batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l36000-l36166
---
record_id: batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l36000-l36166
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
passage_locator:
label: Canto XLVI. The Guest. / Canto LI. The Combat. / Canto LX. Lakshman Reproved.
/ Canto LXX. Kabandha.; lines 36000-36166
start: '36000'
end: '36166'
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: Lakshman and Rama are seized in the forest by the long-armed fiend Kabandha.
Lakshman urges Rama to cut off the monster's arms, and the brothers sever them
with swords. Kabandha asks their names and lineage; Lakshman identifies Rama,
himself, and their quest for Rama's stolen wife. Kabandha then recalls Indra's
words and begins explaining that he once had a surpassingly beautiful form but
was cursed by the sage Sthulasiras to retain a hideous shape after frightening
forest ascetics.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Lakshman, while held by the giant, tells Rama to flee and to give him as an
offering to the fiend.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Rama tells Lakshman not to fear and says a chief like him should scorn despair.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Kabandha is described as fierce, long-armed, and foremost among Danavs; he
addresses the brothers in a dark and horrid place.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: Kabandha says hunger torments him and that fate has brought the brothers to
feed his maw.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Lakshman advises Rama to cut off Kabandha's arms with a sword.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: Rama and Lakshman draw their swords and cut away Kabandha's two arms, causing
him to fall to the earth with a roar.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: Lakshman identifies Rama as Ikshvaku's heir and himself as Rama's younger
brother.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: Lakshman says a giant stole away Rama's wife and that the brothers came there
seeking her.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: Lakshman asks Kabandha who he is and why he has a headless trunk with a flaming
face beneath his chest.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: Kabandha says he once wore a shape of extraordinary beauty and fame, but took
a hideous form that frightened forest saints.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:11
text: The sage Sthulasiras cursed Kabandha to retain his grisly form because Kabandha
delighted in others' pain.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Rama
description: Son of Dasaratha, son of Raghu, Ikshvaku's heir, and elder brother
of Lakshman; he is seeking his stolen wife.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Lakshman
description: Rama's younger brother, initially fearful in Kabandha's grasp, then
counselor and combatant who cuts off one of Kabandha's arms.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Kabandha
description: A fierce, long-armed fiend or Danav with a headless trunk and flaming
face beneath his chest; he is hungry, seizes the brothers, and later recounts
a curse behind his form.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Rama's Maithil queen / wife
description: Rama's dear queen or wife, said by Lakshman to have been stolen away
by a giant.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:8
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Sthulasiras
description: A glorious sage who, after being frightened by Kabandha's hideous shape,
curses him to retain that form.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Indra
description: Kabandha recalls Indra's words before speaking kindly to Rama and Lakshman.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
roles:
- id: role:1
label: royal brothers
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
basis: The passage calls Rama and Lakshman the royal pair and identifies them as
brothers.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:2
label: dispossessed royal heir
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Lakshman says Rama is Ikshvaku's heir and that his realm was taken from him
before exile in the woods.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:3
label: younger brother and counselor
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Lakshman identifies himself as younger brother and advises Rama how to act
against Kabandha.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: role:4
label: capturing monster
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Kabandha imprisons the brothers with his mighty hands and draws them toward
his maw.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: role:5
label: seeker of stolen wife
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Lakshman states that Rama's wife was stolen and that they came seeking her.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:6
label: cursed transformed being
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Kabandha says he once had a superior form and was cursed to retain a grisly
form.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: role:7
label: stolen beloved
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Rama's wife is described as stolen away by a giant and as the object of the
brothers' search.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:8
label: cursing sage
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Sthulasiras pronounces that Kabandha must retain the grisly form.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: dark forest danger
literal_form: dark and horrid forest land or solitary wilds
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: monstrous arms as snare
literal_form: Kabandha's mighty long arms imprisoning the brothers like a snare
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: swords used to sever bondage
literal_form: glittering swords and trenchant blades cutting off Kabandha's arms
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:4
label: flaming face beneath chest
literal_form: headless trunk with flaming face beneath the chest
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:5
label: hideous cursed form
literal_form: grisly or hideous shape retained through a curse
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Kabandha captures the brothers
summary: In a dark and horrid forest, Kabandha holds Rama and Lakshman with his
long arms and declares that their lives are lost.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:2
label: The brothers sever Kabandha's arms
summary: After Lakshman counsels Rama, the brothers use swords to cut off Kabandha's
two arms, and the monster falls roaring to the ground.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:3
label: Lineage and quest declared
summary: Kabandha asks who the brothers are. Lakshman names Rama as Ikshvaku's heir,
names himself as younger brother, and explains that they seek Rama's stolen wife.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: scene:4
label: Kabandha begins his tale of the curse
summary: Kabandha welcomes the brothers, recalls Indra's words, and explains that
he once had a surpassing form but was cursed by Sthulasiras to retain his grisly
form.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
- ev:12
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: stolen beloved sought in wilderness
taxonomy_refs:
- stolen_beloved
basis: Lakshman says Rama's wife was stolen by a giant and that he and Rama came
into the forest seeking her.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The passage names the theft and search but does not narrate the original
abduction in this excerpt.
- id: motif:2
label: sibling pair confronting monster
taxonomy_refs:
- sibling_pair
basis: Rama and Lakshman are identified as brothers and act together against Kabandha.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The passage emphasizes brotherhood and joint action, but the broader epic
context is outside this extraction.
- id: motif:3
label: cursed transformation into monstrous form
taxonomy_refs:
- shapeshifter
basis: Kabandha says he once possessed a beautiful form, took a hideous shape, and
was cursed by Sthulasiras to retain the grisly form.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
confidence: medium
cautions: 'The taxonomy ref is approximate: the passage describes transformation
and curse, not voluntary ongoing shapeshifting.'
- id: motif:4
label: monster defeated by severing grasping limbs
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Kabandha captures the brothers with his long arms, and they escape by cutting
those arms away.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy family directly names this combat pattern.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: lines 36000-36011
quote_or_summary: Lakshman cries that he is in the giant's hold, urges Rama to flee,
and says, "Me to the fiend an offering give."
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used.
- id: ev:2
type: quote
locator: lines 36012-36015
quote_or_summary: Rama replies, "Brother, from causeless dread forbear. / A chief
like thee should scorn despair."
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 36016-36031
quote_or_summary: Kabandha is described as fierce and long-armed, foremost among
Danavs; he asks the armed men why they roam the dark and horrid forest and says
their lives are already lost.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: Canto LXXI, opening lines in supplied passage
quote_or_summary: Kabandha has the chieftains imprisoned by his mighty hand, says
hunger torments him, and says fate has brought them to satisfy his maw.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: Canto LXXI, Lakshman's counsel
quote_or_summary: Lakshman regains courage and tells Rama that the giant relies
on huge arm-strength; he urges Rama to smite off the arms with a sword.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: Canto LXXI, combat lines
quote_or_summary: Kabandha opens his mouth and draws the princes to his side; Rama
and Lakshman unsheathe swords and cut away his two mighty arms, after which he
falls with a roar.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: Canto LXXI, Lakshman's identification
quote_or_summary: Lakshman says Rama is Ikshvaku's heir, and that he, Lakshman,
is the younger brother; he adds that Rama's mother stole his realm and drove him
into the woods.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: quote
locator: Canto LXXI, Lakshman's account of the quest
quote_or_summary: Lakshman says, "Some giant stole away his dame, / And seeking
her we hither came."
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used.
- id: ev:9
type: quote
locator: Canto LXXI, Lakshman's question to Kabandha
quote_or_summary: Lakshman asks why Kabandha lies with "headless trunk" and "flaming
face beneath thy chest."
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: Canto LXXII, Kabandha's tale opening
quote_or_summary: Kabandha says that formerly he wore a shape beyond thought, with
fame for beauty, might, and valor through the three worlds, but later took a terrifying
form that frightened forest saints.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:11
type: quote
locator: Canto LXXII, curse by Sthulasiras
quote_or_summary: 'The sage Sthulasiras, angered, says: "Thou, whose delight is
others'' pain, / This grisly form shalt still retain."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: Canto LXXI, Kabandha recalls Indra
quote_or_summary: After hearing Lakshman's words, Kabandha's memory awakens; recalling
Indra's words, he speaks gently and welcomes the brothers.
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: Literal extraction is well supported by the supplied passage. Motif mapping
is limited to the available taxonomy and is marked cautious where the taxonomy
only approximately fits.
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 broader Ramayana context were used beyond the supplied passage and metadata.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg__l36000-l36166
passage_sha256=cbb057fd68a0a765f4d618bb998380c29331291599d61424b9bea303e76364eb