batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l7332-l7443
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l7332-l7443
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 7332-7443
start: '7332'
end: '7443'
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 recounts a king grieving when his son is taken into the Order
and obtaining from the Buddha a rule requiring parental leave for admitting sons.
The king recalls rejecting an angel's report that his son had died before Buddhahood;
the Buddha links this to a former birth story, after which the king attains the
Fruit of the Third Path. The passage then describes Anātha Piṇḍika's conversion,
his purchase and construction of Jetavana, the festive procession welcoming the
Buddha, the formal dedication of the monastery to the Order by pouring water over
the Buddha's hand, the Buddha's verses praising monastic dwellings and gifts to
monks, and the long costly dedication festival.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: After a child had been taken into the Order, the king grieved and asked the
Blessed One not to receive a son into the Order without the leave of father and
mother; the Blessed One granted the request.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The king said that during the Buddha's austerities an angel reported that
his son was dead, but he rejected the report because he believed his son would
not die without attaining Buddhahood.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The Buddha replied that formerly the king also did not believe reports of
his son's death even when bones were shown, and he told a birth story in that
connection.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: At the end of the related story, the king attained the Fruit of the Third
Path.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Anātha Piṇḍika brought merchandise in five hundred carts to a trader friend's
house in Rājagaha and heard there that a Blessed Buddha had arisen.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Anātha Piṇḍika went early in the morning to the Teacher, entered through a
door opened by angelic power, heard the Truth, and became converted.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: Anātha Piṇḍika gave a great donation to the Order and received the Teacher's
promise to come to Sāvatthi.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:8
text: Along a road forty-five leagues long, Anātha Piṇḍika built resting-places
at every league.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: Anātha Piṇḍika bought the Jetavana grove by laying gold pieces side by side
over the ground and built a residence with rooms, dwellings, halls, open roofs,
ponds, and terraces.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:10
text: 'A welcome procession met the Buddha: the merchant''s son and youths carried
flags, the merchant''s daughters and damsels carried water-pots, the merchant''s
wife and matrons carried vessels of food, and the merchant came with traders in
new robes.'
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: The Buddha entered Jetavana with monks, and the passage says the grove's spaces
were brightened by the halo from his person.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:12
text: When Anātha Piṇḍika asked how to deal with the Wihāra, the Buddha told him
to give it to the Order of Mendicants, present and future.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:13
text: Anātha Piṇḍika brought a golden vessel, poured water over the hand of the
Sage, and dedicated Jetavana Wihāra to the Order of Mendicants with the Buddha
at their head and to those from every direction.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:14
text: The Buddha accepted the Wihāra and taught that monasteries ward off cold,
heat, beasts, creeping things, gnats, rain, and winds, and provide a safe dwelling
for contemplation.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:15
text: The Buddha's verses say that a wise person should build pleasant monasteries,
lodge learned men there, and give food, drink, clothes, and dwellings to upright
monks, who then preach Truth that dispels grief.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:16
text: Anātha Piṇḍika's dedication festival lasted nine months, and the passage totals
the wealth spent on the monastery at fifty-four koṭis.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: The Blessed One / Buddha / Teacher / Sage
description: The Buddha grants the king's boon, recalls a former birth story, travels
to Jetavana, receives the monastery dedication, and teaches the advantages of
monasteries.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: The king
description: A grieving father who asks that sons not be received into the Order
without parental permission and later attains the Fruit of the Third Path.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: The child / son
description: A son taken into the Order, causing the king's grief and request.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Angel or angelic power
description: An angel reports to the king that his son is dead; angelic power opens
a door for Anātha Piṇḍika.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Anātha Piṇḍika
description: A householder and wealthy merchant who becomes converted, donates to
the Order, builds and dedicates Jetavana, and holds a long dedication festival.
role_refs:
- role:8
- role:9
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Trader in Rājagaha
description: An intimate friend of Anātha Piṇḍika at whose house Anātha Piṇḍika
hears that a Blessed Buddha has arisen.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Order of Mendicants / monks / brethren
description: The monastic community that attends the Buddha and receives Jetavana
Wihāra as a gift.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Anātha Piṇḍika's son and five hundred youths
description: They appear before the Sage in festival attire carrying five hundred
flags of five colors.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Mahā-Subhaddā, Cūla-Subhaddā, and five hundred damsels
description: The merchant's two daughters and their attendants go forth carrying
water-pots full of water.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: The merchant's wife and five hundred matrons
description: They go forth adorned and carrying vessels full of food.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Five hundred traders
description: They accompany the great merchant, dressed in new robes, to meet the
Blessed One.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
roles:
- id: role:1
label: religious teacher
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The Buddha hears, replies, tells a birth story, and preaches the advantages
of monasteries.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:8
- id: role:2
label: grantor of disciplinary request
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The Blessed One grants the king's request about not receiving sons into the
Order without parental leave.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: recipient of dedication
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Anātha Piṇḍika pours water over the Sage's hand and dedicates Jetavana to
the Order with the Buddha at their head.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:4
label: grieving parent
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The king grieves after the child is taken into the Order.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:5
label: spiritual beneficiary
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The king attains the Fruit of the Third Path after the story is told.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:6
label: child renunciant
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The child is described as having been taken into the Order.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:7
label: supernatural messenger or helper
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: An angel reports a death to the king, and a door is opened by angelic power
for Anātha Piṇḍika.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:8
label: converted householder
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Anātha Piṇḍika hears the Truth and becomes converted.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:9
label: monastic patron and builder
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: He builds resting-places, buys Jetavana, and constructs residences and facilities.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:10
label: donor and dedicator
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: He donates to the Order and dedicates Jetavana Wihāra by pouring water over
the Sage's hand.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:7
- id: role:11
label: host and informant
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Anātha Piṇḍika hears at the trader friend's house that a Blessed Buddha has
arisen.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:12
label: recipient monastic community
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The Wihāra is given to the Order of Mendicants, present and future.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:13
label: processional welcomers
assigned_to:
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
basis: The merchant's family, attendants, and traders go out in arranged groups
to meet the Blessed One.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Jetavana Wihāra
literal_form: The grove and monastery residence bought, constructed, decorated,
and dedicated to the Order.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: sym:2
label: Water
literal_form: Water-pots carried in the welcome procession and water poured over
the Sage's hand during dedication.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:9
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: sym:3
label: Golden vessel and gold pieces
literal_form: Gold pieces laid side by side to buy the grove, and a golden vessel
used in the dedication act.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: sym:4
label: Five hundred
literal_form: A repeated number attached to carts, youths, flags, damsels, matrons,
and traders.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: Buddha's halo
literal_form: A halo from the Buddha's person that brightens the spaces of the grove
like gold-dust.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:6
label: Resting-places along the road
literal_form: Resting-places built at every league along the forty-five-league road.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Parental leave requested for ordination of sons
summary: The king grieves over a child being taken into the Order and requests that
sons not be received without their parents' leave; the Buddha grants the boon.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Rejected death report and attainment
summary: The king recalls refusing an angel's report that his son had died before
Buddhahood. The Buddha connects this with a former case in which death reports
and bones were not believed, tells a birth story, and the king attains the Fruit
of the Third Path.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Conversion of Anātha Piṇḍika
summary: Anātha Piṇḍika hears of a Buddha, approaches the Teacher through a door
opened by angelic power, hears the Truth, becomes converted, donates to the Order,
and receives a promise that the Teacher will come to Sāvatthi.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Construction of Jetavana
summary: Anātha Piṇḍika builds resting-places along the road, buys Jetavana with
gold, and constructs a monastery complex with rooms, dwellings, halls, roofs,
ponds, and terraces.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Festival procession to meet the Buddha
summary: Anātha Piṇḍika's son, daughters, wife, attendants, matrons, traders, and
the merchant himself go out in ordered groups with flags, water-pots, food vessels,
ornaments, and new robes to meet the Blessed One.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:6
label: Radiant entrance into Jetavana
summary: The Buddha enters Jetavana with monks, and the passage describes the grove
as brightened by the halo from his person.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:7
label: Water-pouring dedication of Jetavana
summary: Anātha Piṇḍika asks how to dispose of the Wihāra, is told to give it to
the Order, and formally dedicates it by pouring water over the Sage's hand from
a golden vessel.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:8
label: Teaching on monasteries and offerings
summary: The Buddha accepts the monastery and teaches that dwellings protect monks
and support contemplation; the verses praise building monasteries and giving food,
drink, clothes, and lodging to upright monks who preach Truth.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: scene:9
label: Long dedication festival
summary: Anātha Piṇḍika begins a dedication festival lasting nine months, with great
expenditure recorded for the monastery.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Parental consent before a child's religious renunciation
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The king asks that a son not be received into the Order without the leave
of father and mother, and the Buddha grants the request.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: high
cautions: This is a disciplinary and narrative motif in the passage; no broader
taxonomy reference is supplied for this specific pattern.
- id: motif:2
label: Refusal to believe a holy son's death before spiritual fulfillment
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The king rejects the angel's report that his son is dead, saying his son
will not die without attaining Buddhahood; the Buddha recalls a former similar
refusal even when bones were shown.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: The full embedded birth story is only referenced, not narrated in this
passage.
- id: motif:3
label: Conversion through hearing the Truth
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Anātha Piṇḍika hears the Truth from the Teacher and becomes converted.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The content of the teaching is not given here; the connection to the taxonomy
ref is general and based on the passage's emphasis on Truth.
- id: motif:4
label: Sacred patronage through costly monastic foundation
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: Anātha Piṇḍika gives donations, builds resting-places and a monastery, dedicates
Jetavana to the Order, and the Buddha's verses describe the religious benefits
of giving dwellings and support to monks.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The passage frames the exchange as merit and teaching rather than a contractual
bargain.
- id: motif:5
label: Water-pouring dedication of sacred property
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: The merchant pours water over the Sage's hand from a golden vessel while
dedicating Jetavana Wihāra to the Order.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The ritual action is explicit, but its broader ritual symbolism is not
explained in the passage.
- id: motif:6
label: Radiant arrival of a holy teacher
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Buddha enters Jetavana with monks, and the grove is said to be brightened
by the halo from his person.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage supplies a visual description but does not elaborate a wider
epiphany pattern.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 7332-7336
quote_or_summary: A child is taken into the Order; the grieving king asks the Blessed
One not to receive a son without parental leave, and the Blessed One grants the
request.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 7338-7350
quote_or_summary: The king recalls rejecting an angel's report of his son's death
during austerities; the Buddha says the king formerly also disbelieved death reports
even when bones were shown, tells a birth story, and the king attains the Fruit
of the Third Path.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 7352-7357
quote_or_summary: Anātha Piṇḍika, with merchandise in five hundred carts, hears
at a trader friend's house that a Buddha has arisen; he goes to the Teacher through
a door opened by angelic power, hears the Truth, becomes converted, gives a great
donation, and receives the Teacher's promise to come to Sāvatthi.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 7359-7368
quote_or_summary: Anātha Piṇḍika builds resting-places at every league for forty-five
leagues, buys Jetavana for eighteen koṭis of gold pieces laid across the ground,
and constructs rooms, dwellings, halls, roofs, ponds, and terraces.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 7372-7385
quote_or_summary: At the Buddha's expected arrival, the merchant sends his son with
five hundred youths and flags, his daughters with five hundred damsels carrying
water-pots, his wife with five hundred matrons carrying food vessels, and himself
with five hundred traders in new robes.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 7387-7390
quote_or_summary: The Buddha sends the lay retinue ahead, enters Jetavana with monks,
and the grove is described as brightened by the halo from his person like gold-dust.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 7392-7402
quote_or_summary: Anātha Piṇḍika asks how to deal with the Wihāra; the Buddha tells
him to give it to the Order, present and future. The merchant pours water over
the Sage's hand from a golden vessel and dedicates Jetavana Wihāra to the Order
with the Buddha at its head.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 7404-7429
quote_or_summary: The Buddha accepts the Wihāra and teaches in verses that monasteries
ward off weather, animals, insects, and winds, provide safe places for contemplation,
and that wise people should build monasteries and give food, drink, clothes, and
dwellings to upright monks, who preach Truth dispelling grief.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 7431-7443
quote_or_summary: Anātha Piṇḍika begins the dedication festival from the second
day; it lasts nine months, and the passage states that fifty-four koṭis were spent
on the monastery in total.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The passage is explicit about actions, figures, donations, dedication, and
teaching. Motif labels are candidate analytic groupings and should be reviewed,
especially taxonomy assignment to sacred_exchange and wisdom. No passage-supported
cross-tradition comparison claims were made.
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. Empty comparison_claims reflects lack of explicit comparative evidence in the passage.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg__l7332-l7443
passage_sha256=098637e8bce4e11d56c93f4321237119c04a2fbfb3f60cfa75091a3943243312