batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l45764-l45931
---
record_id: batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l45764-l45931
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
passage_locator:
label: Canto XI. The Banquet Hall. / Canto XII. The Search Renewed. / Canto XIII.
Despair And Hope. / Canto XIV. The Asoka Grove.; lines 45764-45931
start: '45764'
end: '45931'
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: Hanumán enters the Asoka grove while searching for Sítá, surveys trees,
flowers, water, hill, grottoes, and climbs a tree to watch. He sees Sítá, pale
and weeping, guarded by fiends and giantesses near a splendid palace, and recognizes
her as Ráma’s wife whom Rávan carried away. Hanumán laments her captivity, recalls
her birth from the furrow and her devotion to Ráma, and observes her monstrous
armed guards as she weeps beneath a tree.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The Vánar clears a barrier, enters the Asoka grove, and surveys abundant trees,
flowers, birds, a lake, a hill, grottoes, and a rill.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Flowers fall on the Vánar as he moves through the grove, making him appear
like a blossom-covered hill.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The Vánar climbs a leafy tree so he may see the Maithil queen if she is in
the grove.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The Vánar sees a shining palace with crystal pavement, gems, coral steps,
colonnades, and towers.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Sítá is described as pale, poorly dressed, thin from tears, fasting, and sorrow,
and watched by fiends and giantesses.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The Vánar identifies Sítá as the woman he saw Rávan carry captive through
the air.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: Hanumán says Sítá sprang from the furrowed ground and is connected with the
king of Mithilá.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: Hanumán says Sítá left home and chose forest life through wifely love and
duty.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: The demon guards around Sítá have varied monstrous bodies and animal-like
features.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: The guards carry swords, maces, clubs, and spears, and consume wine and flesh.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: Sítá weeps beneath a spreading tree with tangled hair, stripped of jewels,
and described as adorned only by love for Ráma.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Hanumán / the Vánar chieftain
description: The Vánar searcher who enters the grove, climbs a tree, sees Sítá,
recognizes her, and laments her captivity.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Sítá / the Maithil queen / Ráma’s wife
description: A captive woman, pale and weeping, watched by fiends and identified
by Hanumán as Ráma’s wife.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Ráma
description: Sítá’s absent husband, named as the one she thinks of and longs for,
and as the lord for whom she went to the forest.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Lakshmaṇ
description: Named by Hanumán as one whose pious heart reveres Sítá.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Rávan
description: The giant whom Hanumán says he saw carrying the captive woman through
the air.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Demon and giantess guards
description: A fearful band of monstrous, armed guards who stand around Sítá in
the wood.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: King of Mithilá
description: The high-souled king connected with Sítá’s furrow-birth and Mithilá.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
roles:
- id: role:1
label: searcher in the grove
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He enters the grove while searching for the Maithil queen and climbs a tree
to look for her.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: recognizing witness
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He identifies the captive woman as the one Rávan bore away and as Ráma’s
wife.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: captive queen
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: She is watched by fiends and giantesses, weeping and separated from husband
and friends.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: stolen beloved
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Hanumán recognizes her as Ráma’s wife and recalls seeing Rávan carry her
captive through the air.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:5
label: devoted wife
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Hanumán says she left home for forest life through wifely love and keeps
her thoughts fixed on Ráma.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: absent husband
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Ráma is named as Sítá’s husband and the focus of her longing.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: role:7
label: revering kinsman
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Lakshmaṇ is said to revere Sítá with a pious heart.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:8
label: abductor
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Hanumán says he saw Rávan carry the captive woman through the air.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:9
label: hostile guards
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The demon guards stand around Sítá armed and fierce.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:10
label: royal father or source-king
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Sítá is said to have sprung from the furrowed ground as child of the high-souled
king of Mithilá.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Asoka grove
literal_form: A pleasant grove with climbing plants, shade, trees, flowers, birds,
lake, hill, grottoes, and rill.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: sym:2
label: tree as vantage and place of sorrow
literal_form: A leafy tree climbed by Hanumán, and a spreading tree under which
Sítá weeps.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: sym:3
label: water in the grove
literal_form: A rippling lake, crystal steps by the water, a rill from the hill,
and later a comparison to water brooks.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: hill and mountain imagery
literal_form: A pleasant hill in the grove; Hanumán covered in flowers is likened
to a blossom-covered hill; the palace is compared to snowy Kailása.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: sym:5
label: furrowed ground
literal_form: The furrowed ground from which Sítá is said to have sprung.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:6
label: stripped jewels
literal_form: Sítá’s jewels are stripped from neck and limb.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:7
label: weapons of the guards
literal_form: Swords, maces, clubs, and spears carried by the demon guards.
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Entry into the Asoka grove
summary: Hanumán enters the grove and surveys its trees, flowers, birds, lake, hill,
grottoes, and stream while searching for Sítá.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Tree-top watch
summary: Hanumán climbs a leafy tree, expecting that the grove may draw Sítá there
and allow him to see her.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Recognition of Sítá
summary: Near a shining palace, Hanumán sees a pale, weeping, guarded woman and
recognizes her as the captive Sítá, Ráma’s wife, whom Rávan carried away.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Hanumán’s lament
summary: Hanumán laments Sítá’s suffering, recalls her origin from the furrow, her
royal connection to Mithilá, and her faithful exile with Ráma.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Sítá guarded beneath the tree
summary: Hanumán observes Sítá surrounded by monstrous armed guards as she weeps
beneath a spreading tree, stripped of jewels.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Search for the stolen beloved in a guarded enclosure
taxonomy_refs:
- stolen_beloved
- mystical_quest
basis: Hanumán searches the grove for Sítá, then recognizes her as Ráma’s wife whom
Rávan bore away and who is now guarded by hostile beings.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The passage is one episode within a larger rescue narrative; the extraction
does not infer events beyond the supplied text.
- id: motif:2
label: Captive woman surrounded by monstrous guards
taxonomy_refs:
- stolen_beloved
basis: Sítá is pale, weeping, and watched by fiends and giantesses; a later description
details the armed monstrous guard around her.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage emphasizes captivity and guarding, not the eventual rescue.
- id: motif:3
label: Furrow-born royal woman
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_birth
basis: Hanumán says Sítá sprang from the furrowed ground and is child of the high-souled
king of Mithilá.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage only briefly recalls the birth tradition; it does not narrate
the birth itself.
- id: motif:4
label: Faithful spouse enduring separation
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_marriage
- stolen_beloved
basis: Sítá is separated from Ráma, keeps her thoughts fixed on him, and is described
as adorned only by her love for him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy link to sacred marriage is interpretive; the passage more
directly supports spousal fidelity under captivity.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage explicitly presents a visual comparison between Sítá under oppression
and Rohiṇí oppressed by Mars.
claim_level: visual_similarity
target: Rohiṇí oppressed by the red planet Mars
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: This is a literary simile within the passage, not evidence here for
a shared narrative motif or historical contact.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 45764-45803
quote_or_summary: Hanumán enters the Asoka grove, sees abundant trees and flowers,
is covered by falling blossoms, and observes a lake, hill, grottoes, and stream.
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 45804-45813
quote_or_summary: "“He clomb a tree” and thinks he may see the Maithil dame there,
since the cool retreat may draw her wandering feet."
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: Canto XV. Sítá; supplied passage
quote_or_summary: Hanumán sees a shining palace and a pale, fasting, weeping woman
guarded by fiends and giantesses; he identifies her as the captive borne by Rávan
and as Ráma’s wife.
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 XVI. Hanumán’s Lament; supplied passage
quote_or_summary: Hanumán laments Sítá as captive and desolate, recalls her furrow-birth
and connection to Mithilá, says she chose forest life from wifely duty, and notes
her thoughts are fixed on Ráma.
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 XVII. Sítá’s Guard; supplied passage
quote_or_summary: The demon guards are described with distorted bodies and animal-like
features; they bear swords, maces, clubs, and spears, and turn to bowls of wine
and piles of flesh.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: quote
locator: Canto XVII. Sítá’s Guard; supplied passage
quote_or_summary: Sítá “wept sadly neath a spreading tree,” with tangled hair, jewels
stripped, and “decked only with her love” of Ráma.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: Literal extraction is strongly supported by the supplied passage. Motif taxonomy
mappings are limited to the available taxonomy and should be reviewed, especially
sacred_marriage and sacred_birth links.
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 claims of historical contact or inheritance are made.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg__l45764-l45931
passage_sha256=c5c70ba629f9539a9bcc1c67653ac0696fc196b7ec4b187910222f41903f7d61