batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l3650-l3817
---
record_id: batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l3650-l3817
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
passage_locator:
label: Canto XII. The Sacrifice Begun. / Canto XIII. The Sacrifice Finished. / Canto
XV. The Nectar. / Canto XIX. The Birth Of The Princes.; lines 3650-3817
start: '3650'
end: '3817'
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: A holy sage is received with honor by the king, who promises to fulfill
his wish. The sage explains that two shape-changing fiends repeatedly defile and
obstruct his sacrificial rite by throwing flesh and blood on the altar. Because
anger or curses are improper during the rite, he asks the king to send his eldest
son Ráma as champion, promising protection, powers, fame, and the defeat of the
demons within the ten-night sacrifice. The king is overwhelmed and faints.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Messengers or attendants inform the king that the great saint is waiting,
and the king goes with priest and peers to meet him.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The king gives the sage the honored gift for guests and welcomes him with
elaborate praise.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The king says he grants the sage’s request before knowing its details and
calls the sage his deity.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The sage says a holy rite occupies him and that two fiends who can change
form obstruct it.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The fiends defile the sacrificial altar with bleeding flesh and gore when
the rite is nearly complete.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The sage says he cannot use a curse or threat during the rite.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The sage asks the king to give him his eldest son Ráma, saying Ráma can slay
the demons.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: The sage promises to shield Ráma and to give him varied powers, fame, and
heavenly strength.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: The sage states that the sacrifice will last ten nights and that the two fiends
must be slain before the appointed time passes.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: After hearing the request, the king falls prostrate and faints.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: The king / lord of men
description: The monarch who receives the sage, promises to grant his wish, and
is later overcome when Ráma is requested.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:8
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Visvámitra / son of Kuśik / glorious hermit
description: The holy sage who visits the king and asks for Ráma to defend his sacrificial
rite.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Vaśishṭha
description: A revered priest or sage present with the king and named as one who
knows Ráma’s qualities.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Ráma
description: The king’s eldest son, described as a brave hero youth whom the sage
requests as champion against the demons.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Two fiends / demons
description: A pair of form-changing beings who obstruct the sage’s rite and defile
the altar with flesh and gore.
role_refs:
- role:8
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: Royal host
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The king receives the sage formally and offers the gift due to guests.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: Honored sage
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The passage describes the visitor as a holy, glorious hermit received with
honor.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: Sacrificial officiant seeking aid
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The sage says a holy rite occupies him and asks for help against those who
obstruct it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: Priestly adviser or elder sage
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Vaśishṭha is present with the king and is cited among those who know Ráma’s
valour.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- id: role:5
label: Father asked to release son
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The sage asks the king to give his eldest son Ráma and warns him not to yield
to excessive paternal affection.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: Requested champion
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Ráma is requested to defeat the demons that mar the rite.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:7
label: Eldest son and hero youth
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The sage calls Ráma the king’s eldest born and a truly brave hero youth.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:8
label: Ritual obstructors
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The fiends impede the rite and defeat the sage’s work when it is nearly complete.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:9
label: Shape-changing antagonists
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The fiends are said to change their forms at will.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Honored guest-gift
literal_form: Gift offered to a guest according to holy texts
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: Sacrificial rite
literal_form: Holy rite or sacrifice lasting ten nights
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:7
- id: sym:3
label: Altar defiled with flesh and blood
literal_form: Altar covered with bits of bleeding flesh and a stream of gore
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: Amrit simile
literal_form: Amrit found by a mortal, used as a comparison for the sage’s arrival
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:5
label: Ten-night ritual period
literal_form: A fixed ten-night duration for the sacrifice
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Reception of the sage
summary: The king is told the sage is waiting, goes with priest and peers to meet
him, and offers the proper guest-honor.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: King’s unconditional promise
summary: The king welcomes the sage with praise and declares that he grants the
sage’s wish before hearing it.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Obstruction of the sacrifice
summary: The sage explains that two shape-changing fiends repeatedly ruin his rite
by defiling the altar with flesh and blood, while he must avoid curses during
the ritual.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Request for Ráma as champion
summary: The sage asks for the king’s eldest son Ráma to defend the rite, promises
protection and powers, and says the demons must fall before the ten-night sacrifice
ends.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:5
label: The king’s collapse
summary: The king is pierced by grief at the request for his son and faints.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Sacrifice obstructed by hostile beings
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: The sage’s holy rite is repeatedly impeded and defiled by two fiends who
throw flesh and blood on the altar.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The passage describes obstruction and defilement of sacrifice, but not
the rite’s completion.
- id: motif:2
label: Hero requested to defend a sacred rite
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
- initiation
basis: The sage asks the king to send Ráma away with him as champion to slay the
demons before the sacrifice ends.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage contains the request for departure but not Ráma’s actual departure
or initiation.
- id: motif:3
label: Father challenged to surrender beloved son for a sacred duty
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_parent_child
- sacred_exchange
basis: The king has promised the sage’s wish, but the request is for his eldest
son, and the king collapses when he hears it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The parent-child element is explicit, but the taxonomy term includes divine
parent-child, while this passage presents a royal father and son rather than a
divine parent.
- id: motif:4
label: Shape-changing demons as ritual antagonists
taxonomy_refs:
- shapeshifter
basis: The obstructing fiends are explicitly described as able to change forms at
will.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The passage states the ability but gives no example of a specific transformation.
- id: motif:5
label: Sage grants protective power and future fame to hero
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: The sage promises to shield Ráma, strengthen him with heavenly might, and
shower him with gifts that will spread his fame.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The exchange is promised but not yet enacted within this passage.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 3650-3685
quote_or_summary: Attendants tell the king the great saint is waiting; the king
goes with priest and peers to meet him, offers the guest-gift, and the sage asks
after the welfare of the kingdom and Vaśishṭha.
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 3686-3740
quote_or_summary: The king welcomes the sage, comparing his arrival to amrit, rain,
a son to an heirless man, and other blessings; he says he grants the sage’s wish
and calls him his deity.
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 3741-3762
quote_or_summary: The sage says a holy rite occupies him, and two form-changing
fiends repeatedly ruin it near completion by throwing bleeding flesh and pouring
gore over the altar.
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 3763-3768
quote_or_summary: The sage explains that prudence prevents him from releasing anger
against the fiends, since curses and threats must not be uttered during such a
rite.
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 3769-3785
quote_or_summary: The sage asks for the king’s eldest son Ráma, described as a brave
hero youth, saying Ráma can lay the demons low and that the sage’s power will
shield him and strengthen his arm.
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 3786-3803
quote_or_summary: The sage promises Ráma gifts and fame, says no one but Ráma can
slay the pair, warns the king against excessive paternal affection, and states
that he and Vaśishṭha know Ráma’s valour.
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 3804-3812
quote_or_summary: The sage says the sacrifice will last ten nights and that the
two wicked fiends must be slain by Ráma before the fixed time passes.
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 3813-3817
quote_or_summary: The request pierces the king with grief, and he falls prostrate
in a faint.
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: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is strong for the reception, request, ritual obstruction,
and collapse. Motif labels are constrained to the supplied taxonomy and should
be reviewed, especially where the available taxonomy term only partially matches
the passage.
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 comparison claims were added because the passage itself does not explicitly support comparison to another text or tradition beyond candidate motif classification.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg__l3650-l3817
passage_sha256=50d21e6e4e1a5f104a2dfb58eef504971fce286908a42b521d7e75e1fd390f88