batch.motif.hindu-mahabharata-dutt-gutenberg-l2854-l2990
---
record_id: batch.motif.hindu-mahabharata-dutt-gutenberg-l2854-l2990
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
passage_locator:
label: BOOK V / PATIVRATA-MAHATMYA / BOOK VI / GO-HARANA; lines 2854-2990
start: '2854'
end: '2990'
translation: Maha-bharata
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: The passage closes with Savitri moving through a dark jungle under the
stars, then introduces the Pandavas' final year of concealment in Virata's court.
Duryodhan and allied Kuru forces raid Matsya cattle while Virata is away fighting
the Trigartas. A cowherd chief reports the theft of sixty thousand cattle to Prince
Uttara and urges him to fight. Uttara says he knows war but needs a skilled chariot-driver,
then boasts that he will recover the cattle and humble the Kuru warriors.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Savitri walks through a dark jungle at midnight under silent stars, and the
narration characterizes her love as deathless.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The sons of Pandu must complete twelve years of exile and one year of concealment;
discovery during the final year would require another twelve years of exile.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The Pandav brothers enter menial service under Virata of the Matsyas to pass
the year of concealment.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: 'The brothers and Draupadi adopt separate disguises and occupations: courtier,
cook, music and dance teacher in the inner apartments, horse-keeper, cow-keeper,
and waiting-woman.'
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Arjun assumes the name Brihannala, wears conch bangles and earrings, braids
his hair, and teaches music and dancing in the royal household.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Weapons belonging to the Pandav brothers are said to have been hidden in a
tree and wrapped like human corpses to frighten inquisitive travellers.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: The kings of the Trigartas and Kurus combine against Virata's kingdom to drive
off its cattle; the Trigartas attack from the south-east and Duryodhan's Kuru
forces from the north.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: Duryodhan's forces, with Bhishma, Drona, and Karna among the leaders, attack
the cowherds and take sixty thousand head of cattle.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:9
text: A distressed cowherd chief flees to the royal city, enters the palace, and
reports the raid to Prince Uttara.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: obs:10
text: The cowherd urges Uttara to recover the stolen cattle, harness milk-white
horses, raise a golden lion-banner, and smite the Kurus like Indra smiting asuras.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:11
text: Uttara answers that he knows the bow and warrior duty but will fight only
if a skilful chariot-driver can lead his horses.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:12
text: Uttara boasts that he will recover the cattle, defeat Bhishma, Duryodhan,
Karna, and Drona, and make onlookers wonder whether he is Arjun.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Savitri
description: A woman associated here with deathless love while walking through a
dark jungle at midnight.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Pandav brothers / sons of Pandu
description: Exiled brothers who enter Virata's service in disguise for a year of
concealment.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Yudhishthir
description: One of the Pandav brothers; presents himself as a Brahman skilled in
dice and becomes a courtier of Virata.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Bhima
description: One of the Pandav brothers; enters Virata's service as a cook.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Arjun / Brihannala
description: A well-known Pandav who requires stricter concealment, adopts the name
Brihannala, dresses with conch bangles, earrings, and braided hair, and teaches
music and dancing.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
- role:4
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Nakula
description: One of the Pandav brothers; becomes keeper of Virata's horses.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Sahadeva
description: One of the Pandav brothers; takes charge of Virata's cows.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Draupadi
description: Disguises herself as a waiting-woman serving the princess of the Matsya
house.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Virata
description: King of the Matsyas; marches with most troops against the Trigartas,
leaving the capital without an army to defend it against the northern raid.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Duryodhan
description: Leader of Kuru forces who invade from the north and drive off Matsya
cattle.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: King of the Trigartas / Trigarta chieftains
description: Allied attackers who draw Virata south-east while the Kurus raid from
the north.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Bhishma
description: A Kuru warrior leader named among those in the cattle raid and later
named in Uttara's boast.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: fig:13
name_or_label: Drona
description: A Kuru warrior leader named among those in the cattle raid and later
named in Uttara's boast.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: fig:14
name_or_label: Karna
description: A Kuru warrior leader named among those in the cattle raid and later
named in Uttara's boast.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: fig:15
name_or_label: Chief of cowherds
description: A distressed messenger who flees to the royal city and urges Prince
Uttara to recover the stolen cattle.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:16
name_or_label: Uttara
description: Prince of Matsya; initially has no inclination to face the Kurus, then
answers the cowherd by requesting a chariot-driver and boasting of victory.
role_refs:
- role:9
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:17
name_or_label: Indra
description: A thunder-wielding deity invoked by the cowherd and Uttara as a model
for smiting enemies.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:18
name_or_label: asuras / Danu's sons
description: Mythic enemies invoked in comparisons to Indra's smiting of foes.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
roles:
- id: role:1
label: deathless beloved or devoted woman
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The closing couplet explicitly links Savitri with deathless love in a nocturnal
journey setting.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: exiled concealed hero
assigned_to:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
basis: The sons of Pandu must live in concealment after exile and take disguised
service under Virata.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: disguised servant or court attendant
assigned_to:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
basis: Each adopts a humble or altered court role to remain undiscovered.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: gender-coded disguised instructor
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Arjun, as Brihannala, wears ornaments and braided hair and teaches music
and dancing in the inner apartments.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:5
label: absent king defending another front
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Virata marches against the Trigartas with most troops, leaving the capital
unable to face the northern Kuru invasion.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: cattle-raiding enemy
assigned_to:
- fig:10
- fig:11
- fig:12
- fig:13
- fig:14
basis: The Trigarta and Kuru forces combine in the raid, and Duryodhan, Bhishma,
Drona, and Karna are named with the Kuru attackers.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: role:7
label: enemy warrior or foe named in martial speech
assigned_to:
- fig:12
- fig:13
- fig:14
- fig:18
basis: The passage names Kuru heroes as opponents and invokes asuras or Danu's sons
as mythic enemies defeated by Indra.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: role:8
label: distressed complainant messenger
assigned_to:
- fig:15
basis: The cowherd chief flees to the city, laments, reports the cattle raid, and
appeals to Uttara.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:9
label: summoned defender of the kingdom
assigned_to:
- fig:16
basis: The cowherd addresses Uttara as the refuge of the Matsyas and urges him to
save his father's cattle.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:10
label: boasting but conditional warrior
assigned_to:
- fig:16
basis: Uttara claims martial skill and victory but says he requires a capable chariot-driver
before fighting.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:11
label: divine martial exemplar
assigned_to:
- fig:17
basis: Indra's defeat of asuras or Danu's sons is used as a model for human battle
against the Kurus.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: role:12
label: concealed rescuer
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The prose introduction says the disguised Arjun comes to the rescue when
the capital lacks an army and Uttara is unwilling.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: darksome jungle and midnight stars
literal_form: Dark jungle, silent stars, and hushed midnight around Savitri.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: stolen cattle
literal_form: Sixty thousand head of Matsya cattle or kine driven toward Hastina.
associated_figures:
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:15
- fig:16
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: sym:3
label: hidden weapon tree
literal_form: A tree concealing the Pandav brothers' bows, arrows, and swords.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:4
label: corpse-wrapped weapons
literal_form: Weapons wrapped like human corpses to deter inquisitive travellers.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:5
label: bow and arrows as speaking instrument
literal_form: The cowherd compares Uttara's sounding bow and arrows to a properly
tuned Vina speaking music.
associated_figures:
- fig:16
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:6
label: milk-white coursers
literal_form: Milk-white horses to be harnessed to Uttara's battle-car.
associated_figures:
- fig:16
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:7
label: golden lion-banner
literal_form: A golden lion-banner to be raised on Uttara's battle-car.
associated_figures:
- fig:16
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:8
label: battle-car and chariot-driver
literal_form: A battle-chariot requiring a skilful driver before Uttara will go
to war.
associated_figures:
- fig:16
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: sym:9
label: thunder-wielding Indra
literal_form: Indra wielding thunder and smiting asuras or Danu's sons.
associated_figures:
- fig:17
- fig:18
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Savitri in the nocturnal jungle
summary: Savitri moves through a dark jungle at midnight while the narration emphasizes
her deathless love.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Pandavas enter Virata's court in disguise
summary: After twelve years in the forest, the Pandavas and Draupadi take concealed
roles in Virata's household to complete the year of concealment.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Hidden weapons in the tree
summary: The introduction describes the Pandav brothers' weapons hidden in a tree
and wrapped like corpses to keep others away.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:4
label: Two-front invasion and cattle raid
summary: The Trigartas draw Virata to the south-east while Duryodhan's Kuru forces
raid from the north and seize sixty thousand cattle.
figure_refs:
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
- fig:12
- fig:13
- fig:14
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: scene:5
label: Cowherd complaint to Uttara
summary: The cowherd chief reaches the palace, laments the raid, and exhorts Uttara
to recover the cattle with his chariot, bow, white horses, and lion-banner.
figure_refs:
- fig:15
- fig:16
- fig:17
- fig:18
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:5
- sym:6
- sym:7
- sym:8
- sym:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:6
label: Uttara's conditional boast
summary: Uttara says he knows the warrior's art but lacks a chariot-driver; he promises
that with a driver he will recover the cattle and defeat the Kuru leaders.
figure_refs:
- fig:12
- fig:13
- fig:14
- fig:16
- fig:17
- fig:18
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:8
- sym:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: scene:7
label: Arjun foreshadowed as rescuer
summary: The prose introduction states that the disguised Arjun will come to the
rescue when the capital lacks troops and Uttara is unwilling to face the Kurus.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:16
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: devoted love in a death-darkened night journey
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Savitri is placed in a dark jungle at midnight and her love is called deathless.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: medium
cautions: Only the final couplet of the Savitri section is included; the wider death-and-return
context is not present in this passage.
- id: motif:2
label: exile followed by concealment under assumed identities
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
basis: The sons of Pandu must endure exile and then a year of concealment, adopting
service roles in Virata's court.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives the condition and disguises but not the original departure
episode.
- id: motif:3
label: heroic disguise in humble or gender-coded service
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Pandavas and Draupadi hide in menial roles; Arjun in particular becomes
Brihannala, dressed with ornaments and teaching music and dance in inner apartments.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: This is disguise rather than literal shapeshifting, so no shapeshifter
taxonomy reference is assigned.
- id: motif:4
label: cattle raid as crisis of kingship and martial honor
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Enemy kings seize Virata's prized cattle while the king is absent, prompting
an appeal to the prince to defend the kingdom's honor.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: Although the available taxonomy includes sacred theft, the passage frames
the cattle primarily as royal wealth and national honor, not explicitly as sacred
objects.
- id: motif:5
label: hidden weapons concealed in a tree
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The introduction notes that the Pandav brothers' bows, arrows, and swords
are hidden in a tree and disguised as corpses.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage only introduces this detail and does not yet narrate retrieval
of the weapons.
- id: motif:6
label: reluctant or boasting prince requiring a charioteer
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Uttara is said to have no inclination to face the Kurus, then claims he can
defeat them if a skilled chariot-driver is found.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The outcome of Uttara's claim lies beyond the passage.
- id: motif:7
label: concealed hero emerges as rescuer
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The introduction says the disguised Arjun comes to the rescue when the capital
is undefended and Uttara is unwilling.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage foreshadows Arjun's rescue but does not yet narrate the rescue
action.
- id: motif:8
label: divine warrior model applied to human battle
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Both the cowherd's appeal and Uttara's reply compare the desired attack on
the Kurus to Indra smiting asuras or Danu's sons.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The comparison is rhetorical within speeches, not a direct divine intervention
scene.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The prose introduction explicitly states that cattle-lifting was common among
kings of ancient India and compares it with the practice among chiefs of ancient
Greece.
claim_level: same_function
target: cattle-lifting practice among chiefs of ancient Greece
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: This is an editorial comparative statement in the passage, not a detailed
parallel narrative or evidence of historical contact.
- id: claim:2
claim: The speeches use Indra's battle against asuras or Danu's sons as a martial
model for Uttara's proposed battle against the Kurus.
claim_level: same_function
target: Indra smiting asuras / Danu's sons
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The comparison is a poetic analogy within exhortation and boasting;
it does not establish identity between the human and divine conflicts.
- id: claim:3
claim: Uttara's final boast imagines his battlefield performance being mistaken
for that of Arjun, using Arjun as an internal epic standard for martial prowess.
claim_level: same_function
target: Arjun famed in war
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: This is an in-text heroic comparison and not a cross-cultural or historical
comparison.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 2854-2855
quote_or_summary: Savitri walks through a dark jungle under silent stars at midnight;
the couplet emphasizes her deathless love.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 2863-2866
quote_or_summary: The Pandavas must spend twelve years in exile and one year concealed;
if discovered during concealment they must repeat twelve years of exile.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 2868-2882
quote_or_summary: 'The Pandavas and Draupadi enter Virata''s service in disguise:
Yudhishthir as dice-skilled Brahman courtier, Bhima as cook, Arjun as Brihannala
teaching music and dance, Nakula with horses, Sahadeva with cows, and Draupadi
as waiting-woman.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 2884-2887
quote_or_summary: The disguised Pandavas pass a year safely despite Duryodhan's
search; an incident leads to their discovery after the year has ended.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 2889-2896
quote_or_summary: Cattle-lifting is described as common among kings of ancient India
and compared with ancient Greek chiefs; the Trigarta and Kuru kings combine to
raid Virata's cattle from different directions.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 2898-2910
quote_or_summary: With Virata away and Uttara reluctant, the disguised Arjun is
said to come to the rescue; the introduction also mentions Pandav weapons hidden
in a tree and wrapped like corpses.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 2916-2935
quote_or_summary: Duryodhan attacks from the north; Bhishma, Drona, and Karna lead
Kuru warriors, the cowherds are chased, sixty thousand cattle are seized, and
the cowherd chief flees to the palace.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 2937-2959
quote_or_summary: The cowherd tells Uttara that sixty thousand cattle are being
taken to Hastina, urges him to save the kine, raise a golden lion-banner, harness
milk-white coursers, and fight like Indra smiting asuras.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 2961-2990
quote_or_summary: Uttara says he knows archery and warrior duty but lacks a chariot-driver;
he boasts that with one he will recover the cattle, defeat Kuru leaders, and be
compared to Arjun.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: Literal extraction is strong because the passage is explicit. Motif labeling
is cautious where the passage only foreshadows later action or provides a transitional
couplet. Comparison claims are limited to comparisons made directly within the
passage.
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 external sources were used. Taxonomy references were assigned only where directly supported or cautiously applicable from the supplied list.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:hindu-mahabharata-dutt-gutenberg__l2854-l2990
passage_sha256=2f6a68761e8241387d7af869667c6233ca03a6a16f6967915fb26ac576ddd43d