food, drink, and bathing.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: The passage attributes the behavior to grief over separation; no supernatural
cause is stated.
- id: motif:4
label: wise interpreter knows the motives of animals
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The Bodisat infers the hidden emotional cause of the elephant’s behavior
and is honored for knowing animal motives.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:10
- ev:13
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference is limited to the general wisdom motif family.
- id: motif:5
label: lost companion returns and restores wellbeing
taxonomy_refs:
- return
basis: After the proclamation, the dog is released and returns; the elephant rejoices
and resumes eating.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
confidence: medium
cautions: The return is that of a companion rather than a heroic return; taxonomy
use is broad.
- id: motif:6
label: royal proclamation resolves hidden disorder
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Bodisat’s advised proclamation causes the dog’s release and resolves
the elephant’s refusal of food.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
confidence: medium
cautions: This is a narrative device in the passage rather than a listed motif family.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage itself presents the old monk and lay convert’s present friendship
as corresponding to the former-birth friendship of the elephant and dog.
claim_level: same_function
target: present-life friendship of the old monk and lay convert compared with former-birth
friendship of the elephant and dog
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:14
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: This is an internal Jātaka correspondence, not evidence for historical
contact or comparison with another tradition.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 11244-11256
quote_or_summary: The preceding tale is closed by saying Girly-face was the traitor-monk,
the king was Ānanda, and the minister was the Teacher 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 11264-11275
quote_or_summary: 'At Sāvatthi, two friends are described: one becomes a monk, daily
eats at the other’s house, and the two spend time together until sunset and part
at the city 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:3
type: quote
locator: lines 11277-11283
quote_or_summary: "“Not now only, O mendicants, have these been close allies; they
were so also in a former birth.”"
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:4
type: summary
locator: lines 11287-11288
quote_or_summary: Long ago, while Brahma-datta ruled in Benares, the Bodisat became
his minister.
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 11290-11295
quote_or_summary: A dog comes to the state elephant’s stable to eat fallen rice;
the dog and elephant become close friends, and the dog plays by swinging from
the elephant’s trunk.
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 11297-11300
quote_or_summary: A peasant pays the elephant-keeper for the dog and takes it to
his village; the elephant misses the dog and refuses to eat, drink, or bathe.
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: quote
locator: lines 11302-11303
quote_or_summary: "“Do you go, Paṇḍit, and find out what’s the cause of the elephant’s
behaviour.”"
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:8
type: summary
locator: lines 11305-11310
quote_or_summary: The Bodisat sees the elephant’s sadness and reasons that nothing
bodily is wrong; he thinks the elephant must be grieving for someone near and
dear.
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 11310-11318
quote_or_summary: The elephant-keepers say the elephant was very fond of a dog,
but that someone took it away and they do not know where the man lives.
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 11320-11330
quote_or_summary: The Bodisat tells the king there is nothing physically wrong with
the elephant; he was great friends with a dog and refuses food because he misses
it. A stanza says rice, grass, and bath no longer delight him because he came
to love the dog through constant intercourse.
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:11
type: summary
locator: lines 11332-11337
quote_or_summary: The Bodisat advises a royal proclamation saying that whoever has
the dog loved by the state elephant will be fined.
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:12
type: summary
locator: lines 11339-11344
quote_or_summary: When the man hears the proclamation he releases the dog; the dog
hastens back, and the elephant lifts him with his trunk, places him on his forehead,
weeps, sets him down, watches him eat, and then eats.
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:13
type: summary
locator: lines 11346-11347
quote_or_summary: The king gives great honor to the Bodisat for knowing the motives
of animals.
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:14
type: quote
locator: lines 11351-11360
quote_or_summary: "“He who at that time was the dog was the lay convert, the elephant
was the old monk, but the minister Paṇḍit was I myself.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The literal narrative is clear. Motif labels are descriptive and conservative;
only broad taxonomy references to wisdom and return are used. The comparison claim
is limited to the internal Jātaka correspondence explicitly stated in the passage.
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: |-
The supplied passage includes the end of the preceding Girly-face story and the full Abhiṇha Jātaka excerpt; extraction emphasizes the Elephant and Dog narrative while preserving the preceding summation as a separate scene.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg__l11244-l11360
passage_sha256=2be4b6a1f94e4d6d569f807cc38ad8b58dcce47ab53995cf8a9f2841ffa9b9dc