batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l17304-l17417
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l17304-l17417
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 17304-17417
start: '17304'
end: '17417'
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 sequence of translator''s footnotes comments on Jātaka-related fables
and stories: a Bharhut bas-relief of a gosling choosing a peacock as husband;
the etymology of Haŋsa and the Goose with the Golden Eggs; parallels in Sanskrit
story collections and other traditions; a mystical epithet of fire as Agni; the
antiquity and transmission of certain fables; etiquette involving inferiors and
superiors; a gift to a Pacceka Buddha; and the definition of Ariya-puggalas.'
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A fable is said to have been carved in bas relief around the Great Tope at
Bharhut.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: In the Bharhut representation, a fair gosling is choosing the peacock for
her husband.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The word Haŋsa is translated as Goose but is explained as more exactly meaning
a wild duck.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The epithet 'golden' is described as referring to the bird's beauty of colour,
while a later application to goose is said to have generated the fable of the
Goose with the Golden Eggs.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: One story is said to occur in altered form in the Mahā-bhārata, Hitopadesa,
and Pañca Tantra, with the Buddhist story identified as the origin of the others.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: A story is said to have points of affinity with another tale about a stag
dying through thoughtless love for a roe.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: Jātaveda is described as a holy and mystical epithet of Agni, the personification
of fire.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: One story is referred to as one of the 'kalpa-enduring miracles'.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: A Birth Story with the same Introductory Story is said to be found in nearly
identical terms in the Culla Vagga.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: A fable is said to be a favorite, translated into Syriac and Arabic, retained
in versions of the Kalila and Dimna series, and found in Arabian Nights and Hindu
and Northern Buddhist story-books.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:11
text: Several Aesop fables are compared under the theme that a haughty spirit precedes
a fall.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:12
text: Remaining in a place above one's superior is described as a breach of etiquette
for an inferior.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:13
text: A Pacceka Buddha is described as one who can gain salvation for himself but
not give others knowledge of it.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:14
text: A Birth Story is described as being about a gift to a Pacceka Buddha.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:15
text: Ariya-puggalas are defined as persons who have entered the Four Stages and
reached the Four Fruits of the Noble Eightfold Path through self-culture and self-control.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: fair gosling
description: A fair gosling represented at Bharhut choosing the peacock for her
husband.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: peacock
description: The bird chosen by the fair gosling as her husband in the Bharhut representation.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Haŋsa / Golden Goose
description: A bird name translated as Goose but explained as more exactly a wild
duck; 'golden' describes beauty of colour.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Agni
description: The personification of fire associated with the holy and mystical epithet
Jātaveda.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Pacceka Buddha
description: One able to gain salvation for himself but not to give others knowledge
of it; recipient connected with a Birth Story about a gift.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Ariya-puggalas
description: Persons who by self-culture and self-control have entered the Four
Stages and reached the Four Fruits of the Noble Eightfold Path.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
roles:
- id: role:1
label: marriage chooser
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The gosling is represented as choosing a husband.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: chosen husband
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The peacock is the one chosen as husband.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: etymological source of a fable
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The note explains the Goose with the Golden Eggs as arising from the expression
'golden' Haŋsa.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: personified sacred fire
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Agni is explicitly called the personification of fire, with Jātaveda as a
holy and mystical epithet.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:5
label: self-saving religious figure and gift recipient
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The note defines Pacceka Buddha and states that the Birth Story concerns
a gift to one.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: role:6
label: attainers of stages and fruits of the path
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The note defines Ariya-puggalas by their attainment of the Four Stages and
Four Fruits.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: golden Haŋsa
literal_form: A Haŋsa, translated as goose but explained as wild duck, bearing the
epithet 'golden'.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: fire
literal_form: Fire personified as Agni and described through the mystical epithet
Jātaveda.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:3
label: gift to a Pacceka Buddha
literal_form: A gift associated with the Birth Story's subject.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: sym:4
label: bas-relief at Bharhut
literal_form: A carved bas-relief around the Great Tope at Bharhut depicting the
fable.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Gosling chooses the peacock
summary: In a carved Bharhut representation, a fair gosling is shown choosing a
peacock as her husband.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Etymological formation of the Golden Eggs fable
summary: The note explains that the expression 'golden' Haŋsa lost its descriptive
force when understood as goose and gave rise to the fable of the Goose with the
Golden Eggs.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Gift to a Pacceka Buddha
summary: A Birth Story is identified as concerning a gift to a Pacceka Buddha.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: scene:4
label: Mystical naming of fire
summary: The epithet Jātaveda is applied to Agni, the personification of fire, and
is explained as holy and mystical.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: animal bride chooses animal husband
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Bharhut relief is described as showing a fair gosling choosing the peacock
for her husband.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: high
cautions: The footnote reports a visual moment from a fable, not the full story.
- id: motif:2
label: fable generated by misunderstood word or epithet
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The note states that the Goose with the Golden Eggs is a 'myth' born of a
word-puzzle explaining an expression whose meaning had been lost.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: This is the translator's etymological explanation rather than a narrative
episode in the passage.
- id: motif:3
label: personified mystical fire
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Jātaveda is described as a holy, mystical epithet of Agni, the personification
of fire, with far-reaching power.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage gives a lexical-religious note, not a mythic action by Agni.
- id: motif:4
label: kalpa-enduring miracle
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: One story is referred to as belonging among the 'kalpa-enduring miracles'.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The footnote gives only the classification, not the miracle's content.
- id: motif:5
label: religious gift to a solitary awakened figure
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: A Birth Story is described as being about a gift to a Pacceka Buddha.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
confidence: medium
cautions: The term 'gift' is explicit, but the passage does not narrate the exchange
or its consequences.
- id: motif:6
label: pride from temporary wealth before a fall
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The note distinguishes the story from Aesop examples of haughtiness before
a fall by saying it is directed against pride arising from temporary possession
of wealth.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The note summarizes the moral target but not the plot.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The fable of the gosling choosing the peacock is attested in Bharhut bas-relief
and referred to in a Pañca Tantra stanza, while the note says it has not reached
Europe.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Bharhut relief and Pañca Tantra stanza
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage cites the attestation and reference but does not quote
the full stanza or the fable.
- id: claim:2
claim: The Goose with the Golden Eggs is explained as arising from a linguistic
development involving Haŋsa, Goose, German Gans, and the epithet 'golden'.
claim_level: linguistic_similarity
target: Goose with the Golden Eggs fable and Haŋsa/Goose/Gans etymology
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: This is the translator's etymological interpretation as presented in
the note.
- id: claim:3
claim: A Buddhist story is identified as the origin of altered forms in the Mahā-bhārata,
Hitopadesa, and Pañca Tantra.
claim_level: historical_contact
target: Mahā-bhārata Book V, Hitopadesa Book I, Pañca Tantra Book II
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage asserts origin but gives no narrative details for independent
verification.
- id: claim:4
claim: One story is said to have points of affinity with another Jātaka about a
stag who died through thoughtless love for a roe.
claim_level: same_function
target: Jātaka No. 13, stag and roe story
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The note says 'several points of affinity' but does not specify the
shared elements.
- id: claim:5
claim: A Birth Story with the same Introductory Story is reported in nearly identical
terms in the Culla Vagga.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Culla Vagga vi. 6
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The passage gives bibliographic comparison, not the passage text itself.
- id: claim:6
claim: A favorite fable is traced through Syriac, Arabic, Kalila and Dimna versions,
Arabian Nights, Northern Buddhist and Hindu story-books, and other listed collections.
claim_level: historical_contact
target: Kalila and Dimna series, Arabian Nights, Pañca Tantra, Hitopadesa, Kathā
Sarit Sāgara, Dhammapada, and other listed story collections
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The passage reports transmission and listing of versions without giving
the fable's plot in this excerpt.
- id: claim:7
claim: Several Aesop fables share the broad pride-before-fall theme, but the note
distinguishes the present story as uniquely directed against pride from temporary
wealth.
claim_level: same_function
target: Aesop's 'The Charger and the Ass', 'The Bull and the Frog', and 'The Oats
and the Reeds'
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The comparison is moral-functional rather than a claim of shared plot
or historical transmission.
- id: claim:8
claim: A story from this passage's referenced corpus is said to be quoted in 'Strange
Stories from a Chinese Studio'.
claim_level: same_motif
target: "'Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio', translated by Herbert A. Giles"
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The note reports a quotation but does not identify the quoted story's
contents in this excerpt.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 17304-17310
quote_or_summary: A fable is said to be carved in bas relief around the Great Tope
at Bharhut, where a fair gosling is represented choosing the peacock for her husband;
it is also referred to in a Pañca Tantra stanza and said not to have reached Europe.
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: 17312-17321
quote_or_summary: Haŋsa is translated as Goose but explained as more exactly a wild
duck; 'golden' describes colour, and the note says applying 'golden' to goose
gave rise to the Goose with the Golden Eggs as a myth born of a word-puzzle.
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: 17323-17328
quote_or_summary: A story is said to occur in altered form in the Mahā-bhārata,
Hitopadesa, and Pañca Tantra; the Buddhist story is described as the origin of
the 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:4
type: summary
locator: 17330-17332
quote_or_summary: This story is said to have several points of affinity with Jātaka
No. 13 about a stag who died through thoughtless love for the roe.
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: 17340-17345
quote_or_summary: Jātaveda is explained as a holy and mystical epithet of Agni,
the personification of fire, referring to fire's far-reaching, all-embracing power.
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: 17347-17348
quote_or_summary: A story is referred to as one of the 'kalpa-enduring miracles'.
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: 17354-17357
quote_or_summary: A Birth Story with the same Introductory Story is found in nearly
identical terms in the Culla Vagga and is said to be at least as old as the fourth
century B.C.
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: 17359-17401
quote_or_summary: A fable is described as a great favorite, translated into Syriac
and Arabic, retained in versions of Kalila and Dimna, and occurring in Arabian
Nights, Northern Buddhist and Hindu story-books, and many listed collections.
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: 17403-17406
quote_or_summary: Aesop fables are mentioned under the theme that a haughty spirit
precedes a fall, while the note says this is the only known story directed against
pride from temporary possession of wealth.
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: '17408'
quote_or_summary: It is described as a great breach of etiquette for an inferior
to remain in a place above where his superior is.
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: 17410-17412
quote_or_summary: A Pacceka Buddha is defined as one who can gain salvation for
himself but not give others knowledge of it; the Birth Story is about a gift to
a Pacceka Buddha.
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: 17414-17416
quote_or_summary: Ariya-puggalas are persons who by self-culture and self-control
have entered the Four Stages and reached the Four Fruits of the Noble Eightfold
Path.
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: '17417'
quote_or_summary: A story is said to be quoted in 'Strange Stories from a Chinese
Studio', translated by Herbert A. Giles.
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 consists of footnotes and comparative scholarly notes rather
than full narrative episodes. Comparisons are often explicit, but most motif candidates
are inferred from brief summaries or labels and require human review.
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 taxonomy IDs were invented. Available taxonomy refs were applied only where directly supportable, chiefly fire and sacred_exchange.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg__l17304-l17417
passage_sha256=857147d7d21858d27f975c0218b8fbe4a77cb96c8896d8e2d9b158092e96f4b6