batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l34370-l34493
---
record_id: batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l34370-l34493
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
passage_locator:
label: Canto XXVIII. Khara Dismounted. / Canto XLIII. The Wondrous Deer. / Canto
XLVI. The Guest. / Canto LI. The Combat.; lines 34370-34493
start: '34370'
end: '34493'
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: Ráma rebukes Lakshmaṇ for leaving Sítá alone, recounts ominous signs and
the deceptive golden deer that proved to be a giant, fears Sítá has been carried
off or killed, questions Lakshmaṇ, laments that life and kingship are worthless
without her, and returns with Lakshmaṇ to the hermitage, where he finds her absent
and collapses in grief.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Ráma blames Lakshmaṇ for leaving the Maithil dame alone and coming to his
side.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: obs:2
text: 'Ráma describes ominous signs: warning bird cries, the moan of deer, a jackal’s
yell, and throbbing in his left eye.'
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Ráma says a semblance of a golden deer lured him away; he followed it and
shot it with a deadly arrow.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: After the dying creature bled, Ráma saw a giant, and later refers to a treacherous
giant whose voice sounded like his own and called on Lakshmaṇ for help.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Ráma repeatedly asks where Sítá is and whether she lives or has been slain.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Ráma says Sítá gives zest to his life and that, if she has perished or is
not found in the cottage, he will die.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: Ráma suspects blood-devouring demons grieving for Khara’s fall may have killed
Sítá while she was unguarded.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: Ráma and Lakshmaṇ hurry back to Janasthán and the leafy home, where Ráma searches
familiar places and finds Sítá absent.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: After finding Sítá absent, Ráma sinks down in grief.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Ráma
description: The speaker and chieftain who pursued the golden deer, fears for Sítá,
questions Lakshmaṇ, returns to the hermitage, and collapses in grief.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Lakshmaṇ
description: Ráma’s brother, blamed for leaving Sítá alone after hearing a voice
calling for aid.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Sítá / Maithil dame / Videhan queen / Janak’s child
description: Ráma’s wife, absent from the hermitage, described as dear to him and
as having followed him into the wild wood.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Treacherous giant / dying creature
description: A being first encountered through the semblance of a golden deer; after
being shot and bleeding, it is revealed to Ráma as a giant whose voice sounded
like Ráma’s own.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Blood-devouring demons / giants
description: Hostile beings whom Ráma fears may have seized or killed Sítá while
she was unguarded.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Khara
description: A fallen enemy whose death is said to grieve the demons.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Kaikeyí
description: Named by Ráma as treacherous and as one who must not win reward through
Sítá’s loss and Ráma’s death.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Kauśalyá
description: Named by Ráma as one who would shed bitter tears if he dies.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
roles:
- id: role:1
label: anxious husband
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Ráma’s speech centers on fear for his wife’s safety, the possibility of her
death, and his unwillingness to live without her.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: role:2
label: returning seeker
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Ráma hastens back to the well-known spot and searches the leafy home for
Sítá.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:3
label: blamed guardian
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Ráma says Lakshmaṇ left the helpless dame alone and betrayed a sacred trust.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: missing beloved
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Sítá is absent when Ráma returns, and Ráma repeatedly asks whether she lives
or has been slain.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: role:5
label: wife in peril
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Ráma fears she has been seized, torn away, or killed by hostile giants after
being left unguarded.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- id: role:6
label: deceptive giant
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The passage links the golden-deer semblance, the dying creature’s revelation
as a giant, and a voice too like Ráma’s own calling Lakshmaṇ.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: role:7
label: threatening demons
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Ráma fears the blood-devouring demons may have killed Sítá in revenge for
Khara’s fall.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:8
label: fallen enemy
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Khara is mentioned as fallen, causing grief among the demons.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:9
label: treacherous rival
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Ráma calls Kaikeyí treacherous in connection with his banishment and possible
death.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:10
label: mourning mother
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Ráma imagines Kauśalyá shedding bitter tears to mourn him dead.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: golden deer semblance
literal_form: A semblance of a golden deer that lures Ráma far away before the dying
creature is revealed as a giant.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- shapeshifter
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: warning animal cries
literal_form: Birds scream warning notes, deer moan, and a jackal yells before Ráma
returns to Sítá.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: left-eye throbbing omen
literal_form: Throbs dart through Ráma’s left eye and are described as heralding
woe.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:4
label: leafy home
literal_form: The forest cottage or leafy home to which Ráma returns and where he
looks for Sítá.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Omens and the deceptive deer
summary: Ráma tells Lakshmaṇ that ominous animal cries and bodily portents frighten
him, and he recounts being lured away by a golden deer that proved to be a giant.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Ráma questions Lakshmaṇ about Sítá
summary: Ráma asks where Sítá is, laments her possible death or seizure, blames
Lakshmaṇ for leaving her alone, and says he cannot live without her.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:3
label: Return to the empty hermitage
summary: Ráma and Lakshmaṇ hurry to Janasthán; Ráma searches the leafy home and
familiar places, does not find Sítá, and sinks down in grief.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: deceptive animal lure by a shapeshifting enemy
taxonomy_refs:
- shapeshifter
- trickster_boundary
basis: The passage states that a golden-deer semblance lured Ráma away, that the
dying creature was revealed as a giant, and that a voice resembling Ráma’s called
Lakshmaṇ away from Sítá.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not name the giant or give the full deception episode
beyond Ráma’s retrospective account.
- id: motif:2
label: beloved left unguarded and missing
taxonomy_refs:
- stolen_beloved
basis: Ráma fears Sítá has been torn away, seized, or killed after Lakshmaṇ left
her alone, and he later returns to the hermitage and finds her absent.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: This passage confirms absence and Ráma’s fears, but it does not directly
narrate the act of abduction.
- id: motif:3
label: ominous animals and bodily portent before disaster
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Ráma interprets warning bird cries, deer moans, a jackal’s yell, and left-eye
throbbing as signs of impending woe to Sítá.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: high
cautions: No available taxonomy reference directly matches this portent pattern.
- id: motif:4
label: grief-stricken return to empty home
taxonomy_refs:
- return
basis: Ráma hastens back to the well-known leafy home, searches the places associated
with Sítá, finds her absent, and collapses in grief.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The return is local and immediate, not the broader heroic return pattern.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: 'The passage supports a cautious functional comparison to a shapeshifter
or trickster-lure motif: an enticing animal form draws the hero away, and a deceptive
voice helps remove the remaining guardian.'
claim_level: same_function
target: shapeshifter / trickster_boundary motif family
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The claim is based only on the supplied passage and does not establish
historical contact or broader cross-cultural distribution.
- id: claim:2
claim: The passage supports a cautious comparison to a stolen-beloved pattern because
the wife is left unguarded, feared seized by hostile beings, and found missing
when the hero returns.
claim_level: same_motif
target: stolen_beloved motif family
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage itself gives Ráma’s inference and the discovered absence
but not the actual seizure.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 34370-34401
quote_or_summary: 'Ráma blames Lakshmaṇ for leaving the Maithil dame alone, fears
ill has befallen her, and describes omens: birds’ warning cries, deer moans, a
jackal’s yell, and his left-eye throbbing as a sign of woe.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: quote
locator: lines 34388-34397
quote_or_summary: "“That semblance of a golden deer / Allured me far away” and after
Ráma’s arrow struck it, “The giant met my view.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 34404-34452
quote_or_summary: Ráma asks Lakshmaṇ where Sítá is, recalls that she followed him
into the wild wood, says life and rule are worthless without her, and asks whether
she lives or has been slain.
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 34453-34464
quote_or_summary: Ráma says a voice too like his own called Lakshmaṇ for help; the
Videhan queen heard it, ordered Lakshmaṇ to aid him, and Lakshmaṇ left Sítá alone.
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 34465-34476
quote_or_summary: Ráma says blood-devouring demons grieve for Khara’s fall and imagines
that unguarded Sítá has died by their cruel hands.
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 34477-34493
quote_or_summary: Ráma and Lakshmaṇ hasten to Janasthán; worn by toil, thirst, hunger,
doubt, and anguish, Ráma searches the leafy home and familiar places, finds Sítá
absent, and sinks down in grief.
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: medium
notes: Literal extraction is strong because the passage explicitly reports the deception,
omens, absence, and grief. Motif and comparison fields are cautious because the
actual abduction is not narrated in this excerpt, only inferred and discovered
through absence.
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 the supplied passage and metadata were used. No external names or narrative details were added.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg__l34370-l34493
passage_sha256=7879f88a427b038a91dc93136280d35140e015f0d707c5139b76ce825421d90f