batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l50823-l50850
---
record_id: batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l50823-l50850
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
passage_locator:
label: Canto XXI. Ocean Threatened. / Canto XXII. Ocean Threatened. / Canto XXIII.
The Omens. / Canto XXVIII. The Chieftains.; lines 50823-50850
start: '50823'
end: '50850'
translation: The Ramayan of Valmiki
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: "“With rocks and shattered mountains he / Has bridged his way athwart the
sea”"
summary: Śárdúla reports to the Giant King that Ráma’s army is guarded by Vánars,
that Śárdúla was captured and wounded but freed by Ráma, and that Ráma has bridged
the sea with rocks and mountains and waits near Lanká’s gate. Śárdúla advises
the king either to return the Maithil queen or prepare for battle.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Śárdúla speaks in trembling, weak tones to the Giant King.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Śárdúla says attempts to spy on the enemy’s purpose, strength, and number
have failed.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Ráma guards his legions and denies parley with the chiefs.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Vánar guards of mountain size block roads and paths.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Śárdúla says he was seized, bound, and wounded after entering.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: Śárdúla was led, trembling and bleeding, into Ráma’s presence.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: Ráma spared Śárdúla and freed him from captivity.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: Ráma has bridged the sea with rocks and shattered mountains.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:9
text: Ráma and his legions wait armed near Lanká’s gate.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:10
text: Śárdúla predicts the host will attack and scale the wall.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:11
text: Śárdúla tells the king to choose between yielding the Maithil queen and arming
for battle.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Śárdúla
description: A speaker reporting failed spying, his capture and release, and the
enemy’s position.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:10
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Giant King
description: The king addressed by Śárdúla and told to choose between yielding the
Maithil queen and battle.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:10
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Ráma
description: Leader who guards his legions, refuses parley, releases Śárdúla, bridges
the sea, and waits near Lanká’s gate.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Vánar guards
description: Guards described as mountain-sized and blocking roads and paths.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Maithil queen
description: The queen whom Śárdúla tells the king to yield.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Ráma’s legions or host
description: The army guarded by Ráma, waiting near Lanká’s gate and expected to
assault the wall.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:8
- ev:9
roles:
- id: role:1
label: messenger or reporter
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Śárdúla reports enemy strength, his capture, Ráma’s bridge, and the army’s
position to the king.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:10
- id: role:2
label: released captive
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He says he was seized and bound, then freed by Ráma.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: role:3
label: king receiving counsel
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Śárdúla addresses him as king and urges him to yield the queen or prepare
for battle.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:10
- id: role:4
label: army leader
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Ráma guards his legions and waits with them near Lanká’s gate.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:8
- id: role:5
label: merciful releaser of captive
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Ráma is said to save and free Śárdúla.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: path-blocking guards
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: They close and bar each road and path.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:7
label: disputed consort or queen
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The king is told to yield the Maithil queen, and the choice is framed as
between safety and her.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:8
label: besieging army
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The host waits near Lanká’s gate and is expected to scale the rampart.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: sea
literal_form: sea crossed by a bridge
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:2
label: rocks and shattered mountains
literal_form: rocks and shattered mountains used to bridge the sea
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:3
label: Lanká’s gate and wall
literal_form: gate, wall, and rampart of Lanká
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: sym:4
label: sword and shield
literal_form: weapons named as preparation for battle
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Śárdúla’s report to the Giant King
summary: Śárdúla, trembling and weak, reports that spying on Ráma’s forces failed
because the army is strongly guarded.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:2
label: Capture and release of Śárdúla
summary: Śárdúla recounts that he was seized, bound, wounded, brought before Ráma,
and then released by Ráma’s mercy.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:3
label: Army at Lanká after the sea crossing
summary: Śárdúla says Ráma has bridged the sea with rocks and mountains, and that
Ráma and his army wait near Lanká’s gate to attack.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: scene:4
label: Ultimatum to yield the queen or fight
summary: Śárdúla advises the king to return the Maithil queen or arm himself for
battle, presenting the matter as a choice between safety and keeping her.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: sea-crossing by constructed bridge
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Ráma is said to have bridged his way across the sea using rocks and shattered
mountains.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The passage reports the completed bridge but does not narrate its construction
in detail.
- id: motif:2
label: merciful release of a captured enemy spy
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Śárdúla says he was captured and badly wounded, then saved and freed by Ráma.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not identify Śárdúla explicitly as a spy beyond his statement
that he tried to spy on the foe.
- id: motif:3
label: besieging host before a fortified city
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Ráma’s army waits near Lanká’s gate, and Śárdúla predicts it will assault
the wall and scale the rampart.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: Only the preparation and prediction of assault appear in this passage,
not the battle itself.
- id: motif:4
label: stolen or withheld beloved as cause of conflict
taxonomy_refs:
- stolen_beloved
basis: Śárdúla frames the king’s choice as yielding the Maithil queen or facing
armed conflict and loss of safety.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage says to yield the queen but does not itself narrate her abduction
or explicitly state she was stolen.
- id: motif:5
label: ultimatum between restitution and war
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The king is told either to yield the Maithil queen or arm himself for battle.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: This is a direct speech motif in the report, not a full negotiation scene.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: lines 50823-50825
quote_or_summary: "“Śárdúla heard, but scarce might speak; / His trembling tones
were faint and weak: / ‘O Giant King’”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used for evidence.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 50826-50832
quote_or_summary: Śárdúla says efforts to spy on the foe have failed; the enemy’s
strength and number cannot be told, and Ráma guards his legions and denies parley.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: lines 50833-50834
quote_or_summary: "“Each road and path a Vánar guard, / Of mountain size, has closed
and barred.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used for evidence.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 50835-50838
quote_or_summary: Śárdúla says that after he found an entrance he was seized, bound,
and wounded by fists, knees, hands, and teeth.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 50839-50840
quote_or_summary: Śárdúla says he was brought trembling, bleeding, and almost dead
into Ráma’s presence.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:6
type: quote
locator: lines 50841-50842
quote_or_summary: "“He in his mercy stooped to save, / And freedom to the captive
gave.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used for evidence.
- id: ev:7
type: quote
locator: lines 50843-50844
quote_or_summary: "“With rocks and shattered mountains he / Has bridged his way
athwart the sea”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used for evidence.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 50845-50846
quote_or_summary: Ráma and all his legions wait embattled close to Lanká’s gate.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 50847-50848
quote_or_summary: Śárdúla predicts the host will assault the king’s wall and scale
the rampart.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:10
type: quote
locator: lines 50849-50850 and following line in supplied passage
quote_or_summary: "“Now, O my King, his consort yield, / Or arm thee with the sword
and shield. / This choice is left thee: choose between / Thy safety and the Maithil
queen.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used for evidence.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is strong for the reported capture, release, bridge, siege
posture, and ultimatum. Motif labeling is cautious where broader narrative context,
such as the queen’s prior abduction, is not included in the supplied 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 supplied passage does not itself make a comparison to another tradition or motif family beyond supported taxonomy tagging for candidate motifs and symbols.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg__l50823-l50850
passage_sha256=72de56eb704ff6bcba83590aad69808ef8e0c8a83cee89c9b5ecf2e7065e9177