batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-tales-babbitt-gutenberg-l608-l698
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-tales-babbitt-gutenberg-l608-l698
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
passage_locator:
label: THE MERCHANT OF SERI / THE TURTLE WHO COULDN'T STOP TALKING / THE OX WHO
WON THE FORFEIT / THE SANDY ROAD; lines 608-698
start: '608'
end: '698'
translation: Jataka tales
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: A merchant caravan crosses a hot desert by night, guided by a star-knowing
pilot. After the pilot falls asleep and the caravan circles back, the travelers
have discarded most water and firewood and despair. The merchant refuses to give
up, finds grass as a sign of underground water, directs digging, hears water beneath
rock, and urges a serving-lad to break it. Water fills the well; the party recovers,
marks the well with a flag, reaches the city, sells its goods, and returns home.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The caravan travels through the desert at night because the sand is too hot
in daylight.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The merchant brings goods, water, rice, and firewood in many carts.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: A pilot rides first and guides the drivers by the stars.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: Near the expected end of the desert crossing, the merchant tells the men to
throw away nearly all the remaining water and firewood.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The exhausted pilot sleeps, and the oxen turn the caravan back to the same
place.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The men and oxen are left tired and thirsty after the remaining water has
been thrown away.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: The merchant tells himself he must find water and not give up because all
will be lost if he does.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: The merchant sees a tuft of grass and infers that water must be below it.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: The men dig at the grassy spot until they strike rock; the merchant listens
and says he hears water under the rock.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: A serving-lad strikes the rock with a hammer until it breaks and the hole
fills with cool water.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:11
text: The caravan drinks, waters the oxen, bathes, cooks rice using split cart parts
for fuel, rests, and sets a flag on the well for other travelers.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:12
text: The caravan resumes travel at sundown, reaches the city the next morning,
sells the goods, and returns home.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: merchant
description: Leader of the caravan carrying goods across the desert; he refuses
to give up and directs the search for water.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: pilot
description: A man who knows the stars and guides the caravan, but falls asleep
from exhaustion.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: men and drivers
description: The merchant’s caravan workers, who drive, camp, dig, despair, drink,
water the oxen, and continue the journey.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- ev:9
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: oxen
description: Draft animals yoked to the carts; they become tired and thirsty and
are later watered.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:11
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: serving-lad
description: A boy urged by the merchant to try breaking the rock; he strikes it
with a hammer and releases water.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
roles:
- id: role:1
label: caravan leader
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The merchant gives travel orders, decides about supplies, and leads the response
to the crisis.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: role:2
label: resourceful rescuer
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He searches for water, identifies the grass as a clue, listens for water
beneath rock, and urges persistence.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: role:3
label: star navigator
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: He knows the stars and uses them to guide the drivers, but his sleep causes
the caravan to lose its way.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: caravan workers
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: They drive, camp, dig, cook, and continue the journey under the merchant’s
direction.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:9
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: role:5
label: draft animals
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The oxen are yoked to the carts, turn about during the night, become thirsty,
and are watered.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:11
- id: role:6
label: obedient helper in rescue
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The lad follows the merchant’s urging and breaks the rock with a hammer,
enabling water to fill the well.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: desert crossing
literal_form: hot sandy desert road
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: stars used for guidance
literal_form: stars observed by the pilot
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: sym:3
label: water supply and hidden water
literal_form: jars of water; water beneath rock; well filled with cool water
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: sym:4
label: fire and fuel
literal_form: firewood, cooking fires, split yokes and axles used as fuel
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:11
- id: sym:5
label: tuft of grass as sign
literal_form: tuft of grass growing in the desert
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: sym:6
label: rock barrier
literal_form: rock struck during digging and broken by a hammer
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: sym:7
label: flag marking the well
literal_form: flag set up on the well for travelers to see
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Night travel across the hot desert
summary: The merchant caravan waits for the desert sand to cool and travels by night
with water, rice, firewood, carts, oxen, and a star-guided pilot.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:2
label: Loss after the pilot sleeps
summary: Near the end of the crossing, remaining water and fuel are discarded; the
pilot sleeps, the oxen turn back, and the caravan finds itself in the same place
without water.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:3
label: Search for hidden water
summary: The merchant refuses to sleep or despair, searches the ground, finds a
tuft of grass, and leads the men to dig there.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: scene:4
label: Rock broken and water released
summary: After digging reaches rock, the merchant hears water beneath it and urges
a serving-lad not to give up; the lad breaks the rock and water fills the hole.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: scene:5
label: Recovery, well marking, and successful arrival
summary: The party drinks, waters the oxen, cooks, rests, marks the well for later
travelers, and reaches the city to sell goods before returning home.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Resourceful leader saves caravan by refusing despair
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The merchant explicitly rejects giving up, reasons that water must be found,
and leads actions that save the people and oxen.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents practical determination and inference rather than
an explicitly supernatural act.
- id: motif:2
label: Hidden water discovered in a wasteland through a natural sign
taxonomy_refs:
- water
- wisdom
basis: A tuft of grass in the desert is treated as evidence of water below, leading
to digging, breaking rock, and the filling of the well.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: The available taxonomy includes water as a symbol and wisdom as a motif
family; no more specific supplied taxonomy reference is available.
- id: motif:3
label: Journey by night guided by stars
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The caravan can cross the hot sand only at night, and the pilot guides the
drivers by the stars.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage treats star guidance as practical navigation, not as astrological
or divine guidance.
- id: motif:4
label: Peril caused by premature disposal of supplies
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The caravan throws away nearly all water and firewood before actually leaving
the desert, and the mistake becomes dangerous when they circle back.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: This is a narrative pattern within the passage, not linked to a supplied
taxonomy family.
- id: motif:5
label: Marked life-saving well for future travelers
taxonomy_refs:
- water
basis: After water is found, the men set a flag on the well so travelers can see
it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage states the practical marking of the well but does not elaborate
a ritual or sacred function.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 608-620
quote_or_summary: The caravan reaches a desert where sunlight makes the sand too
hot for daytime travel, so men travel after dark when the sand cools.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 621-623
quote_or_summary: The merchant sets out after dark with goods to sell, jars of water
and rice, and firewood for cooking.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: lines 625-626
quote_or_summary: "“One man was the pilot. He rode first, for he knew the stars,
and by them he guided the drivers.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 641-644
quote_or_summary: After the pilot says they should leave the sand in one more night,
the merchant tells the men to throw away nearly all the water and firewood because
they expect to reach the city by the next day.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 646-654
quote_or_summary: The pilot lies down and falls asleep from exhaustion; near daybreak
he wakes, sees the fading stars, and realizes they are back where they were the
previous day because the oxen turned around.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: quote
locator: lines 656-661
quote_or_summary: "“The wood and water are gone--we are lost.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 663-668
quote_or_summary: The merchant says to himself that this is no time to sleep; he
must find water for the oxen, the men, and cooking, because if he gives up all
will be lost.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: quote
locator: lines 670-672
quote_or_summary: "“There must be water somewhere below, or that grass would not
be there.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 674-681
quote_or_summary: The merchant calls for the spade and hammer; the men dig where
the grass grows, strike rock, and the merchant listens at the rock and says he
hears water running underneath.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 681-689
quote_or_summary: The merchant tells a serving-lad that if he gives up they are
lost; the boy strikes the rock hard with the hammer, breaks it, and the well fills
with cool water.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: lines 689-695
quote_or_summary: The men drink, water the oxen, bathe, split spare yokes and axles
for firewood, cook rice, rest, and set a flag on the well for travelers to see.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: lines 696-698
quote_or_summary: At sundown they start again; the next morning they reach the city,
sell the goods, and return home.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: Extraction is based only on the supplied passage. Motif candidates are descriptive
and constrained to available taxonomy where appropriate; no comparison claims
are made because the passage itself does not supply comparative framing.
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 user-supplied locator label names several tales, but the provided passage text contains only “THE SANDY ROAD”; extraction is limited to that passage.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-jataka-tales-babbitt-gutenberg__l608-l698
passage_sha256=7f2b6db547c1bdcd7246bb6e112d86059b0f38d48bbd12a56a614b6cfad6f964