batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l29695-l29863
---
record_id: batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l29695-l29863
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
passage_locator:
label: Canto XXI. The Rousing Of Khara. / Canto XXIII. The Omens. / Canto XXIV.
The Host In Sight. / Canto XXV. The Battle.; lines 29695-29863
start: '29695'
end: '29863'
translation: The Ramayan of Valmiki
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: "“Thus twice seven thousand fiends, a band… By Raghu’s son were overthrown,
/ A man, on foot, and all alone.”"
summary: Dúshaṇ sends five thousand fiends against Ráma. Ráma withstands their missiles,
destroys Dúshaṇ’s chariot, cuts off Dúshaṇ’s arms, and kills him. Three additional
demon chiefs attack and are slain. Khara then advances with more chiefs, but Ráma
kills the remaining demon host; the battlefield is described through images of
gore, altar, and hell. Khara and a triple-headed monster remain alive, and Khara
charges toward Ráma.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Dúshaṇ sees his giant band slaughtered and calls five thousand fiends to attack
Ráma.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The attacking fiends use spears, swords, clubs, rocks, and trees as weapons.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Ráma stops the incoming missiles with arrows and is described as undismayed
under the attack.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Ráma’s wrath is described as clothing him with splendour like flame while
he shoots deadly arrows at the giants.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Ráma cuts Dúshaṇ’s bow, kills his horses and driver, wounds him, then cuts
off both of his arms as Dúshaṇ rushes forward with a mace.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: Spirits rejoice and praise Ráma after Dúshaṇ dies.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: Mahákapála, Sthúláksha, and Pramáthi attack Ráma and are killed by him.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: Ráma kills the remainder of Dúshaṇ’s five-thousand-member demon force and
sends them to Yáma’s realm.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: Khara orders a mightier army to kill Ráma and advances with Śyenagámí and
twelve chiefs.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: The fallen night-rovers cover the plain with loosened hair and blood; the
plain is compared to an altar prepared for holy rites and the wood to a hell of
flesh and gore.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:11
text: The passage states that twice seven thousand fiends were overthrown by Ráma,
who fought as one man on foot and alone.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:12
text: At the end of the passage, Khara and a triple-headed monster remain alive,
and Khara drives fiercely against Ráma.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Ráma / Raghu’s son / Kakutstha’s son / Lakshmaṇ’s brother
description: The lone warrior who fights on foot, withstands the demon host, kills
Dúshaṇ and other chiefs, and overthrows the fiends.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:9
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Dúshaṇ
description: A giant commander whose band is slaughtered; he attacks Ráma with missiles
and a mace, then is disarmed and killed.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Five thousand fiends / Dúshaṇ’s giant crew
description: A force ordered by Dúshaṇ to attack with weapons, rocks, and trees;
later slain by Ráma.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Spirits
description: Witnesses who see Dúshaṇ die and cry out in praise of Ráma.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Mahákapála
description: One of three chiefs who attack after Dúshaṇ’s death; he seizes a pike
and is killed by Ráma’s dart.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Sthúláksha
description: One of three chiefs who attack after Dúshaṇ’s death; he charges with
a spear and is struck in the eyes by Ráma’s arrows.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Pramáthi
description: One of three chiefs who attack after Dúshaṇ’s death; he attacks with
an axe and is laid low by Ráma.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Khara
description: A demon chief who learns of Dúshaṇ’s fall, orders another army forward,
survives the slaughter, and charges Ráma.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Śyenagámí and the twelve chiefs
description: Chiefs who advance with Khara toward Ráma.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Triple-headed monster
description: A monster described as surviving the fray along with Khara and Ráma.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Remnant demon crew / night-rovers
description: The remaining demons struck down by Ráma; their bodies cover the battlefield.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
roles:
- id: role:1
label: lone heroic combatant
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The passage emphasizes Ráma fighting alone on foot and overthrowing large
demon forces.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:2
label: demon chief or attacking commander
assigned_to:
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
basis: These figures lead, command, or personally attack Ráma with weapons.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: role:3
label: demon host or subordinate attackers
assigned_to:
- fig:3
- fig:9
- fig:11
basis: These groups advance under command and attack Ráma with weapons and arrows.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:4
label: praising witnesses
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The spirits see Dúshaṇ’s death and praise Ráma aloud.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:5
label: survivor of mass slaughter
assigned_to:
- fig:8
- fig:10
basis: The passage states that Khara and the triple-headed monster survive after
the demon host is killed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: trees and rocks as missiles
literal_form: Trees and rocks hurled in battle
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: flame-like wrath and arrows
literal_form: Ráma’s splendour as flame; shafts bright as flame
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:7
- id: sym:3
label: serpent-like mace
literal_form: Dúshaṇ’s ponderous mace compared to a monstrous serpent form
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- serpent
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: battlefield altar
literal_form: Plain covered with blood, bodies, and loosened hair compared to an
altar prepared for holy rites with grass
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:5
label: Yáma’s gloomy realm
literal_form: Realm of Yáma to which slain demons are sent
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:6
label: hell-like battlefield
literal_form: Darksome wood compared to hell with mire, flesh, and gore
associated_figures:
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:7
label: thunderbolt imagery
literal_form: Missiles compared to Indra’s bolts; mace compared to a thunderbolt;
fallen fiends compared to trees rent by red bolts
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Dúshaṇ sends five thousand fiends
summary: Dúshaṇ reacts to the slaughter of his band by ordering five thousand brave
fiends to attack Ráma with many weapons and missiles.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Ráma withstands the missile storm
summary: Ráma blocks the demons’ weapons with arrows, remains undismayed, and is
described with flame-like wrath as he fires back.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Dúshaṇ’s defeat and death
summary: Dúshaṇ attacks Ráma, but Ráma destroys his bow, horses, and driver, wounds
him, cuts off his arms, and brings him down; spirits praise Ráma.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Three chiefs slain
summary: Mahákapála, Sthúláksha, and Pramáthi attack with pike, spear, and axe;
Ráma kills all three.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Dúshaṇ’s remaining host destroyed
summary: Ráma kills the rest of Dúshaṇ’s five-thousand-member demon crew and sends
them to Yáma’s realm.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:6
label: Khara advances with another force
summary: Khara hears of Dúshaṇ’s fall, orders a stronger army to kill Ráma, and
advances with Śyenagámí and twelve chiefs.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:7
label: Mass slaughter and transformed battlefield
summary: Ráma kills the remaining demon crew; the bodies, blood, and hair covering
the plain are compared to a ritual altar and to a hellish landscape.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: scene:8
label: Khara survives and charges
summary: After twice seven thousand fiends are overthrown by Ráma alone, Khara and
a triple-headed monster remain alive; Khara drives fiercely against Ráma.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:8
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: lone hero overthrows a demon army
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage repeatedly presents Ráma as a single foot-soldier defeating thousands
of fiends and chiefs.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The label is descriptive and not tied to a supplied taxonomy family.
- id: motif:2
label: demon commander dismembered in single combat
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Dúshaṇ’s chariot and weapons are destroyed, his arms are cut off, and he
falls dead on the battlefield.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives a battle episode rather than a broader mythic cycle.
- id: motif:3
label: battlefield as ritual altar
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: The blood-covered battlefield is explicitly compared to an altar arrayed
for holy rites with grass.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The text uses a simile; no actual sacrifice ritual is performed in the
passage.
- id: motif:4
label: slain enemies sent to the realm of death
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Ráma’s arrows kill the demons and send them to Yáma’s gloomy realm.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage mentions the death realm but does not narrate an afterlife
journey.
- id: motif:5
label: hellish landscape after battle
taxonomy_refs:
- chaos
basis: The dark wood after the slaughter is compared to an awful hell thick with
mire, flesh, and gore.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The chaos association is based on battlefield imagery, not on cosmic disorder.
- id: motif:6
label: fire-bright martial power
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
basis: Ráma’s anger and arrows are described through flame imagery during his counterattack.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: Fire appears as simile and image, not as a literal fire event.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 29695-29715
quote_or_summary: Dúshaṇ sees his band slaughtered, calls five thousand fiends,
and orders them to seize spears, swords, clubs, rocks, and trees for a renewed
attack.
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 29716-29729
quote_or_summary: Ráma blocks the storm of missiles with arrows, remains undismayed,
and is described with wrath and splendour like flame while shooting at the giants.
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 29730-29743
quote_or_summary: Dúshaṇ hurls missiles at Ráma; Ráma cuts his bow, kills the chariot
horses and driver, and wounds Dúshaṇ in the breast.
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 29744-29773
quote_or_summary: Dúshaṇ takes up a great mace, compared with a serpent-like form
and thunderbolt; Ráma cuts off both his arms, the mace falls, Dúshaṇ dies, and
spirits praise 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 29774-29793
quote_or_summary: Mahákapála, Sthúláksha, and Pramáthi rush upon Ráma with pike,
spear, and axe; Ráma kills them with darts and arrows.
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 29794-29798
quote_or_summary: Ráma slays the rest of Dúshaṇ’s five-thousand-member demon crew
and sends them to Yáma’s gloomy realm.
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 29799-29818
quote_or_summary: Khara learns of Dúshaṇ’s fall, orders a stronger army to kill
Ráma, and advances with Śyenagámí and twelve chiefs, while giants send arrows
like a storm.
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 29819-29848
quote_or_summary: Ráma’s flame-bright shafts kill the remnant demon crew; bodies,
blood, and loosened hair cover the plain, which is compared to an altar, and the
wood is compared to hell thick with mire, flesh, and gore.
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 29849-29863
quote_or_summary: Twice seven thousand fiends are overthrown by Ráma, a man on foot
and alone; Khara, the triple-headed monster, and Ráma survive, and Khara drives
fiercely against Ráma.
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: high
notes: The literal battle sequence is clear. Motif labels are descriptive; taxonomy
mappings are cautious because most images are similes rather than standalone mythic
episodes. No comparison claims were added because the passage does not itself
support an external comparison.
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. The supplied passage locator label appears inconsistent with the visible canto headings in the excerpt.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg__l29695-l29863
passage_sha256=c09a9decb438e8bce46ad22bf3f819c7246f8aa1570c00cecb33d83f49d0352f