batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-tales-babbitt-gutenberg-l847-l946
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-tales-babbitt-gutenberg-l847-l946
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
passage_locator:
label: THE SANDY ROAD / THE QUARREL OF THE QUAILS / THE MEASURE OF RICE / THE FOOLISH,
TIMID RABBIT; lines 847-946
start: '847'
end: '946'
translation: Jataka tales
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: A rabbit wakes under a palm-tree, hears a coconut fall, and believes the
earth is breaking up. His fear spreads from animal to animal until many are running.
A lion stops the animals, traces the report back to the first rabbit, returns
with him to the place, finds the fallen coconut, and explains the mistake.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A rabbit is asleep under a palm-tree and wakes thinking about what would happen
if the world broke up.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Monkeys drop a coconut, which falls to the ground behind the rabbit.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The rabbit hears the noise, concludes that the earth is breaking up, and runs
without looking back.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: Other rabbits join the running after hearing the report that the earth is
breaking up.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: A deer, a fox, and an elephant join the animals running after the report is
passed along.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The lion sees the animals running, suspects a mistake, stops them at the foot
of a hill by roaring three times, and questions them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: obs:7
text: The questioned animals trace the report back through the elephant, fox, deer,
and rabbits to the first rabbit.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:8
text: The lion carries the first rabbit back to the place where he had slept and
sees the fallen coconut nearby.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:9
text: The lion explains that the sound was likely the coconut falling and reports
this to the other animals.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:10
text: The passage states that without the wise King of Beasts the animals might
still be running.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: first Rabbit
description: The rabbit who first thinks the earth is breaking up after hearing
the fallen coconut.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:9
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: other Rabbits
description: Rabbits who join the running after hearing the first rabbit's report.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:8
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Monkeys
description: Monkeys who drop the coconut near the sleeping rabbit.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Deer
description: An animal who joins the running after hearing the earth is breaking
up.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Fox
description: An animal who joins the running after being called by the deer.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Elephant
description: An animal who joins the running and later says the fox told him the
report.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Lion
description: The King of Beasts who stops the animals, investigates the report,
and explains the true cause.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
roles:
- id: role:1
label: mistaken alarm-giver
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The first rabbit hears a sound, believes the earth is breaking up, and begins
running without checking the cause.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:2
label: report-following runners
assigned_to:
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
basis: These animals run after hearing the report from others rather than seeing
the event themselves.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: role:3
label: unintentional cause of alarm
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The monkeys drop the coconut whose sound is mistaken for the earth breaking
up.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:10
- id: role:4
label: investigator
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The lion suspects a mistake, questions the animals, and returns to the place
with the first rabbit.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: role:5
label: wise king
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The passage identifies the lion as the King of Beasts and later calls him
wise.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:11
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: palm-tree
literal_form: palm-tree under which the first rabbit sleeps
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: fallen coconut
literal_form: coconut dropped by monkeys and found on the ground near where the
rabbit slept
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: sym:3
label: earth breaking up
literal_form: reported breaking-up of the earth, based on the rabbit's mistaken
interpretation of a sound
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: sym:4
label: hill
literal_form: hill at whose foot the lion stops the running animals
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Rabbit misinterprets a sound
summary: A rabbit wakes under a palm-tree, hears a coconut fall behind him, decides
the earth is breaking up, and runs away without checking.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:2
label: Alarm spreads among animals
summary: Other rabbits and then a deer, fox, and elephant join the flight as the
report is repeated.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:3
label: Lion stops and questions the runners
summary: The lion stops the animals at the foot of a hill, asks why they are running,
and traces the claim back through the animals to the first rabbit.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:4
label: Cause of alarm discovered
summary: The lion carries the first rabbit back, sees the coconut near the sleeping
place, identifies the sound as the likely cause, and tells the animals.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: false alarm spreading through repeated report
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: A mistaken claim by one rabbit is repeated to other animals, causing a widening
group to flee.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The label is descriptive and not tied to a supplied taxonomy reference.
- id: motif:2
label: wise ruler investigates fear and corrects error
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The lion, called the King of Beasts and described as wise, suspects a mistake,
investigates the origin of the report, and explains the real cause.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage supports wisdom through the
lion's inquiry and explicit description as wise.
- id: motif:3
label: misheard natural sound as cosmic disaster
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The rabbit hears the coconut fall and interprets the sound as the earth breaking
up.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: The cosmic disaster is only a mistaken belief within the story, not an
actual event.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 847-852
quote_or_summary: A rabbit is asleep under a palm-tree, wakes, and thinks about
what would happen if the world broke up.
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 853-858
quote_or_summary: Monkeys drop a coconut; it falls behind the rabbit, and he hears
the noise.
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 857-862
quote_or_summary: '"The earth is all breaking up!" The rabbit then runs without
looking back to see what made the noise.'
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 863-879
quote_or_summary: A second rabbit asks why he is running; after hearing the report,
the second rabbit runs with him, and many other rabbits join.
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 880-887
quote_or_summary: The running rabbits pass a deer; the deer calls a fox; an elephant
also joins them as they continue running.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 888-895
quote_or_summary: The lion sees the animals running, hears their cry, thinks there
must be a mistake, and roars three times at the foot of a hill to stop them.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: quote
locator: lines 896-901
quote_or_summary: The lion asks why they are running, and they answer, "the earth
is all breaking up!"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 902-913
quote_or_summary: The lion asks who saw it; the elephant points to the fox, the
fox to the rabbits, and the rabbits say another rabbit told them, until the first
rabbit is reached.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 914-929
quote_or_summary: The first rabbit tells the lion he heard the sound while under
the palm-tree. The lion says they will go back and see what is the matter, then
carries the rabbit there.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: quote
locator: lines 930-938
quote_or_summary: The lion sees the coconut near where the rabbit slept and says,
"It must have been the sound of the cocoanut falling to the ground that you heard."
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: lines 939-944
quote_or_summary: The lion tells the other animals what happened; the passage says
that without the wise King of Beasts they might still be running.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/jataka-tales-babbitt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: high
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Extraction is based only on the supplied passage. Motif labels are descriptive;
only the broad supplied taxonomy reference 'wisdom' is used.
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 to another text or tradition.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-jataka-tales-babbitt-gutenberg__l847-l946
passage_sha256=c0b1199b9d11a3b125921580abf807c5539548a5b7be7b5b31c3b34a3116dd40