batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l5864-l5956
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l5864-l5956
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
passage_locator:
label: TABLE VII. / THE BODISATS. / TABLE VIII. / THE DISTANT EPOCH.; lines 5864-5956
start: '5864'
end: '5956'
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 Bodisat leaves the palace after looking upon the sleeping chamber of
Rāhula’s mother and child. He rides the horse Kanthaka with Channa accompanying
him, receives angelic aid at the horse’s steps and at the city gate, rejects Māra’s
offer of universal kingship, and continues his departure amid cosmic and divine
honors, including a revolving earth, a commemorated shrine-site, torches, flowers,
perfumes, music, and homage from deities and other beings.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The Bodisat goes to Rāhula’s mother’s chamber, sees her asleep with her hand
on her son’s head, decides not to wake her, and leaves the palace.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The Bodisat asks Kanthaka to save him that night, saying that with Kanthaka’s
help he will become a Buddha and save the worlds of men and angels.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Kanthaka is described as strong, fleet, white, and large; angels muffle his
sounds and place their hands beneath his feet at each step.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The king has set men at the gates to prevent the Bodisat’s departure; the
Bodisat, Channa, and Kanthaka each consider leaping over the rampart if necessary.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: An angel residing at the gate opens it.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: Māra, also called Vasavatti and the Tempter, comes with the intention of stopping
the Bodisat and offers him imminent imperial sovereignty.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: The Bodisat rejects sovereignty, states that he will become a Buddha, and
says he will make ten thousand world-systems shout for joy.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: Māra resolves to watch for any thought of lust, anger, or malice and follows
the Bodisat like a shadow.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: After leaving the city, the Bodisat wishes to look back; the earth revolves
like a potter’s wheel and stops so that he can gaze on the city without turning
his mount.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: A place is fixed for the Kanthaka-Nivattana Cetiya, described as a later shrine
marking the miracle.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:11
text: Angels, deities, Nāgas, Winged Creatures, and other superhuman beings accompany
the Bodisat with torches, perfumes, garlands, sandalwood powder, incense, flowers,
songs, and musical instruments.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:12
text: The passage notes a commentarial difference about whether Rāhula was seven
days old at that time.
category: other
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Bodisat / future Buddha
description: The central figure who leaves the palace and city, rejects sovereignty,
and seeks Buddhahood.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Channa
description: The Bodisat’s attendant, told to hold Kanthaka’s tail and imagined
as able to carry the master and horse over the rampart.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Rāhula’s mother
description: Asleep in her chamber with her hand resting on her son’s head.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Rāhula
description: The Bodisat’s son, lying with his mother’s hand resting on his head.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:9
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Kanthaka
description: The Bodisat’s white, strong, fleet horse, ridden during the departure.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Angels and deities
description: Superhuman helpers and honor-bearers who muffle Kanthaka’s sounds,
support his steps, carry torches, and perform homage.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:8
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Angel residing at the gate
description: The angel who opens the city gate for the Bodisat’s departure.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Māra / Vasavatti / the Tempter
description: A figure who attempts to stop the Bodisat by offering imperial sovereignty
and then follows him watching for faults.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: The king
description: The ruler who has placed men at the city gates to stop the Bodisat
from leaving.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Nāgas, Winged Creatures, and other superhuman beings
description: Beings who accompany the Bodisat and do homage during the departure
procession.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
roles:
- id: role:1
label: departing Bodisat and future Buddha
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He leaves palace and city, declares his aim to become a Buddha, and proceeds
with great honor.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:2
label: attendant companion
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Channa accompanies the Bodisat by holding Kanthaka’s tail and imagines aiding
the escape.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: sleeping mother
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: She is asleep in the chamber with her hand resting on Rāhula’s head.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:4
label: son viewed before departure
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The Bodisat comes to look at his son but does not wake the mother to take
him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:5
label: mighty steed and vehicle of departure
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Kanthaka carries the Bodisat out of the city and is described as strong,
fleet, and white.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:6
label: divine helpers and honor-bearing companions
assigned_to:
- fig:6
- fig:10
basis: Angels and other beings support, accompany, and honor the Bodisat with lights,
flowers, perfumes, and music.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:8
- id: role:7
label: gate-opening helper
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The gate-residing angel opens the city gate.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:8
label: obstructing tempter
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Māra comes intending to stop the Bodisat, offers sovereignty, and watches
for faults.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:9
label: royal preventer of departure
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The king stations men at the gates to stop the Bodisat.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: dim chamber lamp
literal_form: A lamp fed with sweet-smelling oil burns dimly in the inner chamber.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: jasmine-strewn bed
literal_form: A bed strewn with many jasmine flowers where Rāhula’s mother sleeps.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: white horse Kanthaka
literal_form: A strong, fleet, white horse compared to a clean chank shell.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: city gate and rampart
literal_form: The great city gate and eighteen-cubit rampart at the point of departure.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:7
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:5
label: wheel of empire
literal_form: The wheel of empire that Māra says will appear in seven days and make
the Bodisat sovereign over four continents and adjacent isles.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:6
label: revolving earth
literal_form: The broad earth revolves like a potter’s wheel and stops when the
Bodisat wishes to gaze back at the city.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:7
label: Kanthaka-Nivattana Cetiya
literal_form: A shrine-site fixed at the place where the miracle of Kanthaka’s staying
was believed to have happened.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:8
label: divine torches
literal_form: Sixty thousand torches carried in front, behind, and on both sides,
with more torches held aloft at the horizon.
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:9
label: heavenly offerings and music
literal_form: Perfumes, garlands, sandalwood powder, incense, Paricchātaka flowers,
heavenly songs, and musical instruments used in homage.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:6
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Unwakened farewell in the inner chamber
summary: The Bodisat looks in on Rāhula’s mother and son but leaves without waking
them, deciding to return after becoming a Buddha.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Mounting Kanthaka for the night departure
summary: The Bodisat asks Kanthaka for aid, mounts him, and Channa accompanies the
departure.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: The guarded gate opens
summary: Although the king has set guards at the city gates and the Bodisat, Channa,
and Kanthaka are prepared to leap the rampart, an angel opens the gate.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:7
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Māra offers universal sovereignty
summary: Māra tries to stop the Bodisat by announcing the imminent wheel of empire;
the Bodisat rejects sovereignty in favor of Buddhahood, and Māra begins to follow
him closely.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Earth turns for the backward gaze
summary: After the Bodisat leaves the city, the earth revolves so he can look back,
and a shrine-site is fixed to commemorate the event.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:6
label: Divine procession and homage
summary: Angels, deities, Nāgas, Winged Creatures, and other beings accompany the
Bodisat with torches, flowers, perfumes, songs, and instruments.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:8
- sym:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Renunciant departure from palace and family
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
basis: The Bodisat leaves the palace and city after viewing his sleeping family,
rides out on Kanthaka, and continues toward Buddhahood.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The passage is a biographical departure episode rather than a generic
tale-form statement.
- id: motif:2
label: Divine assistance at the liminal escape
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
basis: Angels muffle the horse’s sound, support his steps, and a gate-residing angel
opens the city gate.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The assisting figures are identified as angels in the translation; no
further hierarchy is supplied in the passage.
- id: motif:3
label: Rejected universal kingship
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
basis: Māra offers the wheel of empire and sovereignty over the four continents
and adjacent isles, but the Bodisat refuses, saying he seeks Buddhahood.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The motif is framed as a rejected alternative, not as the establishment
of kingship.
- id: motif:4
label: Tempter obstructs the sacred departure
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: Māra arrives with the intention of stopping the Bodisat at the moment of
departure and then follows him watching for moral faults.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The available taxonomy label is approximate; the passage identifies Māra
specifically as Tempter rather than as a trickster.
- id: motif:5
label: Cosmic response to the future Buddha’s wish
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: When the Bodisat wishes to gaze on the city, the earth revolves like a potter’s
wheel and a shrine-site is fixed at the place.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: No supplied taxonomy family directly names this event.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 5864-5875
quote_or_summary: The Bodisat enters Rāhula’s mother’s chamber, sees the dim oil
lamp, the jasmine-strewn bed, and mother and son asleep; he decides not to wake
her and leaves the palace.
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: quote
locator: lines 5880-5885
quote_or_summary: "“My good Kanthaka, do thou save me this once to-night; so that
I, having become a Buddha by your help, shall save the world of men, and that
of angels too.”"
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: summary
locator: lines 5886-5894
quote_or_summary: Kanthaka is eighteen cubits long, strong, fleet, and white; angels
muffle his neighing and place their hands under his feet at each step.
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 5895-5915
quote_or_summary: At the city gate, guards have been set by the king; the Bodisat,
Channa, and Kanthaka each contemplate leaping the rampart if needed, but the angel
residing at the gate opens it.
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 5916-5924
quote_or_summary: Māra comes intending to stop the Bodisat, stands in the air, and
says the wheel of empire will appear in seven days and make him sovereign over
the four continents and two thousand adjacent isles.
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 5925-5935
quote_or_summary: The Bodisat identifies Māra, rejects sovereignty, declares his
intention to become a Buddha, and Māra resolves to follow him like a shadow watching
for lust, anger, or malice.
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: lines 5936-5949
quote_or_summary: The Bodisat leaves the city on the full-moon day of Āsāḷhi; when
he wishes to gaze back, the earth revolves like a potter’s wheel, and a spot is
fixed for the Kanthaka-Nivattana Cetiya.
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: lines 5950-5956
quote_or_summary: Angels and other beings accompany the Bodisat with sixty thousand
torches, heavenly perfumes, garlands, sandalwood, incense, Paricchātaka flowers,
songs, and musical instruments.
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 5876-5879
quote_or_summary: The passage says the Jātaka commentary’s statement that Rāhula
was seven days old is not found in other commentaries, and the preceding view
should be accepted.
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: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is well supported by the passage. Motif taxonomy mapping
is strongest for departure and rejected universal sovereignty; other motif labels
are more approximate. No cross-tradition comparison claims were added because
the passage does not itself support them beyond a brief commentarial variant.
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 supplied passage and metadata. Comparison claims left empty because the passage does not substantiate a broader comparative claim.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg__l5864-l5956
passage_sha256=dce19f9c7def774b070a0abd5c8686086f71d42e4a3a60ff48239557869aaace