batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l30460-l30640

---
record_id: batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l30460-l30640
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
passage_locator:
  label: Canto XXIII. The Omens. / Canto XXIV. The Host In Sight. / Canto XXV. The
    Battle. / Canto XXVIII. Khara Dismounted.; lines 30460-30640
  start: '30460'
  end: '30640'
  translation: The Ramayan of Valmiki
  notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
    human review required.
canonical_text:
  quote: "“That hero in the wood beguile, / And steal his lovely spouse the while.”"
  summary: Akampan reports Rāma’s destruction of Janasthān, praises Rāma’s overwhelming
    and cosmic power, and advises Rāvaṇa to defeat him by guile through stealing Sītā.
    Rāvaṇa seeks Mārīcha’s aid, but Mārīcha warns that provoking Rāma will ruin
    him, so Rāvaṇa temporarily abandons the plan and returns to Lankā.
  language: English
  quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
  text: Akampan obeys his master and describes the power and might of Rāma, son of
    Raghu.
  category: speech
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
- id: obs:2
  text: Akampan says Rāma destroyed Janasthān without the aid of gods or heavenly
    legions, while Lakṣmaṇ stood beside him.
  category: action
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
- id: obs:3
  text: Rāma’s arrows are described as bright, gold-adorned, swift-winged, and turning
    into many-faced serpents that ate and burned the giant hosts.
  category: object
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
- id: obs:4
  text: Akampan claims Rāma’s power could stop a torrent, affect sky and stars, uphold
    or drown the earth, restrain the sea and wind, devastate the triple world, and
    create a new-born race.
  category: speech
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:2
- id: obs:5
  text: Akampan advises that Rāma cannot be defeated openly, but may be killed by
    guile through stealing his wife Sītā.
  category: speech
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:3
- id: obs:6
  text: Rāvaṇa approves the plan and says he will go in his chariot with only the
    driver and bring Sītā back to his city.
  category: action
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:4
- id: obs:7
  text: Rāvaṇa travels at dawn in an ass-drawn chariot that flies through the sky
    and reaches Mārīcha’s grove.
  category: action
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:5
- id: obs:8
  text: Mārīcha welcomes Rāvaṇa, offers food, a seat, and water for his feet, and
    asks why he has come.
  category: action
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:5
- id: obs:9
  text: Rāvaṇa tells Mārīcha that Rāma has slain his guards and made Janasthān desolate,
    and asks Mārīcha to help steal Rāma’s wife.
  category: speech
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:6
- id: obs:10
  text: Mārīcha warns that the plan to abduct Sītā is destructive folly and compares
    provoking Rāma to drawing the venomous fang from a serpent’s jaw and rousing a
    sleeping lion.
  category: speech
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:7
- id: obs:11
  text: Mārīcha advises Rāvaṇa to return to Lankā and leave Rāma in the wood with
    Sītā.
  category: speech
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:7
- id: obs:12
  text: Rāvaṇa obeys Mārīcha’s counsel, stays his purpose, and returns to his royal
    residence.
  category: sequence
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
  name_or_label: Akampan
  description: A giant who reports Rāma’s strength and counsels Rāvaṇa to use guile
    against him.
  role_refs:
  - role:1
  - role:2
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:3
- id: fig:2
  name_or_label: Rāma
  description: Raghu’s son, a bowman of heavenly arms who has destroyed Janasthān
    and is described as impossible to defeat in open battle.
  role_refs:
  - role:3
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:2
  - ev:3
  - ev:7
- id: fig:3
  name_or_label: Lakṣmaṇ
  description: Rāma’s brave brother who stands near him, likened to wind aiding a
    flame.
  role_refs:
  - role:4
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
- id: fig:4
  name_or_label: Sītā
  description: Rāma’s wife, praised for beauty and jewels, and identified as the intended
    target of abduction.
  role_refs:
  - role:5
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:3
  - ev:4
  - ev:6
  - ev:7
- id: fig:5
  name_or_label: Rāvaṇa
  description: The mighty king of the giants and lord of Lankā, who approves the plan
    to steal Sītā, seeks Mārīcha’s aid, and then returns after being warned.
  role_refs:
  - role:6
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:4
  - ev:5
  - ev:6
  - ev:8
- id: fig:6
  name_or_label: Mārīcha
  description: A giant chief who hosts Rāvaṇa and warns him not to abduct Sītā or
    provoke Rāma.
  role_refs:
  - role:7
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:5
  - ev:7
- id: fig:7
  name_or_label: Giant hosts and guards
  description: The giant forces and guards said to have been slain or routed by Rāma
    at Janasthān.
  role_refs:
  - role:8
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:6
  - ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
  label: reporting witness
  assigned_to:
  - fig:1
  basis: Akampan recounts Rāma’s destruction of Janasthān and his power.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:2
- id: role:2
  label: strategic counselor
  assigned_to:
  - fig:1
  basis: Akampan advises Rāvaṇa to use guile and steal Sītā.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:3
- id: role:3
  label: invincible warrior hero
  assigned_to:
  - fig:2
  basis: Rāma is described as unmatched in battle, destroyer of Janasthān, and undefeatable
    even by gods joined with demons.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:2
  - ev:3
  - ev:7
- id: role:4
  label: brother and battle companion
  assigned_to:
  - fig:3
  basis: Lakṣmaṇ is said to stand always by Rāma’s side.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
- id: role:5
  label: targeted wife or beloved
  assigned_to:
  - fig:4
  basis: Sītā is named as Rāma’s wife whom Akampan and Rāvaṇa plan to steal.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:3
  - ev:4
  - ev:6
- id: role:6
  label: giant king and abduction planner
  assigned_to:
  - fig:5
  basis: Rāvaṇa approves the plan, travels to Mārīcha, and asks aid in stealing Sītā.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:4
  - ev:5
  - ev:6
- id: role:7
  label: warning adviser and host
  assigned_to:
  - fig:6
  basis: Mārīcha receives Rāvaṇa hospitably and warns him against the proposed abduction.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:5
  - ev:7
- id: role:8
  label: defeated forces
  assigned_to:
  - fig:7
  basis: The giant hosts and guards are described as eaten, burned, routed, or slain
    by Rāma.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:6
  - ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
  label: serpent weapons
  literal_form: Rāma’s arrows turn into many-faced serpents that eat and burn the
    giant hosts.
  associated_figures:
  - fig:2
  - fig:7
  taxonomy_refs:
  - serpent
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
- id: sym:2
  label: venomed serpent jaw
  literal_form: Mārīcha likens the abduction plan to drawing a venomed fang from
    a serpent’s jaw.
  associated_figures:
  - fig:5
  - fig:6
  taxonomy_refs:
  - serpent
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:7
- id: sym:3
  label: flame and burning force
  literal_form: Lakṣmaṇ is likened to wind aiding a flame, and Rāma’s serpent-like
    arrows burn the giants.
  associated_figures:
  - fig:2
  - fig:3
  - fig:7
  taxonomy_refs:
  - fire
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
- id: sym:4
  label: cosmic waters
  literal_form: Akampan describes Rāma’s power over a torrent, the sea’s barrier,
    the great deep, and battle-flood imagery.
  associated_figures:
  - fig:2
  taxonomy_refs:
  - water
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:2
  - ev:7
- id: sym:5
  label: flying chariot
  literal_form: Rāvaṇa’s ass-drawn chariot travels through the sky and the path of
    lunar stars.
  associated_figures:
  - fig:5
  taxonomy_refs: []
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
  label: Akampan reports Janasthān’s destruction
  summary: Akampan tells Rāvaṇa that Rāma, with Lakṣmaṇ beside him, destroyed Janasthān
    by his own martial power and serpent-like arrows.
  figure_refs:
  - fig:1
  - fig:2
  - fig:3
  - fig:7
  symbol_refs:
  - sym:1
  - sym:3
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
- id: scene:2
  label: Akampan proposes guile against Rāma
  summary: After praising Rāma’s cosmic power and invincibility, Akampan advises stealing
    Sītā as the means to overcome him.
  figure_refs:
  - fig:1
  - fig:2
  - fig:4
  - fig:5
  symbol_refs:
  - sym:4
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:2
  - ev:3
- id: scene:3
  label: Rāvaṇa sets out for Mārīcha
  summary: Rāvaṇa approves the abduction plan, declares he will bring Sītā to his
    city, and flies in his chariot to Mārīcha’s grove.
  figure_refs:
  - fig:5
  - fig:6
  - fig:4
  symbol_refs:
  - sym:5
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:4
  - ev:5
- id: scene:4
  label: Mārīcha warns Rāvaṇa
  summary: Rāvaṇa asks Mārīcha for help stealing Sītā, but Mārīcha warns that provoking
    Rāma will bring ruin and advises return to Lankā.
  figure_refs:
  - fig:2
  - fig:4
  - fig:5
  - fig:6
  - fig:7
  symbol_refs:
  - sym:2
  - sym:4
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:6
  - ev:7
  - ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
  label: planned theft of the beloved wife
  taxonomy_refs:
  - stolen_beloved
  basis: Akampan explicitly proposes that Rāvaṇa beguile Rāma and steal Sītā, and
    Rāvaṇa asks Mārīcha to aid in stealing the conqueror’s wife.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:3
  - ev:4
  - ev:6
  confidence: high
  cautions: In this passage the abduction is planned and discussed, but Mārīcha’s
    warning causes Rāvaṇa temporarily to stay his purpose.
- id: motif:2
  label: invincible warrior whose force overwhelms armies
  taxonomy_refs: []
  basis: Rāma is described as unmatched with the bow, destroyer of Janasthān, and
    impossible to defeat openly even with divine and demonic aid.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  - ev:2
  - ev:3
  - ev:7
  confidence: high
  cautions: The description is reported speech and includes praise and hyperbole.
- id: motif:3
  label: serpent-transformed weapons
  taxonomy_refs: []
  basis: Rāma’s arrows are said to turn into many-faced serpents that consume and
    burn the giant hosts.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:1
  confidence: high
  cautions: The passage does not clarify whether this is literal transformation, poetic
    description, or supernatural weapon imagery.
- id: motif:4
  label: cosmic-scale destructive power of the hero
  taxonomy_refs:
  - chaos
  basis: Akampan claims Rāma could stop torrents, alter sky and stars, drown or uphold
    the earth, restrain sea and wind, devastate the triple world, and create a new
    race.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:2
  confidence: medium
  cautions: The events are not enacted in the passage; they are part of Akampan’s
    rhetorical praise of Rāma’s power.
- id: motif:5
  label: wise warning against provoking a sleeping destructive power
  taxonomy_refs: []
  basis: Mārīcha warns Rāvaṇa that abducting Sītā will rouse Rāma like a sleeping
    lion and lead to ruin.
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:7
  - ev:8
  confidence: high
  cautions: This is a narrative advisory pattern rather than a supplied taxonomy motif
    family.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
  claim: The proposed seizure of Sītā fits the available stolen-beloved motif family
    at the level of plot pattern because the passage repeatedly frames Sītā as Rāma’s
    wife to be stolen by guile.
  claim_level: same_motif
  target: stolen_beloved motif family
  evidence_refs:
  - ev:3
  - ev:4
  - ev:6
  counter_evidence_refs:
  - ev:8
  confidence: high
  limitations: The passage covers planning and temporary postponement, not the completed
    abduction.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
  type: summary
  locator: lines 30460-30493
  quote_or_summary: Akampan says Rāma is unmatched with the bow, Lakṣmaṇ stands by
    him, no gods fought at Janasthān, and Rāma’s gold-bright arrows turned into many-faced
    serpents that ate and burned the giants.
  source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
  rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:2
  type: summary
  locator: lines 30500-30520
  quote_or_summary: Akampan claims Rāma could stop torrents, affect sky and stars,
    uphold or drown earth, restrain sea and wind, devastate the triple world, and
    create a new-born race.
  source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
  rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:3
  type: quote
  locator: lines 30521-30540
  quote_or_summary: 'Akampan says Rāma cannot be overcome in fight, but “guile may
    kill” him, and advises: “That hero in the wood beguile, / And steal his lovely
    spouse the while.”'
  source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
  rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used.
- id: ev:4
  type: summary
  locator: lines 30541-30549
  quote_or_summary: Rāvaṇa approves Akampan’s plan and says he will go in his car
    at dawn with only the driver and bring Sītā back to his city.
  source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
  rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:5
  type: summary
  locator: lines 30550-30566
  quote_or_summary: Rāvaṇa’s ass-drawn chariot flies through the sky toward Mārīcha’s
    grove; Mārīcha welcomes him with food, a seat, water for his feet, and asks why
    he came.
  source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
  rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:6
  type: summary
  locator: lines 30567-30578
  quote_or_summary: Rāvaṇa tells Mārīcha that Rāma has slain his guards and desolated
    Janasthān, and asks for help with his plan to steal the conqueror’s wife.
  source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
  rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:7
  type: summary
  locator: lines 30579-30636
  quote_or_summary: Mārīcha asks what enemy suggested abducting Sītā, warns that
    the plan invites destruction, compares it to drawing a venomed fang from a serpent’s
    jaw and rousing a sleeping lion, and advises Rāvaṇa to return to Lankā.
  source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
  rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:8
  type: summary
  locator: lines 30637-30640
  quote_or_summary: Rāvaṇa obeys Mārīcha’s counsel, stays his purpose, departs in
    his chariot, and reaches his royal residence.
  source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
  rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
confidence:
  extraction: high
  motif_candidates: medium
  comparison_claims: medium
  notes: Main figures, actions, and the planned stolen-beloved pattern are explicit.
    Cosmic and serpent imagery are secure as reported speech, but some motif labeling
    is interpretive because the passage uses rhetorical praise and simile.
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 supplied passage text and metadata were used. Taxonomy references are limited to the provided available motif families and symbols.
  batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
  custom_id=motif_extract:hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg__l30460-l30640
  passage_sha256=94a96f5261ae38bd345272796d9f963d720652c4178d1bd559c492f2354d7d93