batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l874-l988
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l874-l988
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
passage_locator:
label: SUPPLEMENTARY TABLES. / THE BIRTH STORIES. / INDEX 339
/ INTRODUCTION.; lines 874-988
start: '874'
end: '988'
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: "“O hatchet! cut off that hermit’s head, and bring the gem to me!”"
summary: A man obtains magical objects from hermits by exchange and then uses a
magical hatchet to kill them and recover the gem. He gathers a gem, hatchet, drum,
and milk-bowl, challenges the king of Benāres, uses the drum to summon an army,
the milk-bowl to create a river, and the hatchet to kill the king. He has himself
anointed king as Dadhi-vāhana and rules righteously. The narrator comments that
this is an ancient example of tales about magical inanimate objects. The passage
then begins the Rājovāda Jātaka, in which the future Buddha is born as Prince
Brahma-datta, becomes a just king, and searches for someone who will tell him
his faults.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The man shows a hermit the magical power of his gem and exchanges it for the
hermit’s hatchet.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: After receiving the hatchet, the man commands it to cut off the hermit’s head
and bring back the gem.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The man later obtains a magical drum and a milk-bowl from two other hermits
and causes their heads to be cut off in the same manner.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The man possesses the Gem, Hatchet, Drum, and Milk-bowl and flies away into
the air.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Near Benāres, the man sends a letter demanding either battle or the king’s
kingdom.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The drum produces a fourfold army when beaten on one side.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The milk-bowl produces a mighty river in which the opposing multitude sinks
and cannot escape.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: The hatchet brings the king’s head and throws it at the man’s feet.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: The man enters the city with his army, is anointed king under the name Dadhi-vāhana,
and governs righteously.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: The narrator identifies the story as an example of tales in which inanimate
objects have magical powers.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:11
text: In the next cited Birth Story, the future Buddha is born as Prince Brahma-datta,
learns the arts, ascends the throne, and rules with justice.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:12
text: Because no one brings cases to the Hall of Justice, the future Buddha decides
to examine his own faults and seek someone who will tell him of any fault.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:13
text: The future Buddha leaves the city in disguise with only his charioteer to
search the country for a fault-finder.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: the man / Dadhi-vāhana
description: A man who acquires magical objects from hermits, defeats the king of
Benāres, is anointed king as Dadhi-vāhana, and rules righteously.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: first hermit
description: An ascetic who possesses a magical hatchet and exchanges it for the
gem before being killed by the hatchet.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: second hermit
description: A hermit who possesses a magical drum and is killed in the same way
as the first hermit.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: third hermit
description: A hermit who possesses a milk-bowl and is killed in the same way as
the earlier hermits.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: king of Benāres
description: The ruler challenged by the man, who marches out to catch him and is
killed by the magical hatchet.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: messenger man
description: A man by whose hand the challenge letter is sent to the king of Benāres.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: future Buddha / Prince Brahma-datta
description: In the Rājovāda Jātaka, the future Buddha is born as Prince Brahma-datta,
becomes king, rules justly, and searches for someone to tell him his faults.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: chief queen
description: The mother in whose womb the future Buddha returns to life.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: ministers of Brahma-datta
description: Ministers to whom the king makes over the kingdom before leaving in
disguise.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: charioteer
description: The only companion taken by the future Buddha when he leaves the city
in disguise.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
roles:
- id: role:1
label: magical-object seeker and wielder
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He obtains and uses the gem, hatchet, drum, and milk-bowl.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: role:2
label: conqueror and righteous king
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He defeats the king, is anointed king, and governs righteously.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:3
label: ascetic victim and object-holder
assigned_to:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
basis: Each hermit possesses a magical object and is killed after the exchange.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: challenged ruler
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The king receives the demand for battle or surrender of the kingdom and is
killed in battle.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:5
label: letter-bearer
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The challenge letter is sent by the hand of a man.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:6
label: future Buddha as just king
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: He ascends the throne and rules with righteousness and equity.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:7
label: self-examining ruler
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: He seeks someone to tell him his faults and leaves in disguise to continue
the search.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: role:8
label: royal mother
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The future Buddha returns to life in her womb.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:9
label: temporary administrators
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The king makes over the kingdom to his ministers before departing.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:10
label: solitary travel companion
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: The king takes only his charioteer when leaving the city in disguise.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: magic gem
literal_form: gem with magical power, exchanged for other objects and repeatedly
recovered
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: self-moving hatchet
literal_form: hatchet that obeys commands to cut off heads and bring them or the
gem back
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: summoning drum
literal_form: drum that produces a fourfold army when beaten on one side
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: milk-bowl
literal_form: milk-bowl that produces a mighty river when poured out
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- milk
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: sym:5
label: mighty river
literal_form: river arising from the poured-out milk-bowl and overwhelming the opposing
multitude
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:6
label: fourfold army
literal_form: army appearing around the man when the drum is beaten
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:7
label: Hall of Justice
literal_form: royal court where lawsuits cease because justice is administered fairly
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: sym:8
label: disguise
literal_form: the king leaves the city in disguise while searching for a fault-finder
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Exchange for the hatchet and killing of the first hermit
summary: The man trades the gem for the hermit’s hatchet, then commands the hatchet
to kill the hermit and bring back the gem.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Acquisition of the drum and milk-bowl
summary: The man learns the powers of the drum and milk-bowl, exchanges the gem
for each, and has the second and third hermits killed.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Challenge to Benāres
summary: Near Benāres, the man sends a message demanding that the king either fight
or surrender his kingdom.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Magical defeat of the king
summary: The drum summons an army, the milk-bowl creates a river that traps the
opposing multitude, and the hatchet kills the king.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Anointing of Dadhi-vāhana
summary: The man enters the city with his army, has himself anointed king as Dadhi-vāhana,
and governs righteously.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:6
label: Commentary on magical objects
summary: The narrator comments that the tale is an ancient example of stories about
inanimate objects endowed with magical powers and compares it to other wonder-object
tales.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:7
label: Just reign of Prince Brahma-datta
summary: The future Buddha is born as Prince Brahma-datta, becomes king, gives impartial
judgments, and presides over a kingdom where litigation ceases.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: scene:8
label: Search for a fault-finder
summary: The future Buddha seeks someone who will tell him his faults, then leaves
the city in disguise with only his charioteer to search the country.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
- fig:9
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: magical inanimate objects grant power to their possessor
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The narrator explicitly says the tale concerns inanimate objects endowed
with magical powers; the hatchet, drum, and milk-bowl perform supernatural actions.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The passage is an English introduction and translation; details of the
broader source tale are only partially included.
- id: motif:2
label: deceptive exchange followed by magical recovery
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_theft
basis: The man exchanges the gem for each object and uses the hatchet to kill the
owner and recover the gem.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy reference is approximate; the passage frames the action as
exchange and murder rather than explicitly as sacred theft.
- id: motif:3
label: commanded weapon executes distant killing
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The hatchet acts after being released and commanded, killing hermits and
the king and returning objects or heads.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: No available taxonomy family directly names this weapon motif.
- id: motif:4
label: magical army summoned by instrument
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Beating one side of the drum causes a fourfold army to stand around the man.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: No broader comparative claim is made beyond the passage’s own magical-object
comparison.
- id: motif:5
label: vessel produces overwhelming water barrier
taxonomy_refs:
- water
basis: Pouring out the milk-bowl creates a mighty river in which the enemy multitude
sinks and cannot escape.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy list includes water as a symbol, not a precise motif family
for this episode.
- id: motif:6
label: violent conquest followed by righteous rule
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
basis: After killing the king, the man is anointed king and is said to govern with
righteousness.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage states righteous rule but does not elaborate on legitimacy
beyond anointing and governance.
- id: motif:7
label: just king seeks criticism of his own faults
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The future Buddha rules justly, then deliberately seeks someone who will
identify faults in him so he can practice virtue.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: This motif belongs to the second tale introduced in the passage, not the
magical-object tale.
- id: motif:8
label: future Buddha’s royal birth and accession
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_birth
- royal_legitimacy
basis: The future Buddha returns to life in the chief queen’s womb, is born as Prince
Brahma-datta, and later ascends the throne.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage gives a conventional Jātaka birth notice with limited miraculous
detail.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The narrator explicitly compares the tale’s magical inanimate objects with
wonder-object tales involving Seven League Boots, a Wishing Cup, a Vanishing Hat,
and a Wonderful Lamp.
claim_level: same_motif
target: wonder-object folktales involving magical possessions such as Seven League
Boots, Wishing Cup, Vanishing Hat, and Wonderful Lamp
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: This is the passage narrator’s literary comparison; it does not by
itself establish historical contact or direct borrowing.
- id: claim:2
claim: The narrator compares the recurring Jātaka statement that a hero ruled righteously
with the formulaic happy ending of modern love stories.
claim_level: same_function
target: formulaic happy-ending closure, described as 'lived happily ever after'
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The comparison concerns narrative function and formula, not shared
origin or identical motif content.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: lines 874-881
quote_or_summary: 'The man exchanges the gem for the hermit’s hatchet and commands:
“O hatchet! cut off that hermit’s head, and bring the gem to me!”'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used for evidence.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 883-891
quote_or_summary: The man obtains the drum and milk-bowl from the second and third
hermits, has both killed as before, takes the Gem, Hatchet, Drum, and Milk-bowl,
and flies away into the air.
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 893-898
quote_or_summary: Near Benāres, the man sends a letter to the king demanding battle
or the surrender of the kingdom; the king marches out to catch him.
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 900-907
quote_or_summary: The drum summons a fourfold army, the milk-bowl produces a mighty
river that traps the king’s forces, and the hatchet brings the king’s head to
the man’s feet.
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 909-911
quote_or_summary: The man enters the city with his army, is anointed king under
the name Dadhi-vāhana, and governs the kingdom with righteousness.
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 915-924
quote_or_summary: The narrator calls the translated portion an ancient example of
tales in which inanimate objects have magical powers, comparing it to Seven League
Boots, a Wishing Cup, a Vanishing Hat, and a Wonderful Lamp.
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 926-936
quote_or_summary: The narrator comments that the Hatchet, Drum, and Milk-bowl are
suited to their later uses, that the tale has a Buddhist flavor, and that the
statement of righteous rule is common in Jātakas like the modern 'lived happily
ever after.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized with brief phrase.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 940-957
quote_or_summary: In the Rājovāda Jātaka, the future Buddha is born from the chief
queen as Prince Brahma-datta, studies at Takkasilā, ascends the throne, and rules
with impartial justice.
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 957-974
quote_or_summary: Because justice is administered fairly, lawsuits cease; the future
Buddha decides to examine his own faults and seeks someone who will tell him of
any fault, but hears only praise.
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: lines 976-988
quote_or_summary: After finding no fault-finder in palace, city, suburbs, or gates,
the king gives the kingdom to his ministers, mounts his chariot, takes only his
charioteer, and leaves the city in disguise to search the country.
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: medium
notes: The literal extraction is well supported by the supplied passage. Motif labels
and taxonomy links are cautious because the available taxonomy does not include
exact labels for several magical-object submotifs.
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: |-
The passage contains the end and commentary of one Jātaka-related magical-object tale and the beginning of the Rājovāda Jātaka; motifs are separated where possible.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg__l874-l988
passage_sha256=f1dc4da392198a0ec76e1280265741cb46950c1bde1a8f7caea77df0d46ec00b