batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l31149-l31260
---
record_id: batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l31149-l31260
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 31149-31260
start: '31149'
end: '31260'
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: Rávaṇ tells Márícha that Ráma has slain Khara, Dúshaṇ, Triśirás, and fourteen
thousand giants in Janasthán. He plans revenge by having Márícha take the form
of a golden deer to lure Ráma and Lakshmaṇ away from Sítá, after which Rávaṇ will
seize her. Márícha reacts with fear and prepares to counsel Rávaṇ against the
plan.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Rávaṇ comes to Márícha seeking help because he is distressed and regards Márícha
as his surest aid.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Rávaṇ describes Janasthán as the forest home of Śúrpaṇakhá, Khara, Dúshaṇ,
Triśirás, and many giants who kill saints and devotees under his command.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Rávaṇ says Ráma, standing alone and on foot, killed fourteen thousand giants
and slew Khara, Dúshaṇ, and Triśirás.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: Rávaṇ says Ráma is banished, lives in the forest with his wife, and wears
mean attire.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Rávaṇ says his sister was left mutilated, deprived of nose and ears.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: Rávaṇ identifies Sítá as Ráma’s wife and says he intends to seize her from
the forest.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: Rávaṇ asks Márícha to appear as a golden deer with silver spots near the dwelling
of Ráma and Sítá.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: Rávaṇ expects Sítá to ask Ráma and Lakshmaṇ to capture the beautiful deer.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: Rávaṇ plans to abduct Sítá when Ráma and Lakshmaṇ have left her alone and
without defense.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: Rávaṇ compares his intended seizure of Sítá to Ráhu storming the moonlight.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:11
text: Márícha becomes pale, terrified, and grief-stricken when he hears Rávaṇ’s
plan.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:12
text: Márícha tries to restrain Rávaṇ because he knows Ráma’s great strength.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Rávaṇ
description: A king and monarch who seeks Márícha’s aid and plans to seize Sítá.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- ev:9
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Márícha
description: A fiend addressed by Rávaṇ, skilled in art and wile, whom Rávaṇ asks
to assume the form of a golden deer.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Ráma
description: A banished forest-dweller with his wife, described by Rávaṇ as having
slain the giant host and its leaders alone.
role_refs:
- role:5
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:8
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Sítá
description: Ráma’s wife, described as beautiful, whom Rávaṇ plans to seize.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Lakshmaṇ
description: A chief whom Rávaṇ expects Sítá to ask, with Ráma, to take the wondrous
deer.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Khara
description: Leader of the giant host in Janasthán, slain by Ráma according to Rávaṇ.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Dúshaṇ
description: A mighty and fearless warrior in Janasthán, slain by Ráma according
to Rávaṇ.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Triśirás
description: A fierce fighter in Janasthán, slain by Ráma according to Rávaṇ.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Śúrpaṇakhá
description: Rávaṇ’s sister associated with Janasthán; Rávaṇ says she was mutilated.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Rāhu
description: A figure invoked in Rávaṇ’s simile for seizing Sítá, described as storming
the moonlight.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
roles:
- id: role:1
label: distressed king seeking aid
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Rávaṇ says he is sick and distressed and has come to Márícha for help.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: planner of abduction
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Rávaṇ states that he will seize Sítá when she is left alone.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:9
- id: role:3
label: requested accomplice
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Rávaṇ asks Márícha to help him carry out the plan.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- id: role:4
label: shape-changing lure
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Rávaṇ instructs Márícha to appear in the semblance of a golden deer.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:5
label: lone victorious warrior
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Rávaṇ says Ráma alone, on foot, destroyed the giant host and its leaders.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:6
label: husband to be lured away
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Rávaṇ expects Ráma to leave Sítá to pursue or capture the deer.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: role:7
label: intended abductee
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Rávaṇ identifies Sítá as the woman he intends to seize.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:9
- id: role:8
label: companion to be lured away
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Rávaṇ expects Lakshmaṇ to be drawn away with Ráma by the deer.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: role:9
label: defeated giant leader
assigned_to:
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
basis: Rávaṇ names these Janasthán leaders as slain by Ráma.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:10
label: mutilated sister
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Rávaṇ refers to his sister as having been deprived of nose and ears.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: golden deer with silver spots
literal_form: A wondrous deer-form, golden and marked with silver spots, to be assumed
by Márícha as a lure.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: sym:2
label: flaming arrows
literal_form: Ráma’s arrows are described as missiles burning with destructive flame.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:3
label: Rāhu and moonlight simile
literal_form: Rávaṇ likens his intended seizure of Sítá to Rāhu storming the moonlight.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:4
label: mutilated nose and ears
literal_form: The nose and ears of Rávaṇ’s sister are said to have been cut off
or removed.
associated_figures:
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Rávaṇ recounts the fall of Janasthán’s giants
summary: Rávaṇ tells Márícha that the giant host of Janasthán, led by Khara and
including Dúshaṇ and Triśirás, met Ráma in battle and was destroyed by him alone.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:2
label: Rávaṇ announces revenge through Sítá’s seizure
summary: Rávaṇ denounces Ráma, recalls his sister’s mutilation, identifies Sítá
as Ráma’s wife, and declares his intention to seize her with Márícha’s aid.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:3
label: The golden deer stratagem
summary: Rávaṇ instructs Márícha to appear as a golden deer near Ráma’s dwelling,
expecting Sítá to ask Ráma and Lakshmaṇ to capture it so that she will be left
undefended.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: scene:4
label: Márícha’s fearful reaction
summary: Márícha is terrified by Rávaṇ’s plan and attempts to restrain him, knowing
Ráma’s power.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: abduction of the beloved through deception
taxonomy_refs:
- stolen_beloved
basis: Rávaṇ plans to lure Ráma and Lakshmaṇ away and seize Sítá, Ráma’s wife, when
she is alone.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents the plan rather than the completed abduction.
- id: motif:2
label: shape-shifted animal lure
taxonomy_refs:
- shapeshifter
basis: Márícha is asked to appear in the semblance of a golden deer with silver
spots to attract Sítá’s attention and draw the protectors away.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The transformation is requested in speech; this passage does not yet narrate
its performance.
- id: motif:3
label: single hero defeats overwhelming hostile host
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Rávaṇ says Ráma alone and on foot slew fourteen thousand giants and their
leaders.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: No supplied taxonomy family directly names this battle pattern.
- id: motif:4
label: vengeance for kin injury
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Rávaṇ connects his hostility to Ráma with the mutilation of his sister and
the deaths of the giant leaders.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage mixes motives of revenge, insult, and desire to seize Sítá;
it does not isolate a single motive.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: Rávaṇ’s planned seizure of Sítá is explicitly compared in his own speech
to Rāhu storming the moonlight.
claim_level: visual_similarity
target: Rāhu attacking or overwhelming moonlight
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: This is an internal simile in the passage, not evidence by itself for
historical contact or broader motif transmission.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 31149-31158
quote_or_summary: Rávaṇ addresses Márícha, saying he is sick and distressed and
has come because Márícha is his surest hope and help.
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 31159-31178
quote_or_summary: Rávaṇ describes Janasthán as home to Śúrpaṇakhá, Khara, Dúshaṇ,
Triśirás, and many giants who roam at night and kill saints and devotees under
his command.
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 31179-31194
quote_or_summary: Rávaṇ says the giant host met Ráma in battle; Ráma, alone and
on foot, shot flaming arrows and killed fourteen thousand giants, including Khara,
Dúshaṇ, and Triśirás.
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 31195-31204
quote_or_summary: Rávaṇ describes Ráma as banished by his father, roaming the forest
with his wife in mean attire, and denounces his character.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: quote
locator: lines 31205-31208
quote_or_summary: "“my sister left / Mangled, of nose and ears bereft.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; short quotation.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 31209-31216
quote_or_summary: Rávaṇ names Sítá as Ráma’s wife, praises her beauty, and says
he will seize her from the forest with Márícha’s aid.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: quote
locator: lines 31227-31232
quote_or_summary: "“In semblance of a golden deer / Adorned with silver spots appear.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; short quotation.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 31233-31238
quote_or_summary: Rávaṇ tells Márícha to go near Ráma’s dwelling; he expects Sítá,
seeing the wondrous deer among the trees, to ask Ráma and Lakshmaṇ to take it
for its beauty.
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 31239-31248
quote_or_summary: Rávaṇ says that when the chiefs have gone and Sítá is alone, he
will seize her and fly, comparing the act to Rāhu storming the moonlight; he expects
Ráma to grieve and then plans to strike his foe.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 31249-31256
quote_or_summary: Márícha hears Rávaṇ’s tale and becomes faint, pale, wide-eyed,
dry-lipped, terrified, and grief-stricken.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: lines 31257-31260
quote_or_summary: Márícha attempts to stay Rávaṇ’s will because he knows the might
in Ráma’s arm, and begins counsel for both Rávaṇ’s and his own good.
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: medium
notes: Literal extraction is strong. Motif labels are limited to patterns directly
supported by Rávaṇ’s speech and Márícha’s reaction. The only comparison claim
is an explicit internal 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: |-
Used only the supplied passage and metadata. No external Ramayana context added.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg__l31149-l31260
passage_sha256=9db391e5f8f9f98f170707431ba4cb7cee46911706569589a2da49c1d2bfb9af