batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l11363-l11492
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l11363-l11492
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 BHOJA THOROUGHBRED. / END OF THE STORY OF THE THOROUGHBRED.
/ END OF THE STORY OF THE FORD. / END OF THE STORY ON CONSTANCY.; lines 11363-11492
start: '11363'
end: '11492'
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: "“Speak kindly; never speak in words unkind!”"
summary: The Teacher rebukes abusive monks by telling a Jātaka in which the Bodisat,
born as the bull Nandi Visāla, repays a Brāhman’s care but refuses to pull a hundred
loaded carts when insulted. After the Brāhman speaks kindly, the bull pulls the
carts, wins the wager, and brings wealth to the Brāhman. The Teacher draws the
moral that harsh words please no one and identifies the Brāhman as Ānanda and
the bull as himself in a former birth.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The frame narrative says the Six disturbed peaceable monks with scorn, snubbing,
annoyance, and abusive language.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The Teacher states that harsh speaking is unpleasant even to animals and introduces
a past-life tale.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: In the past-life story, the Bodisat is born as a bull named Nandi Visāla and
is raised by a Brāhman, who treats him like a son and feeds him carefully.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Nandi Visāla tells the Brāhman to wager that his ox can move one hundred loaded
carts.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: For the first wager, one hundred carts are filled with sand, gravel, and stones
and fastened together.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: The Brāhman adorns and yokes Nandi Visāla but addresses him with harsh insulting
words.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: Nandi Visāla refuses to move after being called a wretch, and the Brāhman
loses the wager of one thousand pieces.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: Nandi Visāla tells the grieving Brāhman that the failure was caused by calling
him a wretch and instructs him to wager again without using that insult.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: In the second wager, the Brāhman strokes Nandi Visāla and addresses him kindly
as “my beauty.”
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: Nandi Visāla pulls the one hundred heavily laden carts with one mighty effort,
and the Brāhman receives the winning payment and further gifts.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:11
text: The Teacher gives a stanza teaching kind speech and identifies the Brāhman
as Ānanda and Nandi Visāla as himself.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: The Teacher / Buddha
description: The teacher at Jetavana who rebukes the Six, tells the Jātaka, gives
the moral stanza, and identifies the past-life figures.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: The Six
description: A group who disturb peaceable monks with abusive language and are reproved
by the Teacher.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Peaceable monks
description: Monks who are scorned, snubbed, annoyed, and abused by the Six, and
who report the matter to the Blessed One.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Nandi Visāla / the Bodisat bull
description: The Bodisat born as a bull, raised by a Brāhman, who refuses after
being insulted and later pulls one hundred loaded carts when kindly addressed.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: The Brāhman
description: The man who receives Nandi Visāla as a calf, raises him carefully,
loses the first wager through harsh speech, and wins the second after speaking
kindly.
role_refs:
- role:5
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Rich farmer / squire / cattle-owner
description: The cattle-rich man who accepts the wagers and pays the Brāhman after
Nandi Visāla pulls the carts.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Ānanda
description: Identified by the Teacher as the Brāhman of the past-life story.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Bystanders
description: People who present Nandi Visāla with a large sum after the successful
pull.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: moral teacher and narrator
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He reproves the Six, tells the tale, utters the moral stanza, and sums up
the Jātaka.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- id: role:2
label: offenders in frame narrative
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: They disturb peaceable monks with abusive language and acknowledge the conduct
when questioned.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: injured monastic community members
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: They are the recipients of abuse and report it to the Blessed One.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:4
label: powerful animal helper
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Nandi Visāla has exceptional strength and pulls the hundred loaded carts
when properly addressed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: role:5
label: reciprocal benefactor
assigned_to:
- fig:4
- fig:5
basis: The Brāhman raises the bull with care, and the bull later seeks to provide
sustenance and wealth for him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: human beneficiary and learner
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The Brāhman first loses through harsh speech, then follows the bull’s instruction
and wins through kind speech.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:7
label: wager opponent
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The cattle-owner accepts the wager and pays after losing.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: role:8
label: past-life identification figure
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The Teacher identifies the Brāhman of the tale as Ānanda.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:9
label: rewarding witnesses
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: They present Nandi Visāla with a large sum after his feat.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Nandi Visāla the bull
literal_form: A strong bull who can pull one hundred loaded carts.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: sym:2
label: one hundred loaded carts
literal_form: One hundred carts filled with sand, gravel, and stones and fastened
together.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: sym:3
label: harsh address
literal_form: The Brāhman’s insulting words to the bull, including calling him a
brute and a wretch.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: kind address
literal_form: The Brāhman stroking the bull and calling him “my beauty” before the
second attempt.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:5
label: wagered money
literal_form: A first wager of one thousand pieces and a second wager of two thousand
pieces.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:6
label: garland and scented rice
literal_form: Adornment and food given to Nandi Visāla before he is yoked for the
first wager.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Jetavana rebuke of abusive speech
summary: The Six abuse peaceable monks; the monks report this; the Teacher reproves
the Six and introduces a tale about harsh speech being unpleasant even to animals.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Bodisat bull raised by the Brāhman
summary: The Bodisat is born as a bull, received by a Brāhman, named Nandi Visāla,
and cared for like a son.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Wager proposed and arranged
summary: Nandi Visāla proposes that the Brāhman wager on his strength; the Brāhman
wagers that the ox can move one hundred loaded carts.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: First attempt fails through insult
summary: The Brāhman decorates and yokes the bull but abuses him verbally; Nandi
Visāla stands still, and the Brāhman loses the wager.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Bull explains the failure
summary: Nandi Visāla finds the grieving Brāhman and explains that being called
a wretch caused the failure, advising a new wager without the insult.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:6
label: Second attempt succeeds through kind speech
summary: The Brāhman addresses Nandi Visāla kindly; the bull pulls the hundred loaded
carts, the cattle-owner pays, and additional gifts are given.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:7
label: Moral stanza and Jātaka identification
summary: The Teacher states the lesson of kind speech and identifies the Brāhman
as Ānanda and Nandi Visāla as himself.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Kind speech secures willing aid
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The tale contrasts the bull’s refusal after harsh insults with his successful
pulling of the carts after kind address, and the Teacher explicitly frames this
as a lesson in moral conduct.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage presents an ethical lesson
rather than an esoteric wisdom episode.
- id: motif:2
label: Grateful animal repays human care
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Nandi Visāla reflects that the Brāhman raised him carefully and decides to
provide sustenance for him through a display of strength.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The animal is also explicitly the Bodisat, so this is not merely an ordinary
animal-helper tale.
- id: motif:3
label: Insulted helper withholds power
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: After being called a wretch, Nandi Visāla plants his legs firmly and refuses
to move, causing the Brāhman to lose the wager.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The passage uses the episode to teach speech ethics; no broader comparative
claim is made in the passage.
- id: motif:4
label: Single mighty feat proves exceptional strength
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Nandi Visāla pulls one hundred heavily laden carts with one mighty effort
after the second wager.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: This is a narrative action and may be secondary to the moral of kind speech.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 11363-11383
quote_or_summary: At Jetavana, the Six abuse peaceable monks; the monks report them;
the Teacher reproves the Six and says harsh speaking is unpleasant even to animals,
introducing a tale of a man who lost a thousand through harsh address.
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 11387-11394
quote_or_summary: In ancient Gandhāra, the Bodisat is born as a bull; a Brāhman
receives him as a young calf, names him Nandi Visāla, grows fond of him, treats
him like a son, and feeds him on gruel and rice.
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 11396-11415
quote_or_summary: When grown, Nandi Visāla thinks of repaying the Brāhman’s care
and tells him to wager with a cattle-rich man that the ox can move one hundred
laden carts; the Brāhman makes a wager of one thousand.
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 11417-11431
quote_or_summary: The Brāhman fills one hundred carts with sand, gravel, and stones,
fastens them together, bathes and adorns Nandi Visāla, yokes him, but calls him
a brute and a wretch; the bull stands still because of the insult.
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 11433-11453
quote_or_summary: The squire claims the first wager; the Brāhman grieves; Nandi
Visāla asks whether he has ever misbehaved and says the Brāhman erred by calling
him a wretch, telling him to wager two thousand and not use that insult again.
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 11455-11477
quote_or_summary: For the second wager, the Brāhman prepares the carts, strokes
Nandi Visāla, calls him “my beauty,” and the bull drags the one hundred heavily
laden carts; the cattle-owner pays two thousand and bystanders add gifts, all
becoming the Brāhman’s property.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized with a short quoted phrase from public
domain text.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 11481-11492
quote_or_summary: The Teacher says harsh words are pleasant to no one, utters a
stanza on speaking kindly, and identifies the Brāhman as Ānanda and Nandi Visāla
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.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: high
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The passage is a complete Jātaka with explicit moral framing and clear past-life
identification. No passage-internal comparative claim beyond broad motif categorization
is supplied, so comparison_claims is empty.
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: |-
Used only the provided passage and metadata. Taxonomy references are limited to the supplied list; only the broad wisdom family was applied.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg__l11363-l11492
passage_sha256=a90381fee6d358141ba2d6cd4ab68765f6972040c22af37f6b428c7658721a02