batch.motif.hindu-mahabharata-dutt-gutenberg-l5114-l5254
---
record_id: batch.motif.hindu-mahabharata-dutt-gutenberg-l5114-l5254
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
passage_locator:
label: BOOK VIII / BHISHMA-BADHA / BOOK IX / DRONA-BADHA; lines 5114-5254
start: '5114'
end: '5254'
translation: Maha-bharata
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: Arjun refuses to turn his wrath against Drona, continues his vowed pursuit
of Jayadratha, pauses so Krishna can tend the exhausted horses, then drives through
Kuru defenders. Krishna veils the sun with a dark cloud, causing Jayadratha and
his protectors to think evening has ended the fight; Arjun breaks through and
kills Jayadratha before actual nightfall. Later fighting continues by torchlight;
Karna kills Ghatotkacha, and Duryodhan laments the losses to Drona.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Arjun says his bow-string is not drawn against his acharya Drona and passes
him rather than fighting him directly.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Arjun states that he is pursuing vengeance for a slaughtered hero and that
his vow makes his task cruel that day.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Krishna notices that Arjun's horses are exhausted and says they need rest.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Arjun alights from the chariot, stands guard with bow and arrow near a green
shady tree, and Krishna tends the wounded horses.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Krishna waters the horses beside a river, gives them fodder and rest, and
then harnesses them again to the chariot.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: Kuru warriors approach with standards bearing animal, object, and ritual images,
including a lion's tail, elephant rope, bull, peacock, ploughshare, silver boar,
sacrificial stake, parrots, and elephant.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: Nine Kuru chieftains come together to confront Arjun and Krishna while Jayadratha
is guarded among chiefs.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: Krishna whispers a prayer, and a dark cloud covers the red sun.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: Karna, the other chiefs, and Jayadratha interpret the darkness as evening
and relax their fighting.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: Arjun breaks through the unguarded line and kills Jayadratha with an arrow
before the cloud clears and the sun is still visible.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:11
text: After Jayadratha's death, Duryodhan's brothers are slain by Bhima and torches
are lit as fighting continues in darkness.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:12
text: Karna fights Ghatotkacha in midnight darkness; after losing his horses twice,
Karna returns and kills him with a fatal dart.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:13
text: At morning, Duryodhan tells Drona that Kuru chiefs and many of his brothers
have fallen.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Arjun
description: Warrior pursuing Jayadratha under a vow; he avoids fighting Drona,
guards while the horses rest, breaks through the Kuru line, and kills Jayadratha.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Krishna
description: Faithful companion and charioteer-like helper of Arjun; he tends the
horses and prays for a cloud to veil the sun.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Drona
description: Arjun's acharya and Kuru leader addressed later by Duryodhan.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:9
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Jayadratha
description: Warrior guarded behind Kuru ranks; he rejoices at the apparent night
and is killed by Arjun's arrow.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Karna
description: Kuru warrior who helps guard Jayadratha, interprets the cloud-darkness
as evening, later fights Ghatotkacha and kills him with a dart.
role_refs:
- role:7
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Duryodhan
description: Kuru prince whose car bears an elephant standard; after losses, he
continues fighting and later laments to Drona.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Bhima
description: Warrior who kills many brothers of Duryodhan before nightfall and remains
sleepless after Ghatotkacha's death.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Ghatotkacha
description: Bhima's son, a brave warrior who twice slays Karna's horses and is
later killed by Karna's dart.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Kuru chieftains and warriors
description: Collective warriors who form ranks, carry standards, guard Jayadratha,
and slacken their fight when the sun is veiled.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Arjun's horses
description: Battle horses that become exhausted and wounded, are watered, fed,
rested, and reharnessed by Krishna.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
roles:
- id: role:1
label: vow-bound avenger
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Arjun describes a vow and seeks vengeance for a slaughtered hero while pursuing
Jayadratha.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- id: role:2
label: student avoiding combat with teacher
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Arjun says his bow is not drawn against his acharya Drona and passes him
by.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: caretaker of battle horses
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Krishna tends, waters, feeds, rests, and re-harnesses the exhausted horses.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: ritual or prayer-working ally
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Krishna whispers a prayer before a dark cloud veils the sun.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:5
label: acharya and Kuru leader
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Drona is called Arjun's acharya and is addressed by Duryodhan as leader of
the Kurus.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:9
- id: role:6
label: guarded target
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Jayadratha stands behind ranks and among circling chiefs before Arjun reaches
him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: role:7
label: protector of Jayadratha
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Karna is among the chieftains surrounding Jayadratha as day declines.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:8
label: slayer of Ghatotkacha
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Karna returns to battle and kills Bhima's son with a fatal dart.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:9
label: bereaved Kuru prince
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Duryodhan is sorrowful over slain brothers and fallen Kuru chiefs.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: role:10
label: slayer of Duryodhan's brothers
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Many brothers of Duryodhan are said to be slain by Bhima.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:11
label: fallen son of Bhima
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Ghatotkacha is identified as Bhima's son and lies lifeless after Karna's
dart.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:12
label: defensive war band
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Kuru chieftains and warriors form lines and guard Jayadratha against Arjun.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:13
label: rested war animals
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: The horses are exhausted, tended, watered, fed, rested, and returned to battle.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: green shady tree
literal_form: Tree near which Arjun stands guard while the horses rest.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: river water
literal_form: River beside which Krishna waters the exhausted horses.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: veiled sun and dark cloud
literal_form: A sable cloud covers the red sun, creating apparent evening darkness.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:4
label: warrior standards
literal_form: Battle standards and ensigns showing a lion's tail, elephant rope,
bull, peacock, ploughshare, silver boar, sacrificial stake, parrots, and elephant.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:5
label: torches in night battle
literal_form: Torches lit in the darkness after day has ended.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: sym:6
label: fatal dart
literal_form: Karna's dart that kills Ghatotkacha in the midnight battle.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Arjun bypasses Drona
summary: Arjun declares that he will not fight his acharya Drona and continues toward
Jayadratha under the pressure of his vow.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Resting the war horses
summary: Krishna advises a pause, Arjun stands guard by a tree, and Krishna tends
the wounded horses, waters them at a river, feeds them, rests them, and harnesses
them again.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Kuru standards and defense of Jayadratha
summary: Kuru warriors approach under distinctive standards, and nine chieftains
unite to block Arjun and protect Jayadratha.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Cloud-veiled sun and death of Jayadratha
summary: Krishna prays and a dark cloud covers the sun; the Kuru side relaxes, believing
evening has come, and Arjun breaks through to kill Jayadratha before the sun is
revealed again.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Torch-lit night battle and death of Ghatotkacha
summary: After further deaths among Duryodhan's brothers, night battle continues
by torchlight; Karna fights Ghatotkacha and finally kills him with a dart.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:6
label: Duryodhan laments to Drona
summary: Before morning, Duryodhan tells Drona that Kuru chiefs and many of his
brothers have been slain and questions the course of the battle.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:6
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Vow-bound vengeance before sunset
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Arjun's vow drives his pursuit of Jayadratha, and the passage states that
failure in his promise would require him to surrender his life.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The exact wording of the vow's time limit is only indirectly presented
through the enemy's belief about evening and failure.
- id: motif:2
label: Deceptive darkening of the sun to open a guarded way
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: Krishna's prayer brings a cloud over the sun, creating apparent evening;
the defenders relax, allowing Arjun to break through and kill Jayadratha.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy reference is approximate; the passage presents a strategic
deception at the day-night boundary, not a fully developed trickster episode.
- id: motif:3
label: Hero pauses battle to restore exhausted steeds
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The combat mission pauses while Krishna treats, waters, feeds, rests, and
re-harnesses Arjun's wounded horses.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: This is a practical battle episode rather than a strongly mythic motif
by itself.
- id: motif:4
label: Heraldic standards identify champions in battle
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Multiple Kuru chiefs are identified through distinctive standards bearing
animals, implements, and ritual imagery.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The passage lists emblems but does not explain their symbolic meanings.
- id: motif:5
label: Torch-lit night battle and fall of a hero's son
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The fighting continues into darkness with torches, and Ghatotkacha, son of
Bhima, is killed by Karna in the midnight battle.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The extraction does not infer a broader death-and-rebirth or sacrificial
pattern beyond the literal death in battle.
- id: motif:6
label: Conflict of duty toward teacher and vengeance against enemy
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Arjun refuses to fight Drona because he is his acharya while still continuing
a vengeance-driven mission against Jayadratha.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives Arjun's stated reasoning but does not elaborate a full
ethical debate.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 5114-5131
quote_or_summary: Arjun says his wrathful bow-string is not drawn against his acharya
and that a son's duty prevents him from fighting a father-like figure; he describes
vengeance and his vow, then passes Drona and continues through the battle lines.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized, no extended quotation.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 5132-5147
quote_or_summary: Krishna says the horses are failing and need rest; Arjun alights
and guards by a green shady tree while Krishna tends the wounded horses, waters
them by a river, gives fodder and rest, and harnesses them again.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized, no extended quotation.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 5148-5165
quote_or_summary: 'Kuru warriors approach with many standards: Drona''s son''s lion-tail
standard, Karna''s elephant-rope ensign, Kripa''s bull, Vrishasena''s peacock,
Salya''s golden ploughshare, Jayadratha''s silver boar, Somadatta''s sacrificial
stake, Salwa''s boar and parrots, and Duryodhan''s jeweled elephant.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized, no extended quotation.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 5166-5175
quote_or_summary: Nine Kuru chieftains advance together against Arjun and Krishna;
Arjun presses onward toward Jayadratha, who is among circling chiefs of war.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized, no extended quotation.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 5176-5187
quote_or_summary: As day declines, Karna and five chieftains surround Jayadratha.
Krishna whispers a prayer, a dark cloud veils the sun, and Karna, the chiefs,
and Jayadratha believe evening darkness has arrived and slacken their fighting.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized, no extended quotation.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 5188-5199
quote_or_summary: Taking advantage of the error, Arjun breaks through the unguarded
line, kills Jayadratha with an arrow, and then the cloud is removed so the red
sun still shines before evening darkness falls.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized, no extended quotation.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 5200-5207
quote_or_summary: Before night fully falls, many brothers of Duryodhan are slain
by Bhima; Duryodhan continues fighting, and torches are lit in the darkness.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized, no extended quotation.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 5208-5223
quote_or_summary: Karna, angry over Jayadratha and Duryodhan's brothers, fights
Bhima's son Ghatotkacha in midnight darkness; Ghatotkacha twice kills Karna's
horses, but Karna returns and kills him with a fatal dart.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized, no extended quotation.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: 5224-5254
quote_or_summary: Before crimson morning, Duryodhan speaks sorrowfully to Drona,
saying the Kuru chiefs are thinned and fallen and that many of his brothers have
been slain.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/mahabharata-dutt.md
rights_note: Public domain source metadata; summarized, no extended quotation.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is supported by the supplied passage. Motif labels are
candidate-level and should be reviewed, especially the taxonomy link for trickster_boundary.
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 provided passage and metadata; no external narrative context was added.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:hindu-mahabharata-dutt-gutenberg__l5114-l5254
passage_sha256=6bdbf79ccbe617b75436730b65616b13aa3aadb1d58a75ad9224d8c94d20efb4