batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l9506-l9618
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l9506-l9618
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 9506-9618
start: '9506'
end: '9618'
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 nun accused because of pregnancy is privately examined and declared innocent
because conception occurred before her renunciation. She gives birth to Kassapa,
who is raised as a prince, ordained under the Buddha, becomes foremost in eloquence,
and attains Arahatship; his mother reaches Nirvana. Monks praise the Buddha as
the compassionate means of salvation for Kassapa and his mother, in contrast to
Devadatta, and the Buddha introduces a former-birth account. In that past, the
Bodisat is born as a splendid golden deer, King of the Banyan Deer, living with
a herd of five hundred; nearby lives another golden deer, the Monkey Deer, with
a like herd. The king of Benares constantly hunts, so the townspeople trap deer
in a stocked park for him. The king spares the two golden deer but continues killing
other deer, and the herd reports this suffering to the Bodisat.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A Lady arranged a curtain, privately examined the young nun, calculated the
time, and found that conception occurred while the nun still lived in the world;
the Elder then publicly declared the nun innocent.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The nun bowed to the assembly and the Master and returned to the nunnery with
the other nuns after her innocence was established.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: When the nun’s time came, she bore a son described as strong in spirit and
connected to a wish made at the feet of Padumuttara the Buddha.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: A king heard the child crying near the nunnery, took charge of the child because
child care was said to hinder nuns’ religious life, and had him raised in the
harem as a prince named Kassapa.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Kassapa entered the noviciate at seven under the Buddha, later received full
orders, became foremost among eloquent preachers, and attained Arahatship; his
mother obtained spiritual insight and reached Nirvana.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The brethren said that Prince Kassapa and his mother were nearly ruined by
Devadatta, while the Supreme Buddha became the means of salvation to them both
through kindness, forbearance, and compassion.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The Buddha stated that he had formerly also been a source of salvation and
refuge to the two, and the narrative says he revealed what had been hidden by
change of birth.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: In the former-birth story, the Bodisat came to life as a deer with a golden
body, jewel-like eyes, silver-white horns, a red mouth, bright hard hoofs, a fine
tail, and the size of a foal.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: The Bodisat lived in the forest as the King of the Banyan Deer with five hundred
deer, and another golden deer called the Monkey Deer lived nearby with a like
herd.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: The king of Benares was devoted to hunting, ate meat regularly, and summoned
townspeople to hunt, interrupting their work.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:11
text: The townspeople prepared a park with grass and water, entered the forest armed
with clubs and weapons, surrounded the deer, drove them into the park, and shut
the gate.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: obs:12
text: The king granted life to the two golden-coloured deer but thereafter he or
his cook shot other deer; the deer feared the bow, fled, became wounded or weary,
and were killed.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:13
text: The herd reported the killings to the Bodisat, who sent for the Monkey Deer.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: The Lady
description: A woman who privately examines the young nun behind a curtain and reports
the result to the Elder.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Young nun / Kassapa’s mother
description: A nun whose pregnancy is investigated, who is declared innocent, gives
birth to Kassapa, and later reaches Nirvana.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: The Elder
description: A religious elder who declares the nun innocent in the assembly.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: King who adopts Kassapa
description: A king passing the nunnery who hears the child, takes responsibility
for his care, and has him raised as a prince.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Kassapa the Prince
description: The nun’s son, raised in royal state, ordained under the Buddha, later
foremost in eloquence and an Arahat.
role_refs:
- role:5
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: The Buddha / Master / Successor of the Buddhas
description: The Master praised by the brethren as compassionate and as the means
of salvation for Kassapa and his mother; he introduces the former-birth story.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: The brethren / monks
description: Monks who discuss the Buddha’s excellences and ask him to explain the
former connection.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Devadatta
description: A figure whom the brethren say nearly ruined Kassapa and his mother
through lack of Buddhahood, forbearance, and kindness.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Bodisat as the King of the Banyan Deer
description: The Bodisat in a former birth, a golden deer leading a herd of five
hundred deer.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:10
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:10
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Monkey Deer
description: Another golden deer living near the Banyan Deer with a similar herd.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:10
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Brahma-datta / king of Benares
description: The king in the former-birth story, devoted to hunting and later granted
life to the two golden deer while continuing to take deer for meat.
role_refs:
- role:12
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:10
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Townspeople / citizens of Benares
description: People burdened by royal hunting who stocked a park, drove deer into
it, and delivered them to the king.
role_refs:
- role:14
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:13
name_or_label: The king’s cook
description: A servant who sometimes went to the park and shot a deer for the king.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:14
name_or_label: Herds of deer
description: The deer belonging to the two golden deer leaders; they are trapped
in the park and suffer shooting and killing.
role_refs:
- role:15
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:9
- ev:10
roles:
- id: role:1
label: examiner
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: She conducts the private examination and determines the timing of conception.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: vindicated religious woman
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The investigation finds conception occurred before her renunciation, and
the Elder declares her innocent.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: public declarer of innocence
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The Elder declares the nun innocent in the assembly.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:4
label: royal fosterer
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The king undertakes the child’s care and has him raised as a prince.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: child raised as prince and religious adept
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Kassapa is raised in royal state, ordained, becomes foremost in eloquence,
and attains Arahatship.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:6
label: recipient or agent of salvation
assigned_to:
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:9
basis: The brethren call the Buddha the means of salvation for Kassapa and his mother,
and the Buddha says he formerly served as salvation and refuge to them; the former
role is associated with the Bodisat birth.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:7
label: revealer of former birth
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The Buddha explains the former story and reveals what was hidden by change
of birth.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:8
label: interpreting audience
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The brethren discuss the events and ask the Buddha for an explanation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:9
label: threatening antagonist in monks’ report
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The brethren say Devadatta nearly ruined Kassapa and his mother.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:10
label: golden deer leader
assigned_to:
- fig:9
- fig:10
basis: Both are golden deer leaders with attendant herds.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:11
label: Bodisat in animal birth
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The former-birth story states the Bodisat came to life as a deer.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:12
label: hunter or killer of deer
assigned_to:
- fig:11
- fig:13
basis: The king hunts and sometimes shoots deer himself; the cook sometimes shoots
one.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:10
- id: role:13
label: selective granter of life
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: The king grants life to the two golden-coloured deer after seeing them in
the park.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:14
label: trappers responding to royal demands
assigned_to:
- fig:12
basis: The townspeople trap deer in a stocked park to stop the king’s daily disruption
of their work.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: role:15
label: captive prey
assigned_to:
- fig:14
basis: The herds are driven into the park, shut in, frightened by the bow, wounded,
and killed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: curtain of private examination
literal_form: curtain hung for the Lady’s private examination of the nun
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: child cry at the nunnery
literal_form: cry of the nun’s child heard by the king near the nunnery
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: full moon image
literal_form: comparison of Kassapa’s distinction to the full moon in the vault
of heaven
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: golden deer body
literal_form: golden-coloured deer with jewel-like eyes, silver-white horns, red
mouth, bright hoofs, fine tail, and foal-like size
associated_figures:
- fig:9
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:10
- id: sym:5
label: herd of five hundred deer
literal_form: attendant herd of five hundred deer accompanying the King of the Banyan
Deer, with a like herd for the Monkey Deer
associated_figures:
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:14
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:6
label: enclosed deer park
literal_form: park stocked with grass and water, entered by the deer and closed
by a gate
associated_figures:
- fig:11
- fig:12
- fig:14
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: sym:7
label: hunting bow and weapons
literal_form: clubs, swords, javelins, bows, and the bow whose sight makes the deer
fear death
associated_figures:
- fig:11
- fig:12
- fig:13
- fig:14
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Private examination and public vindication
summary: The Lady examines the nun behind a curtain, verifies that conception occurred
before renunciation, and the Elder declares the nun innocent before the assembly.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Birth, adoption, and naming of Kassapa
summary: The nun gives birth to a son; a king hears the child’s cry, takes charge
of the child’s care, and the child is named Kassapa and raised as a prince.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Kassapa and his mother attain religious distinction
summary: Kassapa is ordained under the Buddha, becomes foremost in eloquence, and
attains Arahatship, while his mother gains insight and reaches Nirvana.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Monastic praise and former-birth frame
summary: The monks praise the Buddha as the means of salvation for Kassapa and his
mother, and the Buddha says he was formerly also their salvation and refuge before
revealing the past story.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Birth and status of the golden deer leaders
summary: In the former-birth narrative, the Bodisat is born as a splendid golden
deer, leads five hundred deer as King of the Banyan Deer, and lives near another
golden deer leader, the Monkey Deer.
figure_refs:
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:14
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:6
label: Townspeople trap the deer for the king
summary: Because the hunting king disrupts their work, the townspeople stock a park,
surround the deer in the forest, drive them into the park with noise and weapons,
and close the gate.
figure_refs:
- fig:11
- fig:12
- fig:14
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: scene:7
label: Selective mercy and ongoing slaughter
summary: The king spares the two golden deer but continues taking deer from the
park; other deer are frightened, wounded, and killed, and the herd reports this
to the Bodisat.
figure_refs:
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
- fig:13
- fig:14
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: vindication of an accused religious woman
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The nun’s pregnancy is investigated, the timing shows she conceived before
renunciation, and she is declared innocent before the assembly.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: high
cautions: The accusation itself is implicit in the vindication context within this
excerpt; details of the charge may have appeared earlier.
- id: motif:2
label: compassionate religious savior as refuge for endangered persons
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The monks state that Kassapa and his mother were nearly ruined by Devadatta
but that the Buddha, through compassion, kindness, and forbearance, became the
means of salvation for them both.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The specific acts by which Devadatta endangered them are not narrated
in this line range.
- id: motif:3
label: child raised in royal care becomes eminent religious disciple
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The child born to the nun is taken into royal care, raised as a prince, ordained
under the Buddha, and later becomes foremost in eloquence and attains Arahatship.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents the child’s birth as tied to a prior wish, but it
does not describe a miraculous conception.
- id: motif:4
label: former birth reveals repeated salvific relationship
taxonomy_refs:
- death_rebirth
basis: The Buddha says he was not only now but also formerly a source of salvation
and refuge to the same two, and the story is described as hidden by change of
birth.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The present excerpt introduces the former-birth story but has not yet
completed the narrated rescue in the past life.
- id: motif:5
label: golden animal ruler with attendant herd
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Bodisat is born as a golden deer with extraordinary features and lives
as King of the Banyan Deer with five hundred deer; another golden deer, the Monkey
Deer, has a like herd.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: No available taxonomy symbol directly matches the golden deer image.
- id: motif:6
label: captive herd enclosed for royal hunting
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The townspeople stock a park, drive deer into it, close the gate, and deliver
them to the hunting king, after which deer are shot and killed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: The moral or narrative resolution of the captive-herd episode lies beyond
the provided passage.
- id: motif:7
label: selective royal mercy toward extraordinary animals
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The king grants life to the two golden-coloured deer when he sees them, while
other deer continue to be hunted and killed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not yet explain why the king grants them life beyond
their golden appearance.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage itself presents the Buddha’s present role as savior of Kassapa
and his mother as functionally repeated in a former birth, where the Bodisat is
introduced as their former source of salvation and refuge.
claim_level: same_function
target: present-life salvation of Kassapa and his mother compared with the former-birth
narrative of the Bodisat as deer
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The former-birth rescue is asserted by the frame but not fully narrated
within the provided excerpt.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 9506-9514
quote_or_summary: The Lady privately examines the young nun behind a curtain, determines
that conception occurred while she still lived in the world, and the Elder declares
her innocent; the nun bows and returns to the nunnery.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 9515-9531
quote_or_summary: The nun bears a son linked to a prior wish at Padumuttara Buddha’s
feet; a king hears the child cry, has him cared for by harem women, and he is
named Kassapa and raised as a prince.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 9532-9540
quote_or_summary: Kassapa enters the noviciate at seven, later receives full orders,
is declared chief among eloquent disciples, attains Arahatship, and his mother
reaches Nirvana; he is compared to the full moon in heaven.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 9541-9553
quote_or_summary: The brethren say Kassapa and his mother were nearly ruined by
Devadatta, but the Supreme Buddha, perfect in kindness, forbearance, and compassion,
became the means of salvation to both.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 9554-9564
quote_or_summary: The Buddha says he was formerly also a source of salvation and
refuge to these two, and he 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 evidence.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 9565-9575
quote_or_summary: In the past when Brahma-datta ruled Benares, the Bodisat is born
as a deer of golden colour with jewel-like eyes, silver-white horns, red mouth,
bright hoofs, fine tail, and foal-like size.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 9576-9580
quote_or_summary: The Bodisat lives in the forest as King of the Banyan Deer with
five hundred deer; nearby lives another golden deer, the Monkey Deer, with a similar
herd.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 9581-9596
quote_or_summary: The king of Benares is devoted to hunting and disrupts the townspeople’s
work, so they plan to stock a park with grass and water, drive deer into it, close
the gate, and provide them to the king.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 9597-9609
quote_or_summary: Armed townspeople surround the area of the Banyan Deer and Monkey
Deer, make noise, drive the herds into the park, shut the gate, and tell the king
to feed on the deer there.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 9610-9618
quote_or_summary: The king sees two golden-coloured deer and grants them life, but
he or his cook continues to shoot other deer; the deer fear the bow, are wounded
or weary, and are killed, so the herd reports this to the Bodisat, who sends for
the Monkey Deer.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The passage clearly supports the literal extraction and several motifs. Some
motif candidates are marked medium because the provided line range ends before
the former-birth rescue is completed.
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 were kept minimal; only death_rebirth was applied to the explicit former-birth/change-of-birth frame.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg__l9506-l9618
passage_sha256=7d8330aee26de06d967b5f012cef2270433ff5c665906dc4fbd77107d11cccf5