batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l9393-l9504
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l9393-l9504
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
passage_locator:
label: END OF THE STORY OF CHULLAKA THE TREASURER. / END OF THE STORY OF THE MEASURE
OF RICE. / END OF THE STORY ABOUT TRUE DIVINITY. / END OF THE STORY ON A HAPPY
LIFE.; lines 9393-9504
start: '9393'
end: '9504'
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 wealthy merchant's daughter in Rājagaha desires ordination but is refused
by her parents. After marriage, she rejects festive bodily adornment by describing
the body as impermanent and destined for decay. Her husband permits her to become
a nun. Later, while unknowingly pregnant from before ordination, she is accused
by Devadatta's nuns. Devadatta orders her expulsion without inquiry. She appeals
to the Buddha at Jetavana. The Buddha convenes a public hearing with royal and
lay witnesses, and Upāli instructs Visākhā to determine whether conception occurred
before or after ordination.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The merchant's daughter is described as virtuous, disinterested in household
life, and desirous of taking vows according to the Buddha's teaching.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Her parents refuse her request for ordination because she is their only daughter
and belongs to a wealthy family.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: After she marries, she conceives without knowing it.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: During a city feast, she does not adorn herself and wears everyday clothes.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: She explains to her husband that the body is impure, impermanent, destined
for death, and like a sepulchre if adorned.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: Her husband gives permission for her ordination and takes her to the nunnery
with a retinue.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: The nuns notice signs of pregnancy after she has become far gone with child.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: Devadatta orders her expulsion without inquiry because he fears disgrace.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: The young nun says she entered religious life under the Buddha, not under
Devadatta, and asks to be taken to the Master at Jetavana.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: The Buddha decides the case should be heard publicly in the presence of the
king, ministers, and distinguished disciples.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:11
text: Upāli directs Visākhā to determine the date of ordination and whether conception
happened before or after that date.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Merchant's daughter / young nun / mother of Kumāra Kassapa
description: A wealthy merchant's daughter of Rājagaha who seeks ordination, marries,
conceives unknowingly, becomes a nun, and is later investigated regarding her
pregnancy.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Parents of the merchant's daughter
description: Parents who refuse their only daughter's request to take vows.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Husband of the merchant's daughter
description: The young nobleman who asks why she does not adorn herself and then
grants permission for her ordination.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Nuns on Devadatta's side
description: Nuns who receive the woman into the Order, notice her pregnancy, question
her, and bring the case to Devadatta.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Devadatta
description: An elder associated with a group of nuns who orders the pregnant nun
expelled without inquiry.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: The Buddha / the Master / the Teacher
description: The authority at Jetavana to whom the young nun appeals and who arranges
a public hearing of the case.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Pasenadi, king of Kosala
description: The king summoned to be present when the case is heard.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Upāli the Elder
description: The elder instructed by the Buddha to examine the affair in the presence
of the church.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Lady Visākhā
description: An influential disciple asked by Upāli to investigate the timing of
ordination and conception.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Anātha Piṇḍika the Elder and Anātha Piṇḍika the Younger
description: Distinguished persons summoned to the public hearing.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
roles:
- id: role:1
label: renunciation-seeker
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: She repeatedly desires to leave household life and take the vows.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: accused pregnant nun
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: After ordination, pregnancy is noticed and her status becomes the subject
of inquiry.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:11
- id: role:3
label: family obstructors of ordination
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: They refuse their daughter's request to be ordained.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: permission-giving spouse
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: He grants leave for ordination and takes her to the nunnery.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:5
label: reporting religious community
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: They observe the pregnancy and ask Devadatta what to do.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:6
label: hasty judge
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: He orders expulsion without inquiry because of fear of disgrace.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:7
label: appellant to higher authority
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: She asks to be taken to the Buddha after Devadatta's decision.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:8
label: supreme adjudicating teacher
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The Buddha decides that the case should be heard publicly and appoints Upāli
to examine it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: role:9
label: public witness
assigned_to:
- fig:7
- fig:10
basis: They are summoned to attend the hearing of the case.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:10
label: appointed examiner
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Upāli is instructed to examine the affair before the assembly.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: role:11
label: fact-finding investigator
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Visākhā is directed to determine the dates needed to judge the case.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: vows / ordination
literal_form: Taking vows and entering the Order of Nuns
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- id: sym:2
label: unadorned body at festival
literal_form: Everyday clothes and refusal of adornment during a city feast
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:3
label: body as decaying receptacle
literal_form: Speech describing the body as filled with constituent parts, disease,
decay, death, worms, and a charnel-house destiny
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: pregnancy in the Order
literal_form: Child in the womb after the woman has become a nun
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: sym:5
label: public hearing
literal_form: Assembly with king, ministers, disciples, and church present for examination
of the case
associated_figures:
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: sym:6
label: journey to Jetavana
literal_form: Travel over forty-five leagues from Rājagaha to Jetavana
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Desire for ordination blocked by parents
summary: The merchant's daughter asks to take vows, but her parents refuse because
she is their only daughter in a wealthy family.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Festival refusal and teaching on the body
summary: During a city feast, the woman remains unadorned and explains to her husband
that ornamenting the impermanent body is pointless.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:3
label: Ordination with husband's permission
summary: Her husband grants permission, gives a donation, and has her admitted into
the Order of Nuns among those connected with Devadatta.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:4
label: Pregnancy accusation and Devadatta's expulsion order
summary: The nuns notice her pregnancy and ask Devadatta what to do; he orders expulsion
without investigating.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:5
label: Appeal to the Buddha at Jetavana
summary: The young nun appeals from Devadatta to the Buddha and is taken from Rājagaha
to Jetavana.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: scene:6
label: Public inquiry arranged
summary: The Buddha summons royal and lay witnesses, appoints Upāli to examine the
matter, and Upāli assigns Visākhā to determine whether conception preceded ordination.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Renunciation from household life
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
basis: The central figure repeatedly seeks to leave household life, first against
parental refusal and later through her husband's permission.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage concerns Buddhist ordination rather than a mythic journey
in the broader sense; taxonomy alignment with departure is general.
- id: motif:2
label: Insight into bodily impurity and impermanence
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The woman rejects bodily adornment and gives an extended reflection on the
body's decay, disease, death, and charnel-ground destiny.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: This is doctrinal reflection within a narrative frame, not an explicit
comparative symbol system.
- id: motif:3
label: False or premature condemnation corrected by proper inquiry
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Devadatta expels the nun without inquiry, while the Buddha arranges a public
fact-finding process to determine the timing of conception.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:10
- ev:11
confidence: high
cautions: The passage excerpt ends before the final result of the inquiry is narrated.
- id: motif:4
label: Appeal from lesser authority to supreme teacher
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The young nun rejects Devadatta's authority as final and asks to be taken
to the Buddha, under whom she says she entered religious life.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: The motif is based on a single appeal scene within a larger story.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 9393-9405
quote_or_summary: The Master tells of the mother of Kumāra Kassapa; she is a wealthy
merchant's daughter of Rājagaha, virtuous, disinterested in lay life, and desirous
of vows leading to Nirvāna.
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 9406-9415
quote_or_summary: She asks her parents to let her be ordained; they refuse, saying
the family is wealthy and she is their only daughter.
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 9416-9421
quote_or_summary: She later marries into another family, lives as a virtuous woman,
and conceives without knowing it.
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 9422-9428
quote_or_summary: During a city feast, she does not anoint or dress herself for
the celebration; her husband asks why she does not adorn herself.
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 9429-9448
quote_or_summary: She describes the body as made of constituent parts, born in corruption,
subject to impermanence, disease, death, and the charnel-house, and compares adornment
to painting a sepulchre.
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 9449-9458
quote_or_summary: Her husband says that if she thinks the body sinful she should
become a nun; he grants leave, makes a costly donation, and has her admitted among
the nuns connected with Devadatta.
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 9459-9469
quote_or_summary: As she becomes far gone with child, the nuns notice bodily changes
and ask her about pregnancy; she says she does not know how it is but has kept
the vows.
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: lines 9470-9480
quote_or_summary: The nuns bring the case to Devadatta; fearing disgrace and making
no inquiry, he orders that the woman be expelled from the Order.
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 9481-9490
quote_or_summary: The young nun says Devadatta is not the Buddha and asks the nuns
to take her to the Master at Jetavana; they travel the forty-five leagues from
Rājagaha and present the matter to 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:10
type: summary
locator: lines 9491-9499
quote_or_summary: The Buddha reasons that public talk must be prevented and summons
King Pasenadi, Anātha Piṇḍika the Elder and Younger, Visākhā, and other distinguished
persons for the hearing.
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: lines 9500-9504
quote_or_summary: In the assembled church, the Buddha instructs Upāli to examine
the affair; Upāli asks Visākhā to determine the ordination date and whether conception
occurred before or after it.
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 narrative sequence and figures are explicit. Motif labels are conservative
and based on the provided passage only. No comparison claims are made because
the passage itself does not support cross-text 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: |-
No available symbol taxonomy terms were directly supported by this passage.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg__l9393-l9504
passage_sha256=e4a019a66c2dba430a62af9ebf75b1890f08ca8be27102e1bbeb99cd3e4cd935