batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l46115-l46292
---
record_id: batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l46115-l46292
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 46115-46292
start: '46115'
end: '46292'
translation: The Ramayan of Valmiki
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: "“Linked like the Day-God and his shine, / I am my lord’s and he is mine.”"
summary: Sítá rejects Rávaṇ’s attempt to woo her, affirms loyalty to Ráma, warns
that Rávaṇ’s sin will destroy him and Lanká, and predicts Ráma’s vengeance. Rávaṇ
threatens her with death and orders demon guards to coerce her by threats and
blandishments. The demon women then surround Sítá and urge her to accept Rávaṇ,
invoking his lineage, power, and victories, while threatening death if she refuses.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Sítá thinks of her lord, sighs, and replies that it is improper for Rávaṇ
to woo a married woman faithful to her husband.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Sítá turns her back on Rávaṇ and tells him to turn away from sin, show honour
to others’ wives, and return her to Ráma.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Sítá states that Rávaṇ’s lawless love will ruin him, his line, and Lanká.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Sítá describes herself and Ráma as inseparably linked, like the Day-God and
his shine.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Sítá predicts that Ráma’s bow and arrows will bring destruction to Rávaṇ and
his giants.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Rávaṇ says his love restrains his anger and grants Sítá two months to submit
to him.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: Rávaṇ threatens that, if Sítá refuses after the respite, his cooks will cut
up her limbs and serve her as his morning meal.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: Celestial women and children of the gods look on Sítá’s suffering with pity
and console her with smiles and nods.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: Sítá rebukes Rávaṇ again and compares Ráma to a lion and Rávaṇ to a hare.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: Rávaṇ is described as hissing like a furious snake before threatening to kill
Sítá that day.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:11
text: Rávaṇ summons the Rákshas guard and orders them to guard Sítá and bend her
will by threat and blandishment.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:12
text: A hideous demon crew surrounds helpless Sítá with fiery eyes and assails her
with insults, taunts, and threats.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:13
text: The demons urge Sítá to become Rávaṇ’s wife by citing his descent from Pulastya
and Viśravas.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:14
text: One demon urges Sítá to accept Rávaṇ because he defeated the gods and has
chosen her over other wives.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:15
text: Vikatá tells Sítá that Rávaṇ subdued Nāgas and Gandharvas, commands natural
forces, and will kill her if she refuses.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Sítá
description: A faithful married woman, called Ráma’s consort and the Maithil queen,
held under Rávaṇ’s power and threatened by him and his demons.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Rávaṇ
description: King of Lanká, described as a fiend and impious king, who woos Sítá,
threatens her, and commands the Rákshas guard.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Ráma
description: Sítá’s lord and husband, described by Sítá as a heroic archer whose
vengeance Rávaṇ cannot withstand.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Rákshas guard / demon women
description: A monstrous crew with fiery eyes who are ordered to guard Sítá and
who threaten and persuade her to accept Rávaṇ.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Minstrel daughters of the skies and sun-bright children of the Gods
description: Celestial observers who pity Sítá’s woe and console her with smiles
and nods.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Pulastya
description: Named by the demons as one of the Lords of Life, a mind-born son of
Brahmá, and ancestor of Rávaṇ.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Viśravas
description: Named by the demons as descendant of Pulastya and father or ancestor
through whom Rávaṇ’s glory is traced.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Vikatá
description: A demon by name who addresses Sítá and urges her to comply with Rávaṇ
or die.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
roles:
- id: role:1
label: faithful wife
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Sítá says it is wrong to woo a matron true to her husband and declares she
is her lord’s.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: threatened captive
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Rávaṇ gives Sítá a deadline, threatens death and cannibalistic dismemberment,
and orders guards to control her.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:8
- id: role:3
label: illicit suitor
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Rávaṇ woos Sítá, seeks to make her share his bed, and is rebuked for pursuing
Ráma’s consort.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: role:4
label: threatening captor-king
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Rávaṇ threatens Sítá’s life and orders the Rákshas guard to tame her by threat
and blandishment.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:5
label: absent husband and avenging archer
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Sítá urges Rávaṇ to return her to Ráma and predicts that Ráma’s bow and arrows
will destroy Rávaṇ’s forces.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:6
label: coercive demon attendants
assigned_to:
- fig:4
- fig:8
basis: The demons surround Sítá, insult and threaten her, and urge her to accept
Rávaṇ.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: role:7
label: celestial sympathizers
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: They look on Sítá’s woe with pity and console her.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:8
label: prestige lineage invoked by speakers
assigned_to:
- fig:6
- fig:7
basis: The demons cite Pulastya and Viśravas to elevate Rávaṇ’s status and persuade
Sítá.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Day-God and shine
literal_form: Sítá’s image of herself and Ráma as linked like the Day-God and his
shine.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: fiery serpent arrows
literal_form: Ráma’s arrows are compared to snakes with fiery heads that hiss and
flame.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- serpent
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:3
label: fiery deluge
literal_form: A fiery deluge in which Rávaṇ’s giants will fall.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: lion and hare
literal_form: Sítá compares Ráma to a lion and Rávaṇ to a hare lying in thick woods
and high grass.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:5
label: furious snake hiss
literal_form: Rávaṇ is described as hissing like a furious snake before speaking
to Sítá.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- serpent
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:6
label: two-month respite
literal_form: A fixed two-month period Rávaṇ grants Sítá before threatening lethal
punishment if she refuses him.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:7
label: fiery eyes of demons
literal_form: The demon crew are described as having fiery eyes as they surround
Sítá.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Sítá rejects Rávaṇ’s wooing
summary: Sítá thinks of Ráma, rejects Rávaṇ’s proposal as sinful, turns her back
on him, and declares loyalty to her husband.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Warning of Ráma’s vengeance
summary: Sítá warns Rávaṇ that his desire will ruin him and Lanká, and she imagines
Ráma’s bow and fiery serpent-like arrows destroying the giants.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Rávaṇ threatens a deadline and death
summary: Angered by Sítá’s rejection, Rávaṇ says his love restrains his anger, grants
her two months to submit, and threatens to have her cut up for his meal if she
refuses.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Celestial consolation and renewed rebuke
summary: Celestial beings console Sítá; she answers Rávaṇ with further rebuke, comparing
Ráma to a lion and Rávaṇ to a hare.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Rávaṇ summons the guards
summary: Rávaṇ hisses like a snake, threatens immediate death, then summons the
Rákshas guard and orders them to guard and tame Sítá.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:6
label: Demons coerce Sítá
summary: The demon women surround Sítá, praise Rávaṇ’s lineage and power, name Vikatá
as one speaker, and threaten Sítá with death if she refuses him.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: stolen or captive beloved pressured by captor
taxonomy_refs:
- stolen_beloved
basis: Sítá is Ráma’s consort, is held under Rávaṇ’s guard, rejects Rávaṇ’s sexual
pressure, and is threatened unless she accepts him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:11
confidence: high
cautions: 'The excerpt does not narrate the original abduction event, but it clearly
depicts the aftermath: captivity, coercive wooing, and loyalty to the absent husband.'
- id: motif:2
label: destruction foretold as consequence of sexual wrongdoing
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: Sítá warns that Rávaṇ’s lawless love and sin will ruin him, his line, and
Lanká, and predicts Ráma’s destructive vengeance.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The punishment is voiced as Sítá’s warning and Ráma’s future vengeance;
the passage does not explicitly frame it as a formal divine judgment.
- id: motif:3
label: serpent-fire imagery of lethal force
taxonomy_refs:
- serpent
basis: Ráma’s arrows are likened to snakes with fiery heads, and Rávaṇ is likened
to a hissing furious snake.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The serpent references are similes and images, not literal serpent beings
acting in the scene.
- id: motif:4
label: coercion by threat and blandishment
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Rávaṇ explicitly orders guards to bend Sítá’s will through a mixture of threats
and blandishments, and the demons praise him while warning she will die if she
refuses.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy reference directly names this coercive persuasion
pattern.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: 'The passage fits the supplied motif family of the stolen beloved: a woman
loyal to an absent husband is held by a rival ruler, pressured to accept him,
guarded by monsters, and threatened with death for refusal.'
claim_level: same_motif
target: stolen_beloved
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:11
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The abduction itself is not included in this excerpt; the claim rests
on captivity, coercive wooing, and Sítá’s identification as Ráma’s consort.
- id: claim:2
claim: The fiery snake similes create visual similarity to serpent and fire symbolic
patterns, especially in the description of Ráma’s arrows and Rávaṇ’s hissing speech.
claim_level: visual_similarity
target: serpent and fire imagery
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:7
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: These are figurative comparisons within the passage, not evidence for
a separate serpent myth or fire cult motif.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: lines 46115-46123
quote_or_summary: Sítá thinks of her lord and says it is not fitting to woo “A matron,
to her husband true.”
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 46124-46146
quote_or_summary: Sítá turns her back on Rávaṇ, tells him to leave sin, honour others’
wives, return her to Ráma, and warns that his lawless love will ruin him, his
line, and Lanká; she says she and Ráma are linked like the Day-God and his shine.
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 46147-46158
quote_or_summary: Sítá says Rávaṇ will hear Ráma’s bow, and that Ráma’s shafts,
like fiery-headed snakes, will fly, hiss, flame, and bring a fiery deluge on Rávaṇ’s
giants.
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 46162-46184
quote_or_summary: Rávaṇ angrily answers that love restrains him from killing Sítá,
grants her two months to yield, and threatens that his cooks will cut up her limbs
for his morning meal if she refuses.
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 46186-46192
quote_or_summary: Minstrel daughters of the skies and children of the gods pity
Sítá and console her with smiles and nods.
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 46193-46212
quote_or_summary: Sítá asks whether no friend has warned Rávaṇ, compares wooing
her to tempting Queen Śachí, says Rāma is a lion and Rávaṇ a hare, and rebukes
Rávaṇ’s eye and tongue for offending Rāma’s wife.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: quote
locator: lines 46214-46221
quote_or_summary: Rávaṇ, “hissing like a furious snake,” calls Sítá deaf to prayers
and threats and says she will cease to live that day.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 46223-46232
quote_or_summary: Rávaṇ summons the Rákshas guard, orders them to guard Sítá well
and tame her stubbornness through threat and blandishment, then returns to his
queens’ abode.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 46236-46251
quote_or_summary: The hideous demon crew with fiery eyes surrounds Sítá, insults
and threatens her, and urges her to be the wife of Rávaṇ by invoking Pulastya,
Brahmá, Viśravas, and Rávaṇ’s lineage.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 46253-46264
quote_or_summary: One fiery-eyed demon tells Sítá to accept Rávaṇ, who defeated
the gods and has chosen her over his other wives.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: lines 46266-46282
quote_or_summary: Vikatá says Rávaṇ subdued Nāgas and Gandharvas, can affect sun,
wind, rain, and trees, is feared by demons, and warns Sítá to comply or die.
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 scene and figure extraction is strongly supported by the passage.
Motif labels are limited to supplied taxonomy where applicable; some symbolic
patterns are similes rather than independent mythic agents.
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 text and metadata. All interpretive motif assignments are marked with cautions where the passage supports only a partial or figurative instance.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg__l46115-l46292
passage_sha256=3fd72af42b9e0b51d6e55c689729128f431e9bb2c9754906745514b8ceaaf24b