batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l15852-l15993
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l15852-l15993
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
passage_locator:
label: INDIAN TALES FROM TIBETAN SOURCES. / THE RELIGIONS OF INDIA. / BY A. BARTH.
/ FOOTNOTES:; lines 15852-15993
start: '15852'
end: '15993'
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 title page notice for A. Barth's The Religions of India is followed by
footnotes to the Jataka volume. The notes list parallels in Aesop, Babrius, Pañca
Tantra, Hitopadesa, Somadeva, Tūtī-nāmah, La Fontaine, and other sources; gloss
figures such as hansa, Bodisat, Yakshas, Sakka, and a hermit; and explain motifs
or narrative details including a golden goose, a child born holding a powerful
drug, magical cannibal beings, divine practical joking, flight through the air
as a sign of holiness, and moral parallels in Indian and non-Indian texts.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The passage consists mainly of scholarly footnotes identifying textual parallels
and explaining names, beings, places, and narrative details.
category: other
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: A hansa is described as a favorite bird in Indian tales, often rendered as
a swan, represented in Buddhist carvings, and identified as the original Golden
Goose.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: One note says that in the Vinīla Jātaka two unspecified figures similarly
carry a crow to the Himālaya mountains.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The Bodisat of that time is said to have received the name meaning 'the great
medicine' because he was born with a powerful drug in his hand.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Yakshas are described as products of witchcraft and cannibalism, magical beings
who feed on human flesh.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: A male Yaksha is compared in role to the wicked genius in the Arabian Nights,
while a female Yakshiṇī is said usually to play the part of a siren.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: Sakka is described as a gentle, non-jealous god who is not immortal, can remember
experiences from a former birth, and may be succeeded by a deserving son of men.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: Sakka is also described as practicing a kind of practical joking by which
he tempted people, and as having become a beneficent fairy.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: Going through the air is described as usually considered in Indian legends
to result from and prove great holiness and long-continued penance.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: A hermit thought that obtaining the power of going through the air would cheaply
gain him a fine reputation.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:11
text: Four gates are glossed as opening toward the four directions, meaning the
four cardinal points of the compass.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:12
text: One note lists similar moral passages in Lao Tse, Pancha Tantra, Stobaeus,
St. Matthew, and Confucius.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: hansa
description: A bird often rendered as swan, favored in Indian tales, represented
in Buddhist carvings, and identified here as the original Golden Goose.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: crow
description: A crow said to be carried to the Himālaya mountains in the Vinīla Jātaka.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Bodisat of that time
description: A Bodisat who received a name meaning 'the great medicine' because
he was born with a powerful drug in his hand.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Yakshas
description: Magical beings described as products of witchcraft and cannibalism
who feed on human flesh.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: male Yaksha
description: A male Yaksha said to occupy in Buddhist stories a position similar
to the wicked genius in the Arabian Nights.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: female Yakshiṇī
description: A female Yakshiṇī said usually to play the part of a siren.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Sakka
description: A god described as gentle, not jealous, not immortal, able to remember
a former birth, and given to practical joking that tempts people.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: hermit
description: A hermit who thought the power of going through the air would gain
him a fine reputation cheaply.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: sacred or tale-associated bird
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The passage calls the hansa a favorite bird in Indian tales and notes its
representation in Buddhist carvings.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: miraculously marked Bodisat
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The Bodisat is described as born with a powerful drug in his hand, an omen
of later cleverness in helping people.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: magical cannibal beings
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Yakshas are explicitly described as magical beings who feed on human flesh.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: wicked-genius-like being
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The male Yaksha is said to occupy a position similar to that of the wicked
genius in the Arabian Nights.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:5
label: siren-like female being
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The female Yakshiṇī is said usually to play the part of a siren.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:6
label: non-immortal god
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Sakka is described as a god who dies from time to time and may be succeeded
by another being.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:7
label: divine tempter or beneficent fairy
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The note says Sakka practiced practical joking by which he tempted people
and became a beneficent fairy.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:8
label: reputation-seeking hermit
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The hermit is described as seeking the reputation associated with the power
of going through the air.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Himālaya mountains
literal_form: mountains
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: powerful drug in the hand
literal_form: drug held at birth
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: human flesh as food of Yakshas
literal_form: human flesh
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: flight through the air
literal_form: going through the air
associated_figures:
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:5
label: four directions
literal_form: four gates opening toward the four cardinal points
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Crow carried to the Himālaya
summary: A footnote reports that in the Vinīla Jātaka a crow is similarly carried
to the Himālaya mountains.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:2
label: Bodisat born with medicine
summary: A Bodisat receives a name meaning 'the great medicine' because he is born
with a powerful drug in his hand, which is treated as an omen of later cleverness
in rescuing people from misfortunes.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Hermit seeks aerial power
summary: A hermit regards the power of going through the air as a way to gain a
reputation for holiness and penance.
figure_refs:
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: child born with a significant object
taxonomy_refs:
- miraculous_child
- sacred_birth
basis: The Bodisat is said to have been born with a powerful drug in his hand, interpreted
in the note as an omen of his later cleverness in delivering people from misfortunes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage is a footnote summary rather than the full narrative episode.
- id: motif:2
label: wisdom or clever device that saves others
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The drug at birth is called an omen of the Bodisat's cleverness in device
by which he later delivered people from misfortunes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: Only the explanatory note is present; the actual deeds are not narrated
here.
- id: motif:3
label: magical cannibal antagonist
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Yakshas are defined as magical beings who feed on human flesh; the male Yaksha
is linked to the role of a wicked genius and the female Yakshiṇī to that of a
siren.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: No specific Yaksha episode is narrated in this passage.
- id: motif:4
label: flight as proof of holiness or penance
taxonomy_refs:
- ascent
basis: The note says the power of going through the air is usually considered in
Indian legends to result from and prove great holiness and long-continued penance.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy reference is approximate because the passage describes aerial
travel rather than a full ascent narrative.
- id: motif:5
label: divine practical joke or temptation
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: Sakka is described as engaging in practical joking by which he tempted people,
though also as beneficent.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: low
cautions: The passage gives a general characterization, not a particular trickster
episode.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The notes identify versions or parallels of selected fables in Aesop, Babrius,
Pañca Tantra, Hitopadesa, Somadeva, Tūtī-nāmah, La Fontaine, and other collections.
claim_level: same_motif
target: cross-collection fable parallels named in the footnotes
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
- ev:12
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage lists bibliographic parallels but does not reproduce the
full stories, so the exact degree of narrative identity cannot be checked from
this excerpt alone.
- id: claim:2
claim: A note states that the male Yaksha's position in Buddhist stories is similar
to that of the wicked genius in the Arabian Nights, while the female Yakshiṇī
usually functions like a siren.
claim_level: same_function
target: wicked genius in the Arabian Nights and siren-like female figure
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: This is the editor's explicit comparison of narrative roles, not a
direct comparison of a specific episode in the passage.
- id: claim:3
claim: The passage compares moral passages across Mahābhārata, Lao Tse, Pancha Tantra,
Stobaeus, St. Matthew, and Confucius.
claim_level: same_function
target: similar ethical sayings or doctrines across Indian, Chinese, Greco-Roman,
and Christian sources
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:13
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The excerpt reports similarity but does not quote the compared passages
in detail.
- id: claim:4
claim: The hansa is identified as the original Golden Goose, linking the Indian
tale bird with a broader golden-goose story pattern.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Golden Goose tale pattern
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The note asserts the identification but the present passage does not
narrate the Golden Goose tale.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 15852-15993
quote_or_summary: The excerpt contains a title notice for The Religions of India
by A. Barth and a series of footnotes giving bibliographic parallels and explanatory
notes.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; excerpt summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: quote
locator: footnote [11]
quote_or_summary: The hansa is 'often rendered swan,' is 'a favourite bird in Indian
tales,' and is 'the original Golden Goose.'
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: quote
locator: footnote [13]
quote_or_summary: In the Vinīla Jātaka 'they similarly carry a crow to the Himālaya
mountains.'
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: footnote [19]
quote_or_summary: The Bodisat's name means 'the great medicine'; he was born with
a powerful drug in his hand, an omen of his cleverness in delivering people from
misfortunes.
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: footnote [20]
quote_or_summary: Yakshas are described as products of witchcraft and cannibalism,
magical beings who eat human flesh; the male Yaksha is likened to a wicked genius
and the female Yakshiṇī to a siren.
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: footnote [21]
quote_or_summary: Sakka is described as a gentle god, not immortal, capable of remembering
a former birth, sometimes succeeded by a deserving human, and given to practical
joking that tempted people.
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: footnote [23]
quote_or_summary: Going through the air is treated in Indian legends as a result
and proof of holiness and long penance; a hermit sought this power for reputation.
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: footnote [28]
quote_or_summary: The gates open toward the four directions, glossed as the four
cardinal points of the compass.
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: footnote [31]
quote_or_summary: Similar passages are listed in Lao Tse, Pancha Tantra, Stobaeus,
St. Matthew, and Confucius, with a Mallika doctrine associated with Confucius.
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: footnotes [1], [2], [10]
quote_or_summary: The notes cite parallels or related versions in Aesop, Babrius,
Pañca Tantra, medieval fables, Tūtī-nāmah, Kathā Sarit Sāgara, Hitopadesa, Phaedrus,
Erasmus, Varro, and Jerome.
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: footnote [14]
quote_or_summary: The note traces later versions in multiple languages and collections,
including Kalilah and Dimnah, Directorium Humanæ Vitæ, Anvār i Suhaili, La Fontaine,
Somadeva, Hitopadesa, and others.
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: footnote [15]
quote_or_summary: A version is said to be found in Babrius, Phaedrus, Aesopæan collections,
and Abstemius.
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: footnotes [29]-[31]
quote_or_summary: The notes compare passages from the Mahābhārata with other similar
passages, including in Lao Tse, Pancha Tantra, Stobaeus, St. Matthew, and Confucius.
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: medium
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The passage is a collection of footnotes rather than a continuous mythic
narrative. Several motif candidates are based on explanatory notes and explicit
comparisons, so they require human review against the full referenced Jātaka contexts.
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 the supplied passage and metadata were used. Taxonomy references were limited to available motif families and symbols.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg__l15852-l15993
passage_sha256=d9c25d7f7b9592e4ec1216931b1185dd18515fca710139cafa4a75a744fa22af