batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l8787-l8924
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l8787-l8924
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
passage_locator:
label: END OF THE STORY ON HOLDING TO THE TRUTH. / END OF THE STORY OF THE SANDY
ROAD. / END OF THE STORY OF CHULLAKA THE TREASURER. / END OF THE STORY OF THE
MEASURE OF RICE.; lines 8787-8924
start: '8787'
end: '8924'
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: 'At Jetavana the Buddha reproves a monk who retains much private property
and many robes after ordination. When the monk reacts shamelessly, the Buddha
recalls a former birth in which he had lived conscientiously as a water-sprite.
The narrative then shifts to a former age: King Brahma-datta of Benares has sons
named Prince Mahiŋsāsa, the Moon Prince, and the Sun Prince. A later queen asks
that the kingdom be given to her son, the Sun Prince. Fearing danger to the elder
sons, the king sends them into the forest until his death; the Sun Prince joins
them. In the Himālaya, the Bodisat sends Sun Prince to a pond for water. The pond
is under a water-sprite empowered by Vessavana to seize those who enter and cannot
answer what true divinity is. Sun Prince enters, is seized, and replies that the
Sun and Moon are called gods.'
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A landed proprietor at Sāvatthi becomes a monk after his wife dies, but has
private buildings and stores prepared for his use before ordination.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: After ordination, the monk calls his slaves to cook what he wants and possesses
multiple garments and separate rooms.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Visiting brethren find the monk’s robes and other goods and question whether
all the items are his.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The brethren bring the monk before the Teacher because he has much property
and a large wardrobe.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The Teacher rebukes the monk for luxury and reminds him of teachings on contentment,
simplicity, seclusion, and self-control.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The monk angrily throws off his robe and stands before the assembly wearing
only a cloth round his loins.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The Teacher says the monk formerly had shame and lived conscientiously for
twelve years as a water-sprite.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: The monk recovers his propriety, robes himself again, bows, and stands aside.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: The Teacher begins to disclose a matter hidden by change of birth.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: In a former time, Brahma-datta is king in Benares, and the Bodisat is born
to the chief queen as Prince Mahiŋsāsa.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:11
text: A second son, the Moon Prince, is born to the Bodisat’s mother; after her
death, another chief queen bears the Sun Prince.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:12
text: The king promises the later queen a boon for her son, and she later asks for
the kingdom for the Sun Prince.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:13
text: The king refuses to give the kingdom to the Sun Prince alone because he already
has two elder sons.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:14
text: Fearing that the queen will plot against the elder sons, the king sends them
into the forest and tells them to return and reign after his death.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:15
text: The Sun Prince learns why his brothers are leaving and chooses to depart with
them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:16
text: The three princes enter the Himālaya mountain region, where the Bodisat sits
at the foot of a tree.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:17
text: The Bodisat sends the Sun Prince to a pond to bathe, drink, and bring water
back in lotus leaves.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:18
text: Vessavana has given the pond to a water-sprite, granting him as prey those
who enter the water except those who know true divinity.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: obs:19
text: The water-sprite asks entrants what the signs of divine beings are and eats
alive those who do not know.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: obs:20
text: The Sun Prince enters the pond without hesitation, is seized by the water-sprite,
and answers that the Sun and Moon are called gods.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: The Blessed One / Teacher / Buddha
description: The Teacher at Jetavana who rebukes the property-owning monk and reveals
a former birth story.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Monk of much property
description: A former landed proprietor from Sāvatthi who becomes a monk but retains
private stores, many garments, and luxurious arrangements.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Brethren from the country
description: Monks seeking lodging who see the goods in the monk’s cell and bring
him before the Teacher.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: King Brahma-datta
description: King in Benares, in Kāsi, father of the princes, and grantor of a boon
to the later queen.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Bodisat / Prince Mahiŋsāsa
description: The Bodisat born as the chief queen’s son and named Prince Mahiŋsāsa;
elder brother of the Moon Prince and half-brother of the Sun Prince.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:9
- ev:11
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Moon Prince
description: Another son born to the Bodisat’s mother; one of the elder sons sent
into the forest.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: First chief queen
description: Mother of the Bodisat and the Moon Prince; she dies after the Moon
Prince is able to get about by himself.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Later chief queen
description: The woman appointed chief queen after the first queen’s death; mother
of the Sun Prince and requester of the kingdom for him.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Sun Prince
description: Son of the later chief queen; he chooses to accompany his brothers
and is seized at the pond by the water-sprite.
role_refs:
- role:10
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:10
- ev:11
- ev:14
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Vessavana
description: The King of the Fairies who delivers the pond to the water-sprite and
defines the condition of his prey.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Water-sprite / demon
description: Guardian or possessor of the pond who questions those entering the
water and seizes those who do not know true divinity.
role_refs:
- role:13
- role:14
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
- ev:14
roles:
- id: role:1
label: Teacher and moral reprover
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He questions the monks, reproves luxury, recalls the monk’s former shame,
and explains the hidden former-birth matter.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:2
label: Luxurious renunciant
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: He retains stores, servants, many garments, and separate rooms after becoming
a monk.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: Former water-sprite
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The Teacher says he formerly had shame and lived twelve years as a water-sprite.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: Monastic accusers or witnesses
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: They discover the monk’s possessions and bring him before the Teacher.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:5
label: Royal father and reluctant boon-giver
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: He promises a boon to the later queen but refuses to disinherit his elder
sons and sends them away for safety.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: role:6
label: Royal brothers sent into exile
assigned_to:
- fig:5
- fig:6
basis: The king directs the elder sons to go into the forest and later return to
reign.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:7
label: Bodisat prince and leader among brothers
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: In the Himālaya he leaves the path, sits under a tree, and sends the Sun
Prince to fetch water.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: role:8
label: Deceased royal mother
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: She is the mother of the Bodisat and Moon Prince and dies before the later
chief queen is appointed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:9
label: Queen requesting succession for her son
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: She invokes the king’s earlier promise and asks that the kingdom be given
to the Sun Prince.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:10
label: Loyal younger half-brother
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: He decides to go away with his brothers when he learns why they are leaving.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:11
label: Questioned victim at dangerous pond
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: He enters the pond, is seized by the water-sprite, and is asked about divine
nature.
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- id: role:12
label: Supernatural grantor
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: He grants the pond’s prey to the water-sprite under a stated condition.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: role:13
label: Water guardian and predator
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: He has power over those who go down into the water and eats those who cannot
answer his question.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
- id: role:14
label: Interrogator on true divinity
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: He asks entrants about the characteristic signs of divine beings and questions
the Sun Prince.
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- ev:14
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Robes and monastic goods
literal_form: Robes, under-garments, coverlets, private stores, and detached rooms
possessed by the monk.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: Pond water
literal_form: A pond in the Himālaya where the princes are to bathe and drink, and
where the water-sprite has power over entrants.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- ev:13
- ev:14
- id: sym:3
label: Himālaya mountain region
literal_form: The mountain region entered by the three princes after leaving the
palace.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: sym:4
label: Tree at resting place
literal_form: A tree at whose foot the Bodisat sits after leaving the path.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: sym:5
label: Lotus leaves for carrying water
literal_form: Leaves of lotus plants used as containers for water from the pond.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: sym:6
label: Sun and Moon as named gods
literal_form: The Sun and Moon named by the Sun Prince as gods or divine beings.
associated_figures:
- fig:9
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- id: sym:7
label: Kingdom as requested boon
literal_form: The kingdom requested by the later queen for her son under the king’s
earlier promise.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:8
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Monk with excessive possessions at Jetavana
summary: A wealthy former proprietor becomes a monk but maintains private facilities,
stores, servants, multiple garments, and separate rooms.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Brethren bring the monk before the Teacher
summary: Visiting monks discover the property, challenge the monk, and bring him
to the Teacher, who questions and rebukes him.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Loss and recovery of shame
summary: The monk angrily discards his robe; the Teacher reminds him of his former
conscientious life as a water-sprite, and he robes himself again.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:4
label: Royal succession conflict in Benares
summary: Brahma-datta’s later queen asks that the kingdom be granted to her son,
the Sun Prince; the king refuses to exclude his elder sons.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:5
label: Princes sent into forest exile
summary: The king fears harm to the elder princes and sends them away until his
death; the Sun Prince voluntarily joins them.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: scene:6
label: Arrival in the Himālaya and errand to the pond
summary: The princes reach the mountain region; the Bodisat sits under a tree and
sends the Sun Prince to fetch water in lotus leaves.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: scene:7
label: Water-sprite’s conditional prey and seizure of Sun Prince
summary: A pond has been given to a water-sprite, who may take entrants who do not
know true divinity. Sun Prince enters, is seized, and gives an answer naming the
Sun and Moon.
figure_refs:
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
- ev:14
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Renunciant attached to possessions is corrected by a teacher
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The monk retains property and robes after ordination, is rebuked by the Teacher,
and recovers propriety after being reminded of former shame.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: This is a passage-level ethical pattern rather than a supplied taxonomy
motif family.
- id: motif:2
label: Former birth reveals present moral condition
taxonomy_refs:
- death_rebirth
basis: The Teacher says the monk formerly lived as a water-sprite and then makes
manifest a matter hidden by change of birth.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage introduces the rebirth explanation but does not yet complete
the identification within the former-birth story.
- id: motif:3
label: Royal heirs depart into forest because of succession danger
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
- royal_legitimacy
basis: The king refuses to give the kingdom only to the later queen’s son and sends
the elder sons into the forest to return and reign after his death.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: The story segment stops before the princes return or any succession is
resolved.
- id: motif:4
label: Dangerous water guarded by a supernatural questioner
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The pond is controlled by a water-sprite who seizes entrants and asks whether
they know true divinity, eating those who do not know.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
- ev:14
confidence: high
cautions: The correct answer and outcome are not provided in this excerpt.
- id: motif:5
label: Test of true divinity or divine nature
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The water-sprite’s power turns on whether entrants know what true divinity
is; the Sun Prince answers by naming the Sun and Moon as gods.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
- ev:14
confidence: high
cautions: The passage ends before confirming whether the answer is accepted or rejected.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 8787-8924; opening Jetavana frame
quote_or_summary: A Sāvatthi landed proprietor becomes a monk after his wife’s death
and has a hermitage, kitchen, and storehouse stocked for his own use.
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: 8787-8924; monk’s possessions discovered
quote_or_summary: The ordained monk has food cooked by slaves, owns multiple garments
and coverlets, and country brethren see these goods in his cell.
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: 8787-8924; brought before the Teacher
quote_or_summary: The brethren bring the monk before the Teacher, saying he has
much property and a large wardrobe; the Teacher asks why he has become luxurious.
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: 8787-8924; monk’s angry reaction
quote_or_summary: On hearing the rebuke, the monk angrily throws off his robe and
stands in the assembly with only a cloth round his loins.
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: 8787-8924; Teacher recalls former life
quote_or_summary: The Teacher tells the monk that formerly he had a sense of shame
and lived conscientiously for twelve years as a water-sprite.
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: 8787-8924; recovery and transition to past story
quote_or_summary: The monk robes himself again and bows; the monks ask for an explanation,
and the Teacher reveals what had been hidden by change of birth.
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: 8787-8924; birth of princes
quote_or_summary: In Benares under King Brahma-datta, the Bodisat is born as Prince
Mahiŋsāsa; the Moon Prince is born later; after their mother dies, a new chief
queen bears the Sun Prince.
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: 8787-8924; queen’s boon request
quote_or_summary: The king promises the later queen a boon for her son; when the
boy is grown, she asks that the kingdom be given to him, and the king refuses
to exclude his two elder sons.
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: 8787-8924; forest departure ordered
quote_or_summary: Fearing the queen may plot against the elder princes, the king
tells them to go into the forest and return after his death to reign in their
rightful 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:10
type: summary
locator: 8787-8924; Sun Prince joins brothers
quote_or_summary: The Sun Prince sees his brothers leaving, learns the matter, and
decides to go away with them.
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:11
type: summary
locator: 8787-8924; Himālaya pond errand
quote_or_summary: The princes enter the Himālaya; the Bodisat sits at the foot of
a tree and sends the Sun Prince to a pond to bathe, drink, and bring back water
in lotus leaves.
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:12
type: summary
locator: 8787-8924; Vessavana’s grant
quote_or_summary: Vessavana gives the pond to a water-sprite, granting him as prey
those who go down into the water except those who know what true divinity is.
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:13
type: summary
locator: 8787-8924; water-sprite’s question
quote_or_summary: The water-sprite asks those entering the water about the characteristic
signs of divine beings and eats alive those who do not know.
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:14
type: summary
locator: 8787-8924; Sun Prince seized
quote_or_summary: The Sun Prince steps into the pond without hesitation; the demon
seizes him and asks if he knows what is divine, and he replies that the Sun and
Moon are called gods.
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: high
notes: The extraction is limited to the supplied excerpt, which ends during the
water-sprite’s questioning; motif candidates involving the test and rebirth frame
remain provisional until the continuation is reviewed.
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 explicitly support comparison beyond internal Jātaka rebirth framing and the listed motif candidates.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg__l8787-l8924
passage_sha256=a7d6a16351b8e2d94efdcebf17521e230a1b2c8cf174195353f596a8edda138d