batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l11686-l11862
---
record_id: batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l11686-l11862
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 11686-11862
start: '11686'
end: '11862'
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: Daśaratha condemns Kaikeyí for demanding Ráma's banishment, pleads for
mercy, collapses in grief, and is repeatedly pressed by Kaikeyí to keep his promised
boons in the name of truth. Kaikeyí cites exemplars of promise-keeping and again
demands that Ráma be sent to the forest, threatening to die if the boon is denied.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Daśaratha addresses Kaikeyí with accusations of cruelty and selfishness and
says Ráma's banishment would make life unbearable.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Daśaratha likens Kaikeyí to a venomous snake whom he brought into his home.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Daśaratha asks Kaikeyí to spare Ráma and says he prays while trying to touch
her feet, but he is too weak and faint to reach them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Daśaratha lies prostrate and later swoons on the ground in grief over Ráma.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: obs:5
text: Kaikeyí renews her demand and reminds Daśaratha of his boast that he loves
truth and keeps vows.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Daśaratha pleads that Ráma, won from Heaven after long childlessness, should
not be deserted.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: Daśaratha addresses Night, saying he does not long for morning and does not
want to see Kaikeyí's face.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: Kaikeyí argues that truth is supreme among duties and commands Daśaratha to
keep his word.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: Kaikeyí cites Śaivya, Alarka, and the sea as examples of keeping a promise
or fixed bounds.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: Kaikeyí repeats her demand that Ráma be sent to the wild forest and threatens
to die before Daśaratha if he refuses.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Daśaratha
description: King of Ayodhyá and father of Ráma, shown grieving, pleading, and resisting
Kaikeyí's demand.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Kaikeyí
description: Queen who demands that Daśaratha fulfill promised boons by sending
Ráma to the forest.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Ráma
description: Daśaratha's beloved son, described as mighty-armed, wise, heroic, patient,
and controlled in wrath; he is the one whose banishment is demanded.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:8
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Lakshmaṇ
description: Named by Daśaratha alongside himself and Ráma as a possible victim
of Kaikeyí's designs.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Bharat
description: Named as the one with whom Kaikeyí could rule the state if Ráma were
removed.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Yayáti
description: 'A figure used in simile: once banished from blissful skies when his
merit was exhausted.'
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Śaivya
description: A king cited by Kaikeyí as keeping a promise to a hawk by giving flesh
and bone.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Alarka
description: A figure cited by Kaikeyí as giving his eyes when a Bráhman claimed
a promise.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Rivers' Lord / the mighty main
description: The sea, personified as keeping within prescribed bounds despite boiling
and raging waters.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Night
description: Night addressed by Daśaratha as adorned with stars and asked either
to delay or pass swiftly.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
roles:
- id: role:1
label: king
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The passage identifies Daśaratha as Ayodhyá's king and monarch.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:2
label: grieving father
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He repeatedly mourns the threatened banishment of his son Ráma.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:3
label: promise-bound ruler
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Kaikeyí presses him to fulfill his promised boon in the name of truth and
honour.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: role:4
label: demanding queen
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: She renews her demand for the promised boon and insists on Ráma's banishment.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:8
- id: role:5
label: recipient of boons
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: She refers to the promised boon as hers to choose and demands its fulfillment.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:8
- id: role:6
label: beloved son
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Daśaratha calls Ráma his darling son and says life without him is impossible.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: role:7
label: exile demanded
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Kaikeyí demands that Ráma be sent to the wild forest.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:8
label: potential royal beneficiary
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Daśaratha imagines Kaikeyí ruling the state with Bharat after removing Ráma.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:9
label: fallen exemplar in simile
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Daśaratha's prostrate condition is compared to Yayáti after banishment from
heaven.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:10
label: promise-keeping exemplar
assigned_to:
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
basis: Kaikeyí cites these figures as models of truth or fidelity to a promise or
ordained limit.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: venomous snake image
literal_form: venomed snake
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- serpent
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: wild forest destination
literal_form: forest wild
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:3
label: prostration and feet-touching gesture
literal_form: Daśaratha tries to touch Kaikeyí's feet while pleading
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:4
label: night addressed as witness
literal_form: moon-crowned night with starry fires
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: truth and vow
literal_form: promise, boon, truth, word
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: sym:6
label: sacrificial body parts in vow exempla
literal_form: flesh and bone; bleeding eyes
associated_figures:
- fig:7
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Daśaratha condemns and pleads with Kaikeyí
summary: Daśaratha denounces Kaikeyí's demand, praises Ráma, says life without Ráma
is impossible, and pleads for her to spare him.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: The king lies prostrate while the queen renews her demand
summary: Daśaratha lies on the ground in distress; Kaikeyí, described as triumphant,
again insists that he keep his promised boon.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Daśaratha's night-long grief
summary: Daśaratha recalls winning Ráma after long childlessness, wishes for death
before wronging him, addresses Night, and continues pleading with Kaikeyí.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:5
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Kaikeyí argues from truth and exempla
summary: Kaikeyí says truth is supreme, cites figures who kept promises at great
cost, and repeats that Ráma must be sent to the forest or she will die.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: contested royal succession through promised boons
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
basis: A queen uses a prior promise to press the king to displace Ráma and enable
Bharat's rule, while the king resists because of love for Ráma and concern for
justice.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives the demand and conflict but not the full succession
outcome.
- id: motif:2
label: exile to the forest demanded of a royal son
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
basis: Kaikeyí explicitly demands that Ráma be sent to the wild forest.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: This passage contains the demand for departure, not the actual departure.
- id: motif:3
label: binding vow over personal attachment
taxonomy_refs:
- covenant
basis: Kaikeyí frames the promised boon as a binding claim and argues that truth
and keeping one's word override other duties.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The available taxonomy has no exact 'truth-vow' category; 'covenant' is
an approximate fit for a binding promise.
- id: motif:4
label: self-sacrifice as proof of truthfulness
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: Kaikeyí cites Śaivya giving flesh and bone and Alarka giving eyes as exemplars
of promise-keeping.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: These are cited exempla within speech rather than the main action of the
passage.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: Kaikeyí's examples of Śaivya, Alarka, and the sea function as internal comparisons
that pressure Daśaratha to conform to a pattern of absolute fidelity to a vow.
claim_level: same_function
target: promise-keeping exempla within Kaikeyí's speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: This is an intra-passage functional comparison, not evidence for historical
contact or common inheritance.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 11686-11725
quote_or_summary: Daśaratha denounces Kaikeyí, says Ráma's banishment would make
life impossible, calls her like a venomous snake, and imagines her ruling with
Bharat after slaying or removing Ráma, Lakshmaṇ, and himself.
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 11726-11737
quote_or_summary: Daśaratha says his life has no joy without his son, asks Kaikeyí
to spare Ráma, tries to touch her feet while praying, falls, and weeps weakly.
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 11738-11753
quote_or_summary: Daśaratha lies prostrate like fallen Yayáti; Kaikeyí, triumphant
and unsubdued, renews her demand and asks why he refuses the promised boon.
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 11754-11775
quote_or_summary: Daśaratha says that after long childlessness he won Ráma from
Heaven, praises Ráma's virtues, and wishes death would take him before he wrongs
Ráma.
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 11776-11813
quote_or_summary: Night falls without comforting Daśaratha; he addresses Night,
asks not to see Kaikeyí's face, pleads again for mercy, and then swoons when she
persists in demanding Ráma's banishment.
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 11814-11833
quote_or_summary: Kaikeyí asks why Daśaratha lies on the ground over a promise,
says truth is supreme among duties, and commands him to uphold truth and honour.
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 11834-11849
quote_or_summary: Kaikeyí cites Śaivya giving flesh and bone to a hawk, Alarka giving
his eyes to a Bráhman, and the sea keeping its bounds as examples of fidelity
to a word.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: quote
locator: lines 11850-11862
quote_or_summary: "“Thrice I repeat it—send thy child, / Thy Ráma, to the forest
wild. / But if the boon thou still deny, / Before thy face, forlorn, I die.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The main action and roles are explicit. Motif taxonomy matches are partly
approximate, especially for vow/truth language.
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; no external identifications or non-passage comparisons added.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg__l11686-l11862
passage_sha256=c76efdffe659e32265c9ea685b3cfc18f2fd809e7d093894f6a291b8a9d25103