batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l7700-l7829
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l7700-l7829
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
passage_locator:
label: TABLE VIII. / THE DISTANT EPOCH. / GLORY BE TO THE BLESSED, THE HOLY, THE
ALL-WISE ONE. / BOOK I.; lines 7700-7829
start: '7700'
end: '7829'
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 demon deceives a foolish merchant into discarding his caravan's water
in an arid desert, leading to the death of the men and oxen. Later the Bodisat
leads another caravan, prepares water, recognizes the demon by signs including
red eyes and lack of shadow, refuses to discard the water, and explains to his
followers that the alleged signs of rain and ponds are false.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A demon appears with lotus wreaths, water-lilies, lotus stalks, dirt, mud,
and wetness, and claims that there is plentiful water ahead.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The foolish merchant accepts the demon's statement and has all the water pots
broken and emptied, saving not even a cupful.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The caravan finds no water ahead; the men become weary, cannot water the oxen,
and cannot cook rice.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: At night demons come from their city, kill the men and oxen, eat their flesh,
and leave bones behind.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The Bodisat later fills vessels, stores plentiful water, and orders that no
water be used without asking him.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The Bodisat warns his followers not to eat unfamiliar leaves, flowers, or
fruits from poisonous trees in the wilderness without asking him.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: The demon appears to the Bodisat in the same manner as before, as if coming
from the opposite direction.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: The Bodisat identifies the figure as nonhuman by noting that the wilderness
has no water, that the figure is red-eyed and bold, and that he casts no shadow.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: The Bodisat refuses to throw away water until more water is actually seen.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: The Bodisat questions his men about rain-wind, clouds, lightning, and thunder,
and they report none of these signs.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:11
text: The Bodisat concludes that the apparent men are demons trying to make the
caravan discard its water and become weak.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: foolish young merchant
description: A merchant leading carts from Benares who accepts the demon's claim
and discards the caravan's water.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: demon
description: A being appearing as a traveler with wet lotus signs, claiming there
is water ahead, later recognized by the Bodisat as red-eyed, bold, and shadowless.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: men of the first caravan
description: Followers of the foolish merchant who travel without water, become
exhausted, sleep, and are killed by demons.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: oxen of the first caravan
description: Draft animals tied to the wheels, left without water, and killed by
demons.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: demons from the demon city
description: Demons who come at night, kill the caravan's men and oxen, eat their
flesh, and depart.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Bodisat
description: A later caravan leader who prepares water, warns his followers, recognizes
the demon, and reasons with his men.
role_refs:
- role:7
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Bodisat's followers
description: Men of the Bodisat's caravan who ask about discarding water and answer
the Bodisat's questions about signs of rain.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
roles:
- id: role:1
label: caravan leader
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He directs carts from Benares and decides to discard the caravan's water.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: deceived victim
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He accepts the demon's word and his caravan comes to destruction.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: deceptive supernatural encounter
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The figure is called a demon and falsely says there is plentiful water ahead.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:9
- id: role:4
label: false guide
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: He instructs the merchants to pour away the water and go on easily.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: caravan victims
assigned_to:
- fig:3
- fig:4
basis: The men and oxen lack water and are later slain by demons.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:6
label: predatory demons
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: They kill the men and oxen and eat their flesh.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:7
label: wise caravan leader
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: He stores water, gives precautions, recognizes the demon, and refuses to
discard water without evidence.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:8
label: reasoning examiner
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: He tests the claim of rain by questioning his men about wind, clouds, lightning,
and thunder.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: role:9
label: advised followers
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: They consider discarding water but answer the Bodisat's questions and receive
his instruction.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: water supply
literal_form: water in pots, vessels, and stores carried by the caravans
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: sym:2
label: illusory signs of water
literal_form: lotus wreaths, water-lilies, lotus stalks, wet clothes and hair, mud,
and dripping water
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:8
- id: sym:3
label: arid desert
literal_form: desert or wilderness said by the Bodisat to contain no water
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:4
label: poisonous trees
literal_form: trees in the wilderness with leaves, flowers, or fruits not to be
eaten without permission
associated_figures:
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: absence of shadow
literal_form: the demon throws no shadow
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:6
label: bones scattered after destruction
literal_form: bones left behind and scattered to all points of the compass
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Demon persuades the first merchant
summary: The demon appears wet and adorned with water-plants, claims there is abundant
water ahead, and tells the merchant to discard the carried water.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: First caravan's destruction
summary: After the water is poured away, the caravan finds no water, becomes exhausted,
sleeps in a circle of wagons, and is killed and eaten by demons at night.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Bodisat prepares for the desert
summary: The Bodisat waits, departs, fills vessels with a large water supply, and
warns his followers about using water and eating unfamiliar plants.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Bodisat recognizes the demon
summary: The demon appears again, but the Bodisat recognizes him through the absence
of water in the desert, his red eyes, boldness, and lack of shadow.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:5
label: Bodisat tests the claim of rain
summary: When followers suggest discarding water, the Bodisat asks about lakes,
rain-wind, clouds, lightning, and thunder; their negative answers support his
conclusion that demons are trying to weaken them.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Demon deceives travelers into discarding life-sustaining water
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: A demon falsely claims that water is plentiful ahead and tells the first
merchant to pour away his water, which leads to the caravan's destruction.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage identifies the deceiver as a demon, but the broader taxonomy
label 'trickster_boundary' is approximate because no explicit boundary-crossing
framework is stated.
- id: motif:2
label: Wise leader detects supernatural deception through practical signs
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The Bodisat stores water, recognizes the demon's physical signs, refuses
to discard supplies, and tests claims about rain through observable evidence.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: This is a passage-level wisdom motif; no external comparison is asserted.
- id: motif:3
label: Fatal credulity contrasted with resourceful foresight
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The first merchant believes the demon and loses his caravan, while the Bodisat
preserves water and reasons carefully with his followers.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The contrast is internal to the passage and should not be extended to
a wider typology without review.
- id: motif:4
label: Desert crossing dependent on guarded water supply
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Both caravans enter an arid desert where survival depends on keeping water;
one discards it and dies, while the Bodisat forbids wasting it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: No available motif-family taxonomy exactly matches this survival-provisioning
pattern.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 7700-7721
quote_or_summary: The demon appears with lotus wreaths, water-lilies, lotus stalks,
dirt, water, and mud, and claims that beyond the green forest the country has
rain, full pools, and lotus ponds.
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 7722-7737
quote_or_summary: The demon asks about the carts, identifies the heavy last cart
as carrying water, tells the merchants to break the pots and pour the water away,
and the foolish merchant does so without saving even a cupful.
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 7737-7748
quote_or_summary: There is no water ahead; the men become weary, stop at sunset,
arrange the wagons in a circle, tie the oxen to the wheels, and lack water for
oxen and rice-cooking.
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 7750-7758
quote_or_summary: At night's end demons come from their city, kill all the men and
oxen, eat their flesh, leave bones behind, and the five hundred loaded carts remain.
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 7760-7773
quote_or_summary: The Bodisat later departs, reaches the desert mouth, fills vessels,
stores plentiful water, orders that no cupful be used without asking him, and
warns against eating unfamiliar parts of poisonous trees.
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 7775-7787
quote_or_summary: In the middle of the desert the demon appears as before; the Bodisat
knows him, reflecting that the arid desert has no water and that the figure is
red-eyed, bold, and shadowless.
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: quote
locator: lines 7789-7793
quote_or_summary: '"We are travelling merchants, and don’t throw away the water
we’ve got till we see some more"'
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:8
type: summary
locator: lines 7797-7821
quote_or_summary: The followers report the apparent water signs and suggest discarding
water; the Bodisat asks whether they know of lakes in the desert and whether any
rain-wind, cloud, lightning, or thunder has been perceived; they answer no.
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 7822-7829
quote_or_summary: The Bodisat says the figures are demons who want the caravan to
throw away its water and be destroyed in weakness; he predicts the earlier merchant's
fate and orders his men not to discard even a half-pint.
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: Extraction is based only on the supplied passage. Motif-family assignments
are limited to the available taxonomy and should be reviewed, especially the approximate
trickster_boundary label.
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 comparison claims were added because the passage itself does not make an explicit comparison to another text, tradition, or motif family beyond the internal contrast between the two merchants.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg__l7700-l7829
passage_sha256=784828e54eae37382bf420393fa34995216e131cea488a79e68ba077eae3229b