batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l23974-l24121
---
record_id: batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l23974-l24121
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
passage_locator:
label: Canto XC. The Hermitage. / Canto XCVIII. Lakshman Calmed. / Canto C. The
Meeting. / Canto CI. Bharata Questioned.; lines 23974-24121
start: '23974'
end: '24121'
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: Rama receives the altered and grieving Bharata in the forest. Bharata reports
Dasaratha’s death, blames Kaikeyi’s demand, and begs Rama to return and accept
the kingship. Rama refuses to violate his father’s command, defends obedience
to parents, assigns Bharata the rule of Ayodhya, and affirms his own fourteen-year
exile in Dandaka. Bharata answers that dynastic custom gives the kingdom to the
elder son while he lives, again urges Rama to return, and asks him to perform
water rites for their dead father because the offering of a beloved son is said
to remain fresh in the spirit-world.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Rama sees Bharata worn and changed, raises him, kisses his head, embraces
him, and asks why he has come to the wilderness in ascetic dress.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Bharata says Dasaratha has died grieving for Rama and has gained a home among
the gods.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Bharata identifies Kaikeyi’s order as the cause of the king’s act and says
she sought sovereignty for her son.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Bharata asks Rama to accept the royal sway as the rightful king and says the
land is forlorn without him.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Bharata places his head at Rama’s feet while weeping and praying.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: Rama says he cannot commit sin to win lordship of the land and says Bharata
is not at fault.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: Rama says wife, son, and pupil owe obedience to lord and sire, and that mother
also deserves honor.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: Rama says the king and queen told him to seek the forest, so he obeyed.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: Rama instructs Bharata to retain royal power and rule Ayodhya while Rama spends
fourteen years in bark dress in Dandaka forest.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: Rama says he regards the charge given by his father as better than ruling
all worlds.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:11
text: Bharata says ancestral custom does not give the kingdom to a younger son while
the elder lives.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:12
text: Bharata asks Rama to return to Ayodhya and install himself as king.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:13
text: Bharata says Dasaratha died soon after Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana went to the
forest to keep the vow.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:14
text: Bharata asks Rama to pay the funeral rites of water for Dasaratha, saying
the gift from the best-beloved hands remains fresh in the spirit-world.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Rama
description: Prince in forest exile, addressed as rightful king and elder son; he
refuses the throne until his father’s command is fulfilled.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:3
- role:4
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Bharata
description: Kaikeyi’s son and Rama’s brother; he comes in matted locks and deerskin
dress, reports Dasaratha’s death, and asks Rama to rule.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:5
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Dasaratha
description: Dead king and father whose command sent Rama to the forest and whose
death Bharata reports.
role_refs:
- role:8
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- ev:9
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Kaikeyi
description: Bharata’s mother and queen whose order to the king is blamed by Bharata;
Rama says she should not be blamed and should be honored as mother.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Sita
description: Rama’s wife, mentioned as accompanying him when he left for the forest
to keep the vow.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Lakshmana
description: Rama’s companion, mentioned as accompanying him when he left for the
forest to keep the vow.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Shatrughna
description: Bharata says he and Shatrughna did not neglect the funeral obligation
before coming.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Advisers of the king
description: Venerable advisers of Dasaratha whom Bharata presents as joining the
supplication to Rama.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Widowed queens
description: Queens whom Bharata says seek Rama and are widowed after Dasaratha’s
death.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
roles:
- id: role:1
label: rightful elder heir
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Bharata says the kingdom is Rama’s by right and that ancestral custom does
not give the kingdom to a younger son while the elder lives.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:8
- id: role:2
label: younger brother supplicant
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Bharata bows, prays, calls himself Rama’s brother, pupil, and slave, and
asks Rama to accept kingship.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: obedient son in exile
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Rama says he obeyed the command to seek the forest and will spend fourteen
years in banishment.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:4
label: renouncer of contested kingship
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Rama refuses to commit sin for lordship and values his father’s charge more
than rule over all worlds.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: role:5
label: bearer of death tidings
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Bharata informs Rama that Dasaratha has died and gone to the gods.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:9
- id: role:6
label: beloved son for funeral offering
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Bharata says Rama was Dasaratha’s dearest and asks him to perform water rites
whose gift remains fresh in the spirit-world.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:7
label: proposed royal substitute
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Rama instructs Bharata to retain royal power and reign over Ayodhya.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:8
label: dead father-king
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Dasaratha is described as the monarch who died grieving for his son and whose
will apportioned duties to his sons.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- ev:9
- id: role:9
label: issuer of binding command
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Rama treats the king’s command sending him to the forest and assigning Bharata
royal power as binding.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:10
label: mother whose demand causes exile
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Bharata says Kaikeyi gave the order to the king; Rama says not to blame her
and that a mother also deserves honor.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: role:11
label: council witnesses and petitioners
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Bharata points to the king’s advisers as venerable persons who supplicate
Rama.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: ascetic forest dress
literal_form: matted locks, deerskin dress, bark coat
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- id: sym:2
label: forest exile
literal_form: distant wilderness, forest shade, Dandaka forest wilds
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- id: sym:3
label: kingdom and royal sway
literal_form: royal sway, kingdom, lordship of the land, Ayodhya
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: sym:4
label: head at feet
literal_form: Bharata’s head laid at Rama’s feet
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:5
label: water funeral rite
literal_form: funeral rites of water; gift poured by beloved hands
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:6
label: home among the gods and spirit-world
literal_form: home among the Gods; spirit-world; heavenly rest
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:9
- id: sym:7
label: autumn full moon image
literal_form: full moon of autumn reigning over the night
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Rama receives Bharata in the forest
summary: Rama recognizes Bharata’s altered condition, raises and embraces him, and
asks why he has left the kingdom for the wilderness in ascetic dress.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Bharata reports Dasaratha’s death and petitions Rama
summary: Bharata reports the king’s death, blames Kaikeyi’s demand, asks forgiveness,
and urges Rama to accept the kingdom, with advisers and queens seeking him.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Bharata prostrates before Rama
summary: Bharata weeps and lays his head at Rama’s feet while praying for Rama’s
return and rule.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Rama refuses the throne by appeal to filial duty
summary: Rama denies fault in Bharata, forbids blaming Kaikeyi, teaches obedience
to father and mother, and says he must obey the royal command by remaining in
exile while Bharata rules.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:5
label: Bharata invokes elder-right and funeral obligation
summary: Bharata argues that the elder son should rule, asks Rama to return to Ayodhya,
recounts Dasaratha’s death after Rama’s departure, and requests water rites from
Rama as the beloved son.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: rightful elder heir asked to return and rule
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
- return
basis: Bharata repeatedly urges Rama to return to Ayodhya and accept the kingdom
as his by right, citing the custom that a younger son should not rule while the
elder lives.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents a dynastic and ethical argument, not a completed
return.
- id: motif:2
label: renunciation of kingship to fulfill a father’s command
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
- royal_legitimacy
basis: Rama refuses to take the throne in violation of his father’s will, says he
will remain in exile for fourteen years, and values the charge more than ruling
all worlds.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The term sacrifice is used as a broad motif-family reference for renunciation,
not as a ritual sacrifice in the passage.
- id: motif:3
label: filial obedience to parents as sacred duty
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_parent_child
basis: Rama states that wives, sons, and pupils belong to and obey the father or
lord, and that a mother also deserves honor; he applies this duty to his own exile.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The available taxonomy label is approximate; the passage emphasizes human
royal parents and filial duty rather than a divine parent-child relationship.
- id: motif:4
label: beloved son’s offering sustains the dead in the spirit-world
taxonomy_refs:
- afterlife_journey_map
- water
basis: Bharata asks Rama to perform water rites for Dasaratha and says offerings
poured by the best-beloved hands remain fresh in the spirit-world.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage mentions the spirit-world and funeral water offering but does
not map an extended afterlife journey.
- id: motif:5
label: mourning messenger brings news of royal death
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Bharata comes to Rama in the forest, visibly altered, and reports that Dasaratha
died grieving for Rama.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: No external comparison is asserted.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 23974-23988
quote_or_summary: Rama sees Bharata worn and changed, raises him, kisses and embraces
him, and asks why he has come to the wilderness in matted locks and deerskin dress.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 23989-24004
quote_or_summary: Bharata says Dasaratha has died grieving for Rama and won a home
among the gods; he blames Queen Kaikeyi’s order and says she sought sway for her
son.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 24005-24024
quote_or_summary: Bharata asks Rama to accept the royal sway as anointed king, says
the land is forlorn without him, and invokes the venerable advisers’ supplication.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 24025-24028
quote_or_summary: Bharata weeps, prays, and lays his head at Rama’s feet; Rama then
replies.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 24029-24048
quote_or_summary: Rama says a worthy man should not commit sin to gain lordship;
he finds no fault in Bharata, tells him not to blame Kaikeyi, and teaches obedience
to lord, sire, and mother.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 24049-24068
quote_or_summary: Rama says the king and queen commanded him to seek the forest,
so he obeyed; Bharata must rule Ayodhya while Rama spends fourteen years in bark
in Dandaka.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 24069-24076
quote_or_summary: Rama says the charge given by the revered monarch is better and
richer in blessing than reigning over all worlds.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 24077-24096
quote_or_summary: Bharata says royal life is worthless if he fails in duty; ancestral
custom never gives the kingdom to the younger son while the elder lives, and he
asks Rama to return to Ayodhya and be installed as king.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 24097-24121
quote_or_summary: Bharata says Dasaratha died after Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana left
to keep the vow; he asks Rama to pay water rites, since the gift from beloved
hands remains fresh in the spirit-world.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is based only on the supplied passage. Motif-family assignments
use only supplied taxonomy references and are interpretive, so several are marked
medium. No comparison claims were made because the passage itself does not explicitly
compare traditions or motif families.
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 or unprovided taxonomy IDs used.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg__l23974-l24121
passage_sha256=0919ff5af914590b7bd49a22c058eaf56213499702acbef09664671dbb653b99