batch.motif.hindu-mahabharata-dutt-gutenberg-l4216-l4366
---
record_id: batch.motif.hindu-mahabharata-dutt-gutenberg-l4216-l4366
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
passage_locator:
label: BOOK VII / UDYOGA / BOOK VIII / BHISHMA-BADHA; lines 4216-4366
start: '4216'
end: '4366'
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 recounts successive episodes of the battle: Pandav forces
are routed; Krishna attempts to enter combat with his discus but Arjun restrains
him and vows to fight; Arjun rallies the Pandavs until nightfall; Bhima kills
eight of Duryodhan''s brothers; Lakshman is wounded, and Satyaki''s ten sons are
slain by Bhuri-sravas; Bhima is endangered and rescued by Drupad, Abhimanyu, and
other chiefs; later Bhishma routs the Pandavs despite their efforts.'
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The battlefield is described with shattered cars, fleeing horses, pierced
elephants, broken standards, and lifeless soldiers on the plain.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Krishna observes the broken Pandav forces and rebukes Arjun for the possibility
of flight.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Krishna throws the reins to Arjun, leaves the chariot, and rushes toward battle
with his fiery discus.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: Arjun pursues Krishna on foot, catches him, lifts him back onto the chariot,
kneels, and asks him to withhold the weapon.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Arjun pledges by Abhimanyu, Subhadra's son, and by his brothers that he will
meet his foe and keep his word.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: Arjun advances in his chariot, holds up the gandiva bow, and the Pandav forces
press forward wave on wave.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: Duryodhan and Salya attack Arjun with weapons, but Arjun casts the attacks
aside.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: Night ends the combat, and fainting troops and bleeding chiefs return to their
tents by fitful night-fires.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: Bhima breaks a line of elephants, wounds Duryodhan and Salya, and then fights
Duryodhan's fourteen brothers.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: Eight of Duryodhan's brothers are slain, while six flee.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:11
text: Drona faces Bhima and Arjun in his chariot on a later morning of battle.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:12
text: Lakshman, Duryodhan's son, fights Abhimanyu and is carried bleeding from the
field by a henchman.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: obs:13
text: Ten sons of Satyaki are slain by Bhuri-sravas and lie on the red field.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: obs:14
text: Bhima forces his way through Duryodhan's legions, is surrounded by a hundred
foes, and fights for his life beside a shattered car.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- id: obs:15
text: Drupad reaches Bhima, places him on a chariot-seat, and is then surrounded
with him by Kuru forces.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:15
- id: obs:16
text: Arjun's son and twelve chieftains enter the fight and rescue Bhima and Drupad.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:16
- id: obs:17
text: Krishna drives Arjun's milk-white horses beneath Arjun's monkey banner, while
Bhishma's palm-tree banner rises opposite them.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:17
- id: obs:18
text: Yudhishthir, Bhima, Arjun, Sahadeva, Nakula, and the Pandav brothers fail
to quell Bhishma's strength, and Yudhishthir's standard and horses fall.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:18
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Krishna
description: Arjun's chariot-driver and a chief of righteous fame; he attempts to
fight with a fiery discus and later drives Arjun's milk-white horses.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:17
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Arjun
description: Pandav warrior and archer who restrains Krishna, vows to fight, advances
with the gandiva, and later attacks beneath the monkey banner.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:17
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Bhishma
description: A matchless Kuru leader whose palm-tree banner rises and whose might
routs the Pandavs.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:17
- ev:18
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Duryodhan
description: Kuru chief who attacks Arjun, is wounded by Bhima, and whose brothers
are slain.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Bhima
description: Pandav warrior who destroys elephants, wounds chiefs, kills eight of
Duryodhan's brothers, and later is surrounded and rescued.
role_refs:
- role:7
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:14
- ev:16
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Salya
description: King of Madra who throws a mace at Arjun and is later wounded by Bhima.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Duryodhan's brothers
description: Fourteen brothers of Duryodhan who rush into combat with Bhima; eight
are slain and six flee.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Drona
description: The preceptor who faces Bhima and Arjun in his chariot and later smites
the scattered Pandavs.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:16
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Lakshman
description: Son of Duryodhan who fights Abhimanyu and is carried bleeding from
the field.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Abhimanyu
description: Arjun's son and Subhadra's boy; invoked in Arjun's pledge and later
opposed to Lakshman; also appears as Arjun's son among rescuers.
role_refs:
- role:12
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:12
- ev:16
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Satyaki's sons
description: Ten Vrishni brothers slain by Bhuri-sravas.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Bhuri-sravas
description: Warrior who slays the ten sons of Satyaki.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: fig:13
name_or_label: Drupad
description: Panchala monarch who sees Bhima's danger, reaches him, and places him
on a chariot-seat.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:15
- ev:16
- id: fig:14
name_or_label: Yudhishthir
description: Pandav leader whose standard and horses fall during Bhishma's rout.
role_refs:
- role:14
evidence_refs:
- ev:18
- id: fig:15
name_or_label: Sahadeva and Nakula
description: Pandav brothers who strive in vain during the rout by Bhishma.
role_refs:
- role:14
evidence_refs:
- ev:18
- id: fig:16
name_or_label: Pandav forces
description: Forces repeatedly routed, rallied, scattered, rescued, and driven back
in the battle episodes.
role_refs:
- role:15
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- ev:16
- ev:18
- id: fig:17
name_or_label: Kuru forces
description: Forces led by Bhishma or Drona and surrounding Bhima and Drupad in
battle.
role_refs:
- role:16
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:15
- ev:17
- ev:18
roles:
- id: role:1
label: chariot-driver
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Krishna is named Arjun's chariot-driver and later drives his horses.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:17
- id: role:2
label: divine or extraordinary armed intervener
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Krishna threatens to smite the foe with his fiery discus and rushes into
battle.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: vowing warrior
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Arjun vows to meet his foeman and keep his pledged word.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: restrainer of ally
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Arjun catches Krishna, returns him to the chariot, and asks him to withhold
the weapon.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:5
label: matchless battlefield leader
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Bhishma is said to be peerless and beyond the power of gods or warriors to
quell in this battle.
evidence_refs:
- ev:18
- id: role:6
label: opposing chief
assigned_to:
- fig:4
- fig:6
basis: Duryodhan and Salya attack or oppose Pandav warriors and are wounded in combat.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: role:7
label: slayer
assigned_to:
- fig:5
- fig:12
basis: Bhima kills eight of Duryodhan's brothers, and Bhuri-sravas kills Satyaki's
sons.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:13
- id: role:8
label: endangered hero
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Bhima is surrounded by many foes and fights for his life.
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- id: role:9
label: fallen kin-group
assigned_to:
- fig:7
- fig:11
basis: Duryodhan's brothers and Satyaki's sons are killed in grouped battle episodes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:13
- id: role:10
label: preceptor-warrior
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Drona is called the proud preceptor and faces Bhima and Arjun from his chariot.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: role:11
label: wounded son
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Lakshman, son of Duryodhan, is carried bleeding from the field.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: role:12
label: invoked son
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: Arjun invokes Abhimanyu in his pledge to Krishna.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:13
label: rescuer
assigned_to:
- fig:10
- fig:13
basis: Drupad helps Bhima, and Arjun's son joins other chiefs in rescuing Bhima
and Drupad.
evidence_refs:
- ev:15
- ev:16
- id: role:14
label: routed Pandav leader
assigned_to:
- fig:14
- fig:15
basis: Yudhishthir, Sahadeva, and Nakula fail to save the ranks during Bhishma's
rout.
evidence_refs:
- ev:18
- id: role:15
label: routed and rallied army
assigned_to:
- fig:16
basis: The Pandav forces flee, are rallied by Arjun, and are later routed again.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- ev:18
- id: role:16
label: opposing army
assigned_to:
- fig:17
basis: Kuru forces advance, surround opponents, and are led by figures such as Bhishma
and Drona.
evidence_refs:
- ev:15
- ev:17
- ev:18
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: fiery discus
literal_form: Krishna's fiery discus, called a weapon of wrath by Arjun
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: sym:2
label: gandiva bow
literal_form: Arjun's famed gandiva held aloft in battle
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:3
label: monkey banner
literal_form: Arjun's monkey banner before which foes quail
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:17
- id: sym:4
label: palm-tree banner
literal_form: Bhishma's palm-tree banner rising opposite Arjun
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:17
- id: sym:5
label: night-fires
literal_form: Fitful fires in the night after battle
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:6
label: milk-white coursers
literal_form: Milk-white horses driven by Krishna
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- milk
evidence_refs:
- ev:17
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Rout of the Pandav forces and Krishna's rebuke
summary: A devastated battlefield is described; Krishna sees the Pandavs broken
and rebukes Arjun against flight.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:16
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Krishna rushes to battle and Arjun restrains him
summary: Krishna leaves the chariot to fight with his discus; Arjun catches him,
restores him to the chariot, kneels, and vows to fight himself.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:3
label: Arjun rallies the Pandavs
summary: Arjun advances with the gandiva, repels Duryodhan and Salya, and the Pandav
forces move forward until night stops the battle.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:6
- fig:16
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:4
label: Bhima slays Duryodhan's brothers
summary: Bhima cuts through elephants, wounds Duryodhan and Salya, fights fourteen
brothers of Duryodhan, kills eight, and causes six to flee.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:4
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: scene:5
label: Young warriors and Satyaki's sons fall
summary: Drona faces Bhima and Arjun; Lakshman is wounded in combat with Abhimanyu;
ten sons of Satyaki are slain by Bhuri-sravas.
figure_refs:
- fig:8
- fig:5
- fig:2
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
- fig:12
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- ev:13
- id: scene:6
label: Bhima endangered and rescued
summary: Bhima is surrounded after entering Duryodhan's legions; Drupad reaches
him, and Arjun's son with twelve chiefs rescues both Bhima and Drupad.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:13
- fig:10
- fig:17
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- ev:15
- ev:16
- id: scene:7
label: Bhishma routs the Pandavs
summary: Krishna drives Arjun beneath the monkey banner, but Bhishma's palm-tree
banner rises; the Pandav leaders cannot stop Bhishma, and their forces are scattered
by night.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:5
- fig:14
- fig:15
- fig:16
- fig:17
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:17
- ev:18
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Ally restrained from unleashing an overpowering weapon
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Krishna attempts to enter battle with his fiery discus, but Arjun physically
restrains him and asks him to withhold the weapon while vowing to fight.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents the episode within a battle narrative; broader theological
interpretation is not inferred here.
- id: motif:2
label: Battlefield vow restores heroic action
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: After Krishna's rebuke and attempted intervention, Arjun pledges by kin to
meet the foe and then advances in battle.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: No specific comparative taxonomy reference is assigned.
- id: motif:3
label: Slaughter of grouped royal kin
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Duryodhan's brothers and Satyaki's sons are presented as kin-groups killed
in battle episodes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:13
confidence: high
cautions: The two episodes involve different slayers and sides; the grouping is
a narrative pattern within the passage.
- id: motif:4
label: Endangered hero rescued from encirclement
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Bhima is surrounded by many foes and is rescued by Drupad, Arjun's son, and
other chiefs.
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- ev:15
- ev:16
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives a military rescue rather than a supernatural deliverance.
- id: motif:5
label: Invincible elder champion routs opposing heroes
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Bhishma's might is said to be unmatched by gods or earthly warriors, and
the Pandav leaders cannot prevent the rout.
evidence_refs:
- ev:17
- ev:18
confidence: medium
cautions: The label 'elder' is based on Bhishma's known role only insofar as this
passage names him as a leading champion; details outside the passage are not used.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 4216-4221
quote_or_summary: Cars, horses, elephants, broken standards, and dead soldiers mark
a battlefield where warriors flee in fear.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 4222-4230
quote_or_summary: Krishna, Arjun's chariot-driver, sees the broken Pandav forces
and rebukes Arjun against shameful flight.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 4231-4236
quote_or_summary: Krishna says he will smite the foe with his fiery discus, throws
the reins to Arjun, leaves the chariot, and rushes into battle.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 4237-4246
quote_or_summary: Arjun declares Krishna must not fight, pursues him, catches him,
lifts him back onto the chariot, kneels, and asks pardon.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 4247-4255
quote_or_summary: Arjun invokes Abhimanyu, Subhadra's son, and his brothers, pledging
that he will meet his foe and asking Krishna to let the discus sleep.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 4256-4267
quote_or_summary: Arjun rushes forth in his chariot, hostile ranks part, he raises
the gandiva, and the sound of drum, sankha, car, and weapon spreads.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 4260-4265
quote_or_summary: Duryodhan hurls a lance and Salya throws a mace at Arjun, who
dashes the weapons aside.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 4272-4275
quote_or_summary: Evening closes in darkness; night-fires flare and troops and chiefs
repair to tents.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: 4276-4289
quote_or_summary: On another day Bhima sweeps forward, breaks an elephant line,
and wounds Duryodhan and Salya before Duryodhan's fourteen brothers enter the
fight.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: 4290-4295
quote_or_summary: Bhima is compared to a lion seeing prey; in a short fierce fight
six princes flee and eight of Duryodhan's brothers fall dead.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: 4296-4303
quote_or_summary: On another morning, Bhima and Arjun lead the war-front while Drona,
the preceptor, faces them in his chariot.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: 4304-4309
quote_or_summary: Lakshman, son of Duryodhan, fights Abhimanyu, Arjun's son, and
is carried bleeding from the field.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:13
type: summary
locator: 4310-4317
quote_or_summary: Ten sons of Satyaki, Vrishni warriors, fight Bhuri-sravas and
are slain on the field.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:14
type: summary
locator: 4318-4325
quote_or_summary: Bhima forces through Duryodhan's legions; a hundred foes gather
and he fights for his life.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:15
type: summary
locator: 4326-4333
quote_or_summary: Drupad sees Bhima's danger, reaches him beside a shattered car,
places him on a chariot-seat, and Kuru forces surge around them.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:16
type: summary
locator: 4334-4341
quote_or_summary: Arjun's son and twelve chieftains rescue Bhima and Drupad; Kuru
forces continue advancing and Drona smites scattered Pandavs until night.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:17
type: summary
locator: 4342-4349
quote_or_summary: Krishna drives Arjun's milk-white horses; Arjun's monkey banner
makes foes quail until Bhishma's palm-tree banner rises like a star on the ocean.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:18
type: summary
locator: 4350-4363
quote_or_summary: Yudhishthir, Bhima, Arjun, and the Pandav brothers strive in vain
against Bhishma; Yudhishthir's standard and horses fall, and the forces rest broken
at night.
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: high
notes: The passage is clear for battlefield actions, figures, emblems, and repeated
narrative patterns. Motif labels are descriptive and not mapped to broader comparative
claims.
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. Comparison claims are omitted because the passage itself does not support a specific external comparison.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:hindu-mahabharata-dutt-gutenberg__l4216-l4366
passage_sha256=057566739d2ec1bbd13876828e3470d4278ec65da44159cbb3ea033fb6bef52f