batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l7831-l7873
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l7831-l7873
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 7831-7873
start: '7831'
end: '7873'
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 wise merchant finds the ruined remains of a previous caravan, arranges
his wagons defensively, keeps armed watch through the night, reorganizes the carts
at dawn, trades successfully, and returns home. The Teacher then draws a lesson
contrasting truth with false reasoning, teaches the Four Truths, reports the conversion
of five hundred disciples, and identifies the characters of the past-life story
with Devadatta, Devadatta’s followers, the Buddha’s attendants, and the Buddha
himself.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The traveler finds five hundred loaded carts and scattered bones of men and
oxen.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The wagons are unyoked and arranged in a circle to form a strong encampment.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The men and oxen are fed, and the oxen are made to lie down among the men.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: The leader and overseers stand guard with a drawn sword through the three
watches of the night.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:5
text: At dawn, weak carts are left behind, strong carts are taken, lower-value goods
are discarded, and higher-value goods are loaded.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: The company reaches the intended market, sells the merchandise for two or
three times its cost, and returns to its own city.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:7
text: The Teacher says that those relying on their own reason came to destruction,
while those holding to truth escaped demons, reached their goal, and returned
home.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:8
text: A verse contrasts unquestionable truth with the speech of mere logicians and
says that the wise person takes truth as true.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: The Teacher says life according to Truth brings happy states and Arahatship,
while life according to the Untrue leads to hells and low rebirths.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: After the discourse on the Truths, five hundred disciples are established
in the Fruit of Conversion.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: The Teacher identifies the foolish young merchant with Devadatta, his men
with Devadatta’s followers, the wise young merchant’s men with the Buddha’s attendants,
and the wise young merchant with himself.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: wise young merchant
description: A merchant who organizes the caravan defensively, keeps watch, trades
successfully, returns home, and is identified by the Teacher with himself in a
former life.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: company of the wise young merchant
description: The men, overseers, and attendants traveling with the wise young merchant.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: oxen
description: The caravan animals that are fed and made to lie down among the men.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: demons
description: Beings from whose hands those who held to truth escaped, according
to the Teacher’s explanation.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: the Teacher / Blessed One / Buddha
description: The speaker who tells the lesson, utters the verse, teaches the Truths,
and identifies the Jātaka characters.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: five hundred disciples
description: The disciples who hear the discourse and are established in the Fruit
of Conversion.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: foolish young merchant
description: A past-life figure identified with Devadatta and associated with destruction
through reliance on his own reason.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Devadatta and Devadatta’s followers
description: Present-story figures identified with the foolish young merchant and
his men.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: prudent caravan leader
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He forms a defensive encampment, keeps armed watch, manages the carts and
goods, reaches the mart, and returns successfully.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: caravan company
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: They travel with the wise young merchant and are later identified with the
attendants of the Buddha.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: role:3
label: teacher and interpreter of the narrative
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: He explains the story as a lesson on truth, teaches the Truths, and sums
up the Jātaka identifications.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:4
label: disciples receiving conversion
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: At the end of the discourse, the five hundred disciples are established in
the Fruit of Conversion.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:5
label: demonic threat
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The Teacher states that those who held to truth escaped the hands of the
demons.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:6
label: foolish counterpart and followers
assigned_to:
- fig:7
- fig:8
basis: The foolish young merchant and his men are identified with Devadatta and
Devadatta’s followers.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: scattered bones
literal_form: bones of men and oxen scattered about
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: circular encampment
literal_form: wagons arranged in a circle to form a strong encampment
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: drawn sword
literal_form: drawn sword held while standing guard through the night
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:4
label: Truth and the Untrue
literal_form: the Teacher’s contrast between life according to Truth and life according
to the Untrue
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: five hundred
literal_form: five hundred carts and five hundred disciples
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Discovery of ruined caravan and defensive encampment
summary: The wise young merchant finds loaded carts and scattered bones, then arranges
his wagons in a circle, feeds the men and oxen, and prepares a fortified camp.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Night watch and dawn reorganization
summary: The leader and overseers keep armed watch through the night; at dawn the
caravan leaves weak carts and low-value goods behind and proceeds with stronger
carts and more valuable goods.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Successful trade and return
summary: The caravan reaches the intended market, sells goods for a profit, and
returns to its own city.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:4
label: Lesson on truth and conversion
summary: The Teacher interprets the story as a lesson on holding to truth, utters
a verse, teaches the Truths, and the five hundred disciples attain the Fruit of
Conversion.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Jātaka identification
summary: The Teacher connects the past-life figures with Devadatta, Devadatta’s
followers, the Buddha’s attendants, and himself.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: truth-guided escape from demonic danger
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
- return
basis: The Teacher states that those who held to truth escaped the hands of demons,
reached their destination, and returned home.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The demonic threat is mentioned in the Teacher’s summary rather than directly
narrated in this passage segment.
- id: motif:2
label: wise leader preserves caravan through vigilance
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The wise merchant forms a defensive encampment, keeps armed watch, reorganizes
resources, and leads the company to successful trade and return.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: This motif is extracted from practical actions in the episode, not from
an explicit taxonomy label in the text.
- id: motif:3
label: false reasoning leads to destruction while truth leads to liberation
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The Teacher contrasts reliance on one’s own reason and the Untrue with holding
to Truth, happy rebirths, Arahatship, and conversion.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The passage frames this as a Buddhist doctrinal lesson; broader comparative
use should preserve that context.
- id: motif:4
label: past-life identification of present figures
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Teacher explicitly identifies the foolish merchant with Devadatta, his
men with Devadatta’s followers, the wise merchant’s men with the Buddha’s attendants,
and the wise merchant with himself.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy family directly corresponds to Jātaka past-life identification.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 7831-7840
quote_or_summary: The merchant finds five hundred loaded carts and scattered bones,
arranges wagons in a circle as a strong encampment, feeds men and oxen, and keeps
armed watch through the three watches of the night.
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: 7841-7847
quote_or_summary: At dawn he sees to necessary tasks, leaves weak carts, chooses
strong ones, replaces lower-value goods with higher-value goods, reaches the mart,
sells profitably, and returns with his company to his city.
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: 7851-7857
quote_or_summary: The Teacher says those relying on their own reason were destroyed,
while those holding to truth escaped demons, went where they wished, and returned
home.
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: 7859-7863
quote_or_summary: A verse says some speak what cannot be questioned, mere logicians
do not, and the wise person recognizes and takes as true what is truth.
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: 7865-7870
quote_or_summary: The Blessed One teaches that life according to Truth leads to
happy states and Arahatship, while life according to the Untrue leads to hells
and low rebirths; after the discourse all five hundred disciples attain the Fruit
of Conversion.
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: 7871-7873
quote_or_summary: The Teacher concludes by identifying the foolish young merchant
with Devadatta, his men with Devadatta’s followers, the wise merchant’s men with
the Buddha’s attendants, and the wise young merchant with himself.
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: The passage gives clear actions, doctrinal interpretation, and Jātaka identifications.
Motif labels are candidate abstractions from the passage. No external comparison
claims were made because the passage itself does not support a specific cross-textual
comparison.
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; taxonomy references limited to supplied motif family list where directly supportable.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg__l7831-l7873
passage_sha256=b7b692c1cbc56a1c7d43751fc750dd3f80603d7796a5edcf115ee5da25a4c55d