batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l47615-l47734
---
record_id: batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l47615-l47734
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
passage_locator:
label: Canto XLIII. The Ruin Of The Temple. / Canto XLV. The Seven Defeated. / Canto
XLVI. The Captains. / Canto XLVII. The Death Of Aksha.; lines 47615-47734
start: '47615'
end: '47734'
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: Hanuman tells Ravana that he is a Vanara and a messenger from Rama, explains
that he allowed himself to be bound in order to see the king, conveys Sugriva’s
greeting, demands Sita’s release, warns that Rama and Lakshman cannot be withstood,
and threatens the ruin and burning of Lanka. Ravana orders Hanuman killed, but
Vibhishan argues that envoys should not be put to death under ancient law and
proposes lesser punishments.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Hanuman denies being a messenger of Indra, Kuvera, or Vishnu and says he is
a Vanara as he appears.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Hanuman says he destroyed the pleasant grove in order to gain access to Ravana.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Hanuman says no fiend or god can bind him and refers to a boon from the Eternal
Sire and release from Brahma’s magic shaft.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: Hanuman identifies himself as a messenger from Raghu’s son.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Hanuman conveys Sugriva’s greeting to Ravana and identifies himself as Hanuman,
son of the God of Wind.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: Hanuman says he crossed the sea to free the Maithil lady and found her weeping
in a grove.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: Hanuman urges Ravana to restore the Maithil queen uninjured to her lord.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: Hanuman compares the Maithil queen to a snake whose bite will ruin Ravana
and his house.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: Hanuman says Rama has sworn to kill the one who stole his wife.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: Hanuman warns Ravana that Lanka may burn and that Ravana’s family and allies
may be ruined because of his sin.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:11
text: Ravana orders Hanuman to be taken away and killed.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:12
text: Vibhishan argues that noble kings do not condemn envoys to death and that
such an act breaks ancient law.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: obs:13
text: Vibhishan says the envoy may be punished by shame, scourging, branding, shaving
of the head, or wounding of the hand, but not killed.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: obs:14
text: Vibhishan reasons that punishment should fall on those who sent the message
rather than on the envoy who obeyed them.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Hanuman
description: A Vanara, son of the God of Wind, and messenger from Raghu’s son/Rama.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Ravana
description: The Giant King addressed by Hanuman and Vibhishan; he orders Hanuman’s
death.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Sugriva
description: Hanuman’s king, who sends greetings and whose alliance with Rama is
invoked.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:9
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Rama / Raghu’s son
description: The lord of the Maithil queen and the sender of Hanuman; he has sworn
to kill the thief of his wife.
role_refs:
- role:7
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Sita / the Maithil lady / Maithil queen
description: A captive woman found weeping by Hanuman and to be restored to her
lord.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Lakshman
description: Rama’s ally whose arrows Hanuman says cannot be borne by fiends or
heavenly beings.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:15
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Vibhishan
description: Ravana’s counsellor who argues that Hanuman, as an envoy, should not
be killed.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
- ev:14
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Brahma / the Eternal Sire
description: The divine figure whose boon and magic shaft are mentioned by Hanuman.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: God of Wind
description: Divine father of Hanuman as stated in Hanuman’s self-identification.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
roles:
- id: role:1
label: Vanara
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Hanuman says he is a Vanara as he appears.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: envoy or messenger
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Hanuman identifies himself as a messenger from Raghu’s son, and Vibhishan
treats him as an envoy.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:12
- id: role:3
label: wind-god’s son
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Hanuman names himself son of the God of Wind.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: giant king
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The passage addresses Ravana as the king of giants and as Giant King.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
- id: role:5
label: captor or offender
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Hanuman urges Ravana to return the Maithil queen and says Rama swore to kill
the one who stole his wife.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: role:6
label: allied Vanara monarch
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Hanuman calls Sugriva his king and refers to the Vanara monarch as Rama’s
friend.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:9
- id: role:7
label: wronged husband
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The Maithil queen is to be restored to her sorrowing lord, and Rama’s wife
is said to have been stolen.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: role:8
label: sender of envoy
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Hanuman says he is a messenger from Raghu’s son.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:9
label: stolen beloved or captive queen
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Hanuman found her weeping and demands she be restored to her lord; Rama’s
wife is said to have been stolen.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: role:10
label: warrior ally
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Hanuman warns that no fiend or sky-dweller can bear Lakshman’s shafts.
evidence_refs:
- ev:15
- id: role:11
label: legal counsellor
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Vibhishan advises Ravana to revoke the death order and cites the law protecting
envoys.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
- id: role:12
label: boon-giver
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Hanuman refers to a boon granted by the Eternal Sire.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:13
label: divine parent
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Hanuman identifies himself as son of the God of Wind.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: serpent danger
literal_form: snake
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- serpent
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:2
label: sea barrier
literal_form: the barrier of the sea
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:3
label: burning city threat
literal_form: Lanka burning
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: sym:4
label: binding and release
literal_form: bond or chain; Brahma’s magic shaft
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Hanuman explains his capture and mission
summary: Hanuman states that he is a Vanara, destroyed the grove to reach Ravana,
could not truly be bound because of a divine boon, and came as Rama’s messenger.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:2
label: Hanuman demands Sita’s return
summary: Hanuman conveys Sugriva’s greeting, says he crossed the sea to find the
Maithil lady, urges Ravana to return her, and warns of Rama and Lakshman’s power.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:15
- id: scene:3
label: Threat of Lanka’s ruin
summary: Hanuman says Rama has sworn to kill the thief of his wife and warns Ravana
that Lanka may burn and his kin be ruined.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: scene:4
label: Vibhishan opposes killing an envoy
summary: After Ravana orders Hanuman’s death, Vibhishan argues that ancient law
forbids killing envoys and recommends lesser punishments.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:7
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- ev:13
- ev:14
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: stolen beloved whose return is demanded
taxonomy_refs:
- stolen_beloved
basis: The passage centers on Hanuman’s demand that Ravana restore the Maithil queen
to Rama, whose wife is said to have been stolen.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The passage assumes the abduction rather than narrating it directly.
- id: motif:2
label: divine parentage of the hero-envoy
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_parent_child
basis: Hanuman identifies himself as son of the God of Wind while acting as envoy
and heroic agent.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage mentions parentage briefly and does not elaborate a parent-child
episode.
- id: motif:3
label: serpent as hidden danger to the offender
taxonomy_refs:
- serpent
basis: Hanuman warns Ravana that the Maithil queen is like a snake whose bite will
ruin him and his house.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The serpent image is a simile in speech, not a literal serpent episode.
- id: motif:4
label: crossing a water barrier to rescue a captive woman
taxonomy_refs:
- mystical_quest
basis: Hanuman says he crossed the sea to set the Maithil lady free and found her
weeping.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: Only the mission report is present here; the crossing itself is not narrated
in this passage.
- id: motif:5
label: law of the protected envoy
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Vibhishan argues that ancient law forbids killing an envoy and permits only
lesser punishments.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
- ev:14
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy reference exactly matches this legal-diplomatic motif.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: lines 47615-47620
quote_or_summary: Hanuman says he is not Indra’s messenger, nor acting for Kuvera
or Vishnu, but is a Vanara as he appears.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; short excerpt summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 47621-47626
quote_or_summary: Hanuman says he wished to see the king and therefore ruined the
pleasant shade after finding gate and guard difficult to pass.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 47627-47634
quote_or_summary: Hanuman says neither fiends nor gods can bind him; the Eternal
Sire granted him a boon, and he understood that Brahma’s magic shaft no longer
held him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: quote
locator: lines 47635-47636
quote_or_summary: "“A messenger from Raghu’s son.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; short quotation.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 47640-47643
quote_or_summary: Hanuman reports Sugriva’s greeting and names himself Hanuman,
son of the God of Wind.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 47644-47647
quote_or_summary: Hanuman says he crossed the sea to free the Maithil lady, searched
for her, and found her weeping in the grove.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 47656-47658
quote_or_summary: Hanuman tells Ravana to restore the Maithil queen uninjured to
her sorrowing lord.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: quote
locator: lines 47659-47662
quote_or_summary: "“She is no woman but a snake,” whose bite will ruin Ravana and
his house."
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; short quotation with summary.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 47678-47681
quote_or_summary: Hanuman says Rama swore before Sugriva to kill the one who stole
his wife.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 47682-47685
quote_or_summary: Hanuman warns Ravana to turn back or he will see Lanka burn and
his wives, friends, kin, and house ruined.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:11
type: quote
locator: lines 47689-47690
quote_or_summary: 'Ravana says, “Hence with the Vánar: let him die.”'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; short quotation.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: lines 47691-47704
quote_or_summary: Vibhishan asks Ravana to revoke the order, saying wise kings do
not condemn envoys to death and that killing one would break ancient law.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:13
type: summary
locator: lines 47717-47722
quote_or_summary: Vibhishan says the law permits punishments such as shame, scourging,
branding, shaving, or wounding, but not killing the envoy.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:14
type: summary
locator: lines 47723-47734
quote_or_summary: Vibhishan argues that punishment should fall on the senders of
the message; if the envoy is killed, no one will carry Ravana’s challenge to Rama
and Lakshman.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:15
type: summary
locator: lines 47652-47655
quote_or_summary: Hanuman says no fiend or sky-dweller can endure Lakshman’s arrows
or Rama’s wrath.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The passage is explicit about speakers, mission, Sita’s captivity, the serpent
simile, and envoy law. Motif taxonomy mapping is strongest for stolen_beloved;
other mappings are more limited because the relevant actions are reported rather
than narrated here.
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 supplied passage text and metadata. No comparison claims were added because the passage itself does not support cross-text historical or typological comparison beyond internal motif identification.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg__l47615-l47734
passage_sha256=be5bb7bdfe2822512488ffa165b7def7d4718ec8ed7b44af1f22a0d2d9fe6c93