batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l47737-l47909
---
record_id: batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l47737-l47909
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
passage_locator:
label: Canto XLV. The Seven Defeated. / Canto XLVI. The Captains. / Canto XLVII.
The Death Of Aksha. / Canto LIII. The Punishment.; lines 47737-47909
start: '47737'
end: '47909'
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: Ravana orders Hanuman's tail burned as punishment rather than killing an
envoy. Demons wrap and ignite the tail, but Sita prays to Fire and Hanuman is
unharmed. Hanuman frees himself, kills surrounding fiends, uses the burning tail
to set Lanka's palaces aflame, then fears he may have harmed Sita until heavenly
voices confirm she is safe.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Ravana accepts counsel that killing an envoy would be improper and orders
Hanuman's tail to be set aflame as punishment and disgrace.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The demons bind Hanuman's tail with cotton strips, soak them in oil, and set
the coil on fire.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: As the bands are wound around his tail, Hanuman's form grows vast; later he
reduces himself to a very small size and then resumes his normal size.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: obs:4
text: Hanuman is led through the crowded streets of Lanka while onlookers cry that
he is a spy.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Sita hears that the monkey who spoke with her in the garden is being led through
Lanka with flames around his tail.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Sita prays reverently to the kindled fire, asking it to spare the Vanar if
she has been faithful to her husband and vows.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: The fire responds by leaping and shining, then withholds its rage so that
Hanuman no longer feels heat.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: Hanuman frees himself from bonds, seizes a heavy club at the gate, and kills
the surrounding fiends.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: Hanuman moves through Lanka with harmless flames around him and then deliberately
spreads fire from palace to palace.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: Vibhishan's house alone is spared while the other mansions and palaces burn.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: A friendly wind fans the flames, which spread to gilded, jeweled walls and
bring palaces down.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:12
text: Demons try vainly to stop the fire, and women with dishevelled hair flee to
rooftops, cry for help, and fall.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:13
text: After Lanka lies in ruin, Hanuman reflects with shame that anger led him to
burn the city and fears Sita may have perished in the flames.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:14
text: Hanuman reasons that Sita's virtue and the fire that spared him would also
protect her.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:15
text: Heavenly voices praise Hanuman's exploit and state that the flames have not
harmed a hair of Sita's head.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Ravana
description: King of Lanka who orders Hanuman's tail burned as punishment.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Hanuman
description: The Vanar, monkey, and Wind-God's son whose tail is burned, who escapes,
destroys foes, and burns Lanka.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Giants, demons, Rakshasas, or fiends
description: Collective hostile figures who bind and burn Hanuman's tail, lead him
through Lanka, and later suffer the city fire.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Sita
description: The captive lady, Janak's child, and Rama's faithful wife who prays
to Fire for Hanuman's protection and is later confirmed unharmed.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Fire
description: Addressed reverently by Sita; it spares Hanuman from heat and is later
reasoned to spare Sita.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Vibhishan
description: Named through the statement that his house alone was spared in the
burning of Lanka.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Sugriva
description: Recalled by Hanuman in his fear that he may have ruined the mission.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Rama and Raghu's sons
description: Recalled as royal brothers and as those dear to Sita; Rama is named
as Sita's husband.
role_refs:
- role:10
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Heavenly voices
description: Voices that praise Hanuman and confirm Sita is unharmed.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
roles:
- id: role:1
label: punishing king
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Ravana orders a non-lethal punishment for the envoy by burning his tail.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: punished envoy or spy
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Hanuman is treated as an envoy who should not be killed and is paraded as
a spy with his tail aflame.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: shape-changing escapee
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Hanuman expands in size, shrinks to escape his bonds, and resumes his native
size.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: city-burner
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Hanuman spreads fire from palace to palace through Lanka.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:5
label: hostile captors and victims of retaliation
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The demons bind and ignite Hanuman's tail and are later killed or harmed
in the burning city.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: captive intercessor
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Sita hears of Hanuman's punishment and prays to Fire to spare him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:7
label: protected faithful wife
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Hanuman reasons that Sita's virtue will protect her, and heavenly voices
confirm she is unharmed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:8
label: responsive protective fire
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Fire answers Sita's prayer and spares Hanuman from heat.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:9
label: associated with spared house
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The passage states that Vibhishan's house alone was spared.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:10
label: absent ally or authority recalled in remorse
assigned_to:
- fig:7
- fig:8
basis: Hanuman wonders how he can meet Sugriva and bow before the royal brothers
if his act has ruined the mission.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:11
label: absent husband of Sita
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Sita is described as Rama's faithful wife and one dear to Raghu's sons.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:12
label: heavenly confirmers
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The voices praise Hanuman and report that Sita has not been harmed by the
fire.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: fire
literal_form: Kindled fire on Hanuman's tail and throughout Lanka; addressed by
Sita and described as sparing Hanuman and Sita.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: sym:2
label: burning tail
literal_form: Hanuman's tail wrapped in oiled cloth and set aflame, first as punishment
and then as the means by which he burns Lanka.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: sym:3
label: city of Lanka
literal_form: Crowded streets, structures, forts, palaces, mansions, gilded walls,
and rooftops consumed by flame.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:4
label: wind aiding fire
literal_form: A friendly wind fans the flames as they spread through Lanka.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: protective virtue
literal_form: Sita's obedience, ascetic vows, faithfulness, and holy life are invoked
as reasons Fire should spare Hanuman and Sita.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:7
- id: sym:6
label: spared house
literal_form: Vibhishan's house alone remains unburned among the enemy mansions.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Ravana decrees the tail-burning punishment
summary: Ravana decides not to kill the envoy but to shame him by setting his tail
on fire and sending him back disfigured.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Hanuman's tail is wrapped, ignited, and displayed
summary: Demons wrap Hanuman's tail in oiled cotton, ignite it, and lead him through
Lanka while he observes the city's structures.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Sita prays to Fire
summary: Sita hears of Hanuman's burning tail and asks Fire to spare him if she
has been faithful and kept her vows.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Fire spares Hanuman and Hanuman escapes
summary: Fire ceases to harm Hanuman; he shrinks, breaks free, resumes size, seizes
a club, and kills nearby fiends.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Hanuman burns Lanka
summary: Hanuman uses his burning tail to spread flames across palaces and mansions;
Vibhishan's house is spared and wind fans the conflagration.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:6
label: Hanuman fears for Sita
summary: After the destruction, Hanuman regrets the act done in anger and fears
Sita may have died, then reasons that her virtue and Fire's prior mercy protect
her.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:7
label: Heavenly voices confirm Sita's safety
summary: Heavenly voices praise Hanuman and declare that Lanka is ruined but Sita
has not been harmed by the flames.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: punishment transformed into weapon
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The burning tail ordered as a humiliating punishment becomes the means by
which Hanuman burns Lanka.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: This is a passage-level functional pattern, not tied to a supplied taxonomy
family.
- id: motif:2
label: protective fire responding to a faithful woman's prayer
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Sita invokes her faithfulness and vows before Fire, after which Fire spares
Hanuman; Hanuman later reasons that the same fire would spare Sita.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not present this as a formal ordeal; it is extracted
only as a protective-fire pattern.
- id: motif:3
label: shape-changing escape
taxonomy_refs:
- shapeshifter
basis: Hanuman expands greatly while being bound, then reduces himself to minute
size to loosen the bonds and returns to his native size.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage describes change of size rather than transformation into another
species or identity.
- id: motif:4
label: city-destroying fire with apocalyptic imagery
taxonomy_refs:
- world_destroying_fire
basis: Hanuman spreads fire through Lanka's palaces, and the destruction is compared
to cosmic dissolution and falling heavenly citadels.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The actual event is city-wide destruction, not literal destruction of
the world; the world-ending aspect is simile and imagery.
- id: motif:5
label: remorse after destructive anger
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: After burning Lanka, Hanuman reproaches himself for anger and fears the act
may have killed the person he came to save.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: This is an ethical reflection pattern rather than a supplied taxonomy
motif.
- id: motif:6
label: reassurance by heavenly voices
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Heavenly voices intervene after Hanuman's anxious reflection to praise him
and confirm Sita's safety.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The source of the voices is not further specified in the passage.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage invokes world-ending fire imagery to frame the burning of Lanka,
especially through comparison to dissolution and catastrophic heavenly collapse.
claim_level: visual_similarity
target: world_destroying_fire motif family
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The comparison is imagistic and rhetorical within the passage; it does
not make the Lanka fire a literal cosmic apocalypse.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: Canto LIII, opening decree
quote_or_summary: Ravana says killing an envoy would be improper and orders Hanuman's
tail to be set aflame so he returns disgraced.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: Canto LIII, tail wrapped and procession
quote_or_summary: The demons wrap Hanuman's tail with cotton strips, soak them in
oil, ignite it, rejoice at the blaze, and lead him through Lanka's streets while
crying that he is a spy; his form grows vast as they bind him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: Canto LIII, Sita hears and prays
quote_or_summary: Sita is told that the monkey who spoke with her is being displayed
with flames around his tail; she goes reverently to the fire and asks it to spare
the Vanar if she has kept faith and vows.
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 LIII, fire spares and Hanuman escapes
quote_or_summary: The flame leaps and shines in answer, then no longer harms Hanuman;
he shrinks, slips his bonds, returns to size, seizes a club, and kills the fiends
around him.
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 LIV, burning of Lanka
quote_or_summary: Hanuman, with tail ablaze, scales palaces and spreads conflagration
from house to house; Vibhishan's house alone is spared, wind fans the fire, and
the scene is compared to dissolution and falling heavenly citadels.
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 LIV, inhabitants amid the fire
quote_or_summary: Demons raise a roar and try to stop flames in houses and groves,
while women with dishevelled hair crowd roofs, cry for help, and fall; jewels,
silver, and gold are consumed or melted.
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 LV, Hanuman's remorse and reasoning
quote_or_summary: Hanuman feels shame for destroying the town in anger, fears Sita
may have died, considers his own death, worries about facing Sugriva and the royal
brothers, and reasons that Sita's virtue and the fire's mercy would protect her.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: Canto LV, heavenly voices
quote_or_summary: Heavenly voices praise Hanuman, say Lanka is in ruin, and state
that the fires have not harmed a hair of Sita's head.
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: Passage details are explicit. Motif labeling is cautious where taxonomy categories
only partially match passage functions, especially size-changing and apocalyptic
fire imagery.
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. No external comparisons or unsupported taxonomy IDs were added.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg__l47737-l47909
passage_sha256=f373ccc1e44b3703faa941c6b5fc3ffa033a4e6ea4f913743bf1504dd6354491