batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l11151-l11309
---
record_id: batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l11151-l11309
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
passage_locator:
label: BOOK II. / Canto I. The Heir Apparent. / Canto VI. The City Decorated. /
Canto IX. The Plot.; lines 11151-11309
start: '11151'
end: '11309'
translation: The Ramayan of Valmiki
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: The king tries to console Kaikeyí, promises to satisfy her wish, and swears
repeatedly, especially by Ráma. Kaikeyí calls cosmic and divine witnesses to the
oath, recalls two old boons owed from a battle between gods and demons, and demands
that her son be enthroned while Ráma is sent to Daṇḍak forest for fourteen years
as a hermit.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The king finds Kaikeyí lying in distress and tries to soothe her with affectionate
words and caresses.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The king offers to punish or reward anyone at Kaikeyí’s request and says his
lords and he obey her will.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The king describes the extent and wealth of his empire while urging Kaikeyí
to choose what she wants.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: Kaikeyí says she has not suffered insult or neglect, but has one wish and
asks the king to pledge his word before she speaks it.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The king swears by Ráma, whom he calls his dear son and heir, that he will
grant Kaikeyí’s request.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: Kaikeyí calls gods, cosmic bodies, times, directions, heavenly beings, demons,
ghosts, household gods, and all beings to witness the king’s oath.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: Kaikeyí reminds the king of a past battle between gods and demons, when she
preserved his life and he promised her two boons.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: Kaikeyí demands that rites begun for Ráma be transferred to her son and that
her son be enthroned.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: Kaikeyí demands that Ráma be driven to Daṇḍak forest for fourteen years, living
as a hermit with deerskin coat and matted hair.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Daśaratha, the king
description: A great king and husband of Kaikeyí who tries to comfort her and swears
to grant her request.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Kaikeyí
description: The queen who lies in distress, asks for a sworn pledge, invokes witnesses,
recalls two owed boons, and demands Ráma’s exile and her son’s enthronement.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Ráma
description: The king’s dear son and high-souled heir; Kaikeyí demands that the
rites begun in his name be transferred and that he be sent to the forest.
role_refs:
- role:5
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Kaikeyí’s son
description: Kaikeyí’s unnamed son in this passage, whom she asks to have enthroned
and to enjoy the empire without a rival.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: cosmic and divine witnesses
description: The thirty-three gods, Indra, sun, moon, planets, heaven, quarters,
day and night, earth, heavenly bards, demons, ghosts, household gods, and all
beings are called to witness the oath.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: ruling monarch
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He describes his wide empire and speaks as one able to punish, reward, and
grant rulership.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:2
label: bound oath-maker
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He repeatedly swears to grant Kaikeyí’s prayer, especially by Ráma.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:3
label: queen and wife
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The king addresses Kaikeyí as queen and darling, and she speaks to him as
lord and king.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: claimer of promised boons
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: She recalls two old promised prayers and demands them from the king.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: role:5
label: heir apparent
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The king calls Ráma his race’s high-souled heir, and Kaikeyí says rites have
been begun in Ráma’s name.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: role:6
label: intended exile
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Kaikeyí demands that Ráma be sent to Daṇḍak forest for fourteen years as
a hermit.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:7
label: intended enthroned beneficiary
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Kaikeyí demands that her son be enthroned and enjoy the empire without a
rival.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: role:8
label: oath witnesses
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Kaikeyí explicitly calls divine, cosmic, and other beings to hear and mark
the oath.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: sworn boon
literal_form: The king’s repeated oath to grant Kaikeyí’s prayer and the two earlier
boons owed to her.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: sym:2
label: cosmic witness assembly
literal_form: Gods, Indra, sun, moon, planets, heaven, directions, day, night, earth,
demons, ghosts, household gods, and all beings called as witnesses.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:3
label: transferred royal rites
literal_form: Rites begun in Ráma’s name that Kaikeyí asks to be transferred to
her son.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:4
label: Daṇḍak forest exile
literal_form: Daṇḍak forest as the place to which Ráma is to be driven for fourteen
years.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:5
label: hermit attire
literal_form: Deerskin coat and matted hair prescribed for Ráma’s forest dwelling.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: The king consoles Kaikeyí
summary: The king finds Kaikeyí in distress, compares her condition to one afflicted,
and offers comfort, medical help, punishment, reward, and any gift she chooses.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:2
label: Kaikeyí secures an oath
summary: Kaikeyí asks the king to pledge his word before she reveals her wish; the
king, out of love, swears by Ráma that he will grant it.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:3
label: Witnesses and old boons invoked
summary: Kaikeyí calls divine and cosmic witnesses to the oath, then recalls the
old battlefield promise of two boons granted for saving the king’s life.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:4
label: Demand for enthronement and exile
summary: Kaikeyí demands that the rites intended for Ráma be transferred to her
son, that her son be enthroned, and that Ráma be sent to Daṇḍak forest for fourteen
years as a hermit.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: royal succession contested through demanded boons
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
basis: A queen uses sworn boons to redirect royal rites and enthronement from the
named heir, Ráma, to her own son.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents the demand, not its later political outcome.
- id: motif:2
label: binding oath exploited by a claimant
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: The king swears to grant a request, cosmic witnesses are invoked, and Kaikeyí
claims two earlier boons owed in return for saving his life.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The available taxonomy has no exact oath/boon motif; sacred_exchange is
used cautiously because the demand rests on a promised recompense.
- id: motif:3
label: hero’s forced departure into forest exile
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
basis: Kaikeyí demands that Ráma leave the court for Daṇḍak forest for fourteen
years and live as a hermit.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: This passage contains the demand for departure rather than Ráma’s actual
departure.
- id: motif:4
label: renunciation markers imposed on royal heir
taxonomy_refs:
- initiation
basis: Ráma, identified as heir, is to dwell in the forest wearing deerskin and
matted hair, markers of hermit life.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage frames the hermit condition as an imposed exile; initiation
is a cautious motif-family fit rather than an explicit term in the text.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 11151-11169
quote_or_summary: The king, distressed, gently caresses and addresses Kaikeyí, who
lies in the dust in anger and grief.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 11170-11191
quote_or_summary: The king offers physicians, asks whom Kaikeyí wants punished or
rewarded, and says the guilty may be freed, the guiltless condemned, and all obey
her will.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 11192-11213
quote_or_summary: The king swears to do Kaikeyí’s pleasure and lists the lands and
wealth under his sway while urging her to choose what she wants.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 11214-11231
quote_or_summary: Kaikeyí, consoled and intent on her purpose, says she has endured
no insult but has one wish and asks the king first to pledge his word.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 11232-11256
quote_or_summary: The king, described as enthralled by love, swears by Ráma, his
dear son and heir, that he will grant Kaikeyí’s request.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 11257-11272
quote_or_summary: Kaikeyí declares that the king has granted a boon and calls the
thirty-three gods, Indra, sun, moon, planets, heaven, directions, day and night,
earth, demons, ghosts, household gods, and all beings as witnesses.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 11273-11291
quote_or_summary: Kaikeyí recalls the battle of gods and demons, says she saved
the king’s life, and reminds him that he promised her first and second prayers.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 11292-11300
quote_or_summary: 'Kaikeyí demands the two old boons: rites begun in Ráma’s name
should be transferred, and her son should be enthroned.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 11301-11309
quote_or_summary: Kaikeyí demands that Ráma be sent to Daṇḍak forest for fourteen
years, live as a hermit with deerskin coat and matted hair, and leave her son
without a rival for the empire.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Core figures, actions, and demands are explicit in the passage. Motif-family
assignments are cautious where the taxonomy lacks exact labels for oath, boon,
or exile-by-intrigue patterns. No comparison claims were added because the passage
itself does not make a comparative claim.
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: |-
Only provided passage and metadata were used. The son of Kaikeyí is left unnamed because this passage identifies him only as her son or boy.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg__l11151-l11309
passage_sha256=657aa9ab2e0cdbb945aff1070519e504561c0492c9a160c9bfa4fd70950895a5