batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l15995-l16114
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l15995-l16114
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 15995-16114
start: '15995'
end: '16114'
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 consists of footnotes discussing Indian and Greek fable traditions,
the names of two jackals in Indian fables, bibliographic references on the relation
and migration of fables, the transformation of Joasaph/Yūdasatf from Bodisat,
scholarly claims about the Buddhist origin of the Barlaam and Joasaph romance
and its resemblance to Buddhist lives of Gotama, and a note on the legend of Sumedha’s
self-abnegation near Jelālabad with bas-reliefs depicting its principal incident.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The names in question are described as corruptions of Indian names of two
jackals, Karatak and Damanak.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Karatak and Damanak are said to take a principal part in the first of the
fables.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Several notes cite works and scholars concerned with Æsop’s fables, the Pañca
Tantra, Kalilah and Dimnah, and relations between Indian and Greek fables.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Joasaph is said to be written in Arabic also as Yūdasatf, and that form is
explained as deriving from Bodisat through a confusion between Arabic letters.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The passage reports that the Buddhist origin of the romance was pointed out
by named scholars and that resemblances were found between the romance and Buddhist
lives of Gotama.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: The passage states that Greek material adopts not only Buddhist ideas but
also Buddhist expressions, according to the author’s planned analysis.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The legend of Sumedha’s self-abnegation is said to be laid near Jelālabad.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: Two bas-reliefs at the site are said to represent the principal incident in
the legend of Sumedha’s self-abnegation.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Karatak
description: One of two jackals whose Indian names are discussed in connection with
the first of the fables.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Damanak
description: One of two jackals whose Indian names are discussed in connection with
the first of the fables.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Joasaph / Yūdasatf / Bodisat
description: A name-form discussed as changing from Bodisat into Joasaph/Yūdasatf
through Arabic letter confusion.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Gotama
description: The Buddhist lives of Gotama are identified as a comparison point for
the romance discussed in the note.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: St. John of Damascus
description: The passage refers to a romance considered by Littré to be the work
of St. John of Damascus.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Sumedha
description: A figure associated with a legend of self-abnegation laid near Jelālabad.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
roles:
- id: role:1
label: animal fable protagonists
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
basis: The two jackals are said to take a principal part in the first fable.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: transmitted name-form
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The passage explains Joasaph/Yūdasatf as deriving from Bodisat through letter
confusion.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: Buddhist sacred-biographical comparison figure
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The Buddhist lives of Gotama are presented as the source of resemblances
to the romance.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: attributed author of compared romance
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Littré is said to decide in favour of the romance being the work of St. John
of Damascus.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:5
label: self-abnegating legendary figure
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The note refers to the legend of Sumedha’s self-abnegation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: two jackals
literal_form: Two jackals, Karatak and Damanak
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: bas-reliefs of a legendary incident
literal_form: Two bas-reliefs representing the principal incident in the legend
of Sumedha’s self-abnegation
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Two jackals in the first fable
summary: The note identifies Karatak and Damanak as two jackals who take a principal
part in the first of the fables.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Name transmission from Bodisat to Joasaph
summary: The passage explains Joasaph/Yūdasatf as a transformed form of Bodisat
caused by confusion between Arabic letters.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Buddhist parallels to the Joasaph romance
summary: The passage reports scholarly arguments that the romance has Buddhist origins
and resembles Buddhist lives of Gotama in ideas and expressions.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Sumedha’s self-abnegation represented in bas-relief
summary: The legend of Sumedha’s self-abnegation is located near Jelālabad, where
two bas-reliefs are said to depict its principal incident.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: animal protagonists in didactic fable
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage identifies two named jackals as principal actors in a fable.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: medium
cautions: The note does not summarize the fable’s plot or moral, so only the presence
of animal protagonists is supported.
- id: motif:2
label: transmission of sacred-biographical narrative across languages and traditions
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage links Joasaph/Yūdasatf to Bodisat and reports Buddhist origin
and parallels for the romance associated with St. John of Damascus.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage is a scholarly footnote rather than a narrative episode; the
specific narrative motifs shared by the texts are not given here.
- id: motif:3
label: self-abnegation of a legendary figure
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: The passage refers to the legend of Sumedha’s self-abnegation and to visual
depictions of its principal incident.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: low
cautions: The term self-abnegation suggests self-sacrificial action, but the actual
incident is not described in this passage.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage reports a scholarly comparison between Indian fables and Greek/Æsopic
fable traditions, including works on the migration and relation of such fables.
claim_level: historical_contact
target: Indian fables and Greek/Æsopic fables
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage supplies bibliographic references rather than presenting
the comparative evidence itself.
- id: claim:2
claim: The passage reports that Joasaph/Yūdasatf is connected to Bodisat through
a chain of name transmission involving Arabic letter confusion.
claim_level: linguistic_similarity
target: Joasaph/Yūdasatf and Bodisat
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: Only the note’s explanation is available; no original Arabic or intermediary
forms are shown in the passage.
- id: claim:3
claim: The passage reports that the Barlaam and Joasaph romance has Buddhist origins
and resembles Buddhist lives of Gotama in both ideas and expressions.
claim_level: historical_contact
target: Barlaam and Joasaph romance and Buddhist lives of Gotama
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage states the comparison but does not provide the parallel
passages or detailed examples.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 15995-15998, footnote 32
quote_or_summary: The names are described as corruptions of the Indian names of
two jackals, Karatak and Damanak, who take a principal part in the first fable.
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 16042-16057, footnotes 41-42 and related references
quote_or_summary: The notes cite scholars and works on Kalilah and Dimnah, the Pañca
Tantra, the migration of fables, connections between Indian and Greek fables,
and multilingual translations of Æsop and other ancient fables.
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 16058-16063, footnote 43
quote_or_summary: Joasaph is also written in Arabic as Yūdasatf, and this is explained
as Bodisat altered through confusion between the Arabic letters Y and B.
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 16064-16074, footnote 44
quote_or_summary: The Buddhist origin of the romance is attributed to earlier scholars;
the author plans to analyze resemblances between it and Buddhist lives of Gotama,
including Buddhist ideas and expressions adopted in Greek.
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 16102-16105, footnote 57
quote_or_summary: The legend of Sumedha’s self-abnegation is laid near Jelālabad,
where two bas-reliefs reportedly represent the legend’s principal incident.
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: low
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The passage is mostly scholarly notes rather than narrative text. It supports
extraction of transmitted figures, comparative claims, and a few motif candidates,
but not detailed scene-level mythic action.
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 additional taxonomy IDs were inferred beyond the provided motif family reference for sacrifice, and that assignment is marked low confidence.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg__l15995-l16114
passage_sha256=97ff2adf0f4aa67714cc3b4633fd311d0d44e86c3dc6ae891c5f9ed97e94aff7