batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l51137-l51279
---
record_id: batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l51137-l51279
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
passage_locator:
label: Canto XXII. Ocean Threatened. / Canto XXIII. The Omens. / Canto XXVIII. The
Chieftains. / Canto XXXI. The Magic Head.; lines 51137-51279
start: '51137'
end: '51279'
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: Saramá comforts Sítá by describing the mustering of Ráma’s forces and promising
that Ráma will defeat Rávaṇ and free her. Sítá asks Saramá to learn Rávaṇ’s plans.
Saramá secretly hears the council, where Rávaṇ’s mother and elder nobles urge
him to restore Sítá to Ráma, but Rávaṇ refuses. Battle sounds from Ráma’s approaching
army frighten Lanká’s defenders, and Rávaṇ briefly quails before addressing his
counsellors.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Saramá hears loud sounds of armies, drums, shells, tambours, battle shouts,
horses, chariots, and weapons.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Saramá tells Sítá that Lanká’s troops are afraid and that Ráma will kill his
foe and free his lady.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Saramá offers to seek Sítá’s husband, carry Sítá’s words, and return unseen.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: Sítá says Saramá can travel through heaven and hell and asks her to learn
Rávaṇ’s plots and guile.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Sítá says Rávaṇ torments her with magic, proposals, reproof, flattery, threats,
and prayers while guards surround her night and day.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: Saramá goes to the council hall, listens to Rávaṇ among the assembled nobles,
and returns to the Aśoka grove.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: Rávaṇ’s mother and elder nobles urge him to restore the Maithil queen with
honour to her angry lord.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: Saramá reports that Rávaṇ will not release Sítá until he dies.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: An awful sound from Lanká’s approaching foes makes the earth seem to rock
and frightens the hosts within the walls.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: Rávaṇ hears the fearful drum and shell notes, briefly trembles, then resumes
pride and addresses his counsellors.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Saramá
description: A speaker who comforts Sítá, offers swift unseen travel, spies on Rávaṇ’s
council, and returns with tidings.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Sítá / Janak’s child / Maithil queen
description: A captive queen guarded in the Aśoka grove who fears Rávaṇ and awaits
news from Saramá.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Ráma / Raghu’s son
description: Sítá’s husband and war leader whose forces approach Lanká; Saramá says
he will kill Rávaṇ and free Sítá.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:9
- ev:11
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Rávaṇ / lord of Lanká
description: King of Lanká who holds Sítá, refuses counsel to release her, and reacts
to the sounds of Ráma’s army.
role_refs:
- role:5
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:10
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Rávaṇ’s royal mother
description: Rávaṇ’s mother who urges him to set Sítá free.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Elder nobles of Lanká
description: Nobles who add counsel, tears, and prayers to the royal mother’s request
that Sítá be restored.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Hanúmán
description: A figure cited in the council speech as one who crossed the waters
and looked upon the guarded lady.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Rákshas troops / hosts within Lanká
description: Lanká’s troops and hosts are armed for battle and are described as
afraid or dismayed.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:9
roles:
- id: role:1
label: comforting ally
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Saramá consoles Sítá and speaks gently to her.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:2
label: secret envoy or spy
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Saramá promises to go unseen, learns Rávaṇ’s purpose, hears the council,
and returns with news.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: role:3
label: captive queen
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Sítá describes herself as helpless and guarded night and day; the nobles
urge that she be restored to her lord.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: role:4
label: rescuer husband and attacking hero
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Ráma is described as Sítá’s husband who has brought forces to Lanká and is
expected to free her.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:11
- id: role:5
label: captor king
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Rávaṇ is said to torment Sítá and to refuse to release her from his hold.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: role:6
label: counsellor urging restoration
assigned_to:
- fig:5
- fig:6
basis: Rávaṇ’s mother and elder nobles ask him to restore the Maithil queen to Ráma.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:7
label: fearful defenders
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The hosts within Lanká are described as trembling and dismayed at the approaching
foe.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: battle alarm
literal_form: drums, shells, tambours, battle shouts, ringing steel, and chariot
wheels
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: sym:2
label: Aśoka grove
literal_form: grove where Sítá waits on the grassy ground
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:3
label: waters crossed to reach the captive
literal_form: waters crossed by Hanúmán; Lanká’s shore bridged by Ráma
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: sym:4
label: Ráma’s arrows
literal_form: arrows by which Saramá says the giants and their king will be slain
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Lanká prepares for battle
summary: Saramá describes the arming of Rákshas troops, elephants, horses, chariots,
and chieftains as battle sounds fill the city.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Saramá consoles Sítá
summary: Saramá tells Sítá that Ráma will defeat his foe, free her, and be reunited
with her.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Sítá sends Saramá to learn Rávaṇ’s plans
summary: Saramá offers to act as unseen messenger; Sítá asks her to discover Rávaṇ’s
plots because she is guarded and afraid.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Council advice rejected
summary: Saramá listens in the council hall and reports that Rávaṇ’s mother and
elder nobles urged him to return Sítá, but he refused to release her.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:12
- id: scene:5
label: Approaching army terrifies Lanká
summary: The sounds of Ráma’s approaching army frighten Lanká’s hosts; Rávaṇ briefly
trembles before addressing his counsellors with pride.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: abducted or captive beloved awaiting rescue
taxonomy_refs:
- stolen_beloved
basis: Sítá is held under guard by Rávaṇ, the council urges that she be restored
to her husband, and Saramá predicts that Ráma will free her.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The supplied passage focuses on captivity, counsel, and impending rescue;
it does not narrate the original abduction.
- id: motif:2
label: secret ally gathers intelligence for captive heroine
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Saramá offers to travel unseen, Sítá sends her to learn Rávaṇ’s plots, and
Saramá returns with news from the council.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy family directly matches this messenger-spy pattern.
- id: motif:3
label: refused counsel before destructive war
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Rávaṇ’s mother and elders advise him to return Sítá, but he refuses while
battle sounds and fear among Lanká’s defenders intensify.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage implies coming disaster but does not yet narrate the full
defeat.
- id: motif:4
label: crossing water or bridging to enemy stronghold
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The council speech recalls Hanúmán crossing the waters to see Sítá, and Rávaṇ
says Ráma has bridged his way to Lanká’s shore.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
confidence: medium
cautions: The crossing is referenced retrospectively rather than narrated in detail
in this passage.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: 'The passage fits the supplied motif family of the stolen beloved: a woman
is held by a rival ruler, counsellors urge her restoration to her husband, and
the husband’s army approaches to rescue her.'
claim_level: same_motif
target: stolen_beloved
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:11
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: This is a motif-family classification within the supplied taxonomy,
not a claim about historical contact or origin.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 51137-51165
quote_or_summary: 'Saramá hears armies gathering: drums, shells, tambours, battle
shouts, horses, elephants, chariots, horsemen, battalions, and weapons throughout
Lanká.'
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 51166-51179
quote_or_summary: "“Ráma with the lotus eyes… With conquering arm will slay his
foe / And free his lady from her woe.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 51188-51199
quote_or_summary: Saramá, seeking to soothe Sítá, offers to find Sítá’s husband,
speak Sítá’s words, and return unseen with speed greater than Garuḍa or the tempest.
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 51200-51207
quote_or_summary: Sítá says Saramá’s steps can pass through heaven and hell and
asks her to learn every plot and guile planned by Lanká’s lord.
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 51208-51215
quote_or_summary: Sítá says Rávaṇ deceives her with magic, torments her with suit,
reproof, flattery, threats, and prayers, and that guards surround her night and
day.
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 51216-51229
quote_or_summary: Saramá goes to learn Rávaṇ’s purpose, hears him speaking in a
council hall filled with nobles, then returns to the Aśoka grove where Sítá waits.
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 51230-51239
quote_or_summary: "“There stood the royal mother: she / Besought her son to set
thee free… ‘O be the Maithil queen restored / With honour to her angry lord’.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 51245-51254
quote_or_summary: Saramá reports that Rávaṇ keeps his purpose unchanged, will not
release Sítá until he dies, and that Ráma’s arrows will slay the giants and their
king.
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 51255-51262
quote_or_summary: An awful sound from Lanká’s fast-approaching foes rises; drums
and shells make the earth seem to rock, and the hosts inside the walls tremble
and curse Rávaṇ as their ruin.
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 51265-51273
quote_or_summary: Rávaṇ hears the fearful drums and shells, briefly quails and shakes,
then recalls his pride and addresses his counsellors sternly.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:11
type: quote
locator: lines 51274-51279
quote_or_summary: "“To Lanká’s shore has bridged his way / And hither leads his
wild array.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: lines 51240-51244
quote_or_summary: The council speech cites Hanúmán crossing the waters, seeing the
guarded lady, and Lanká’s fallen chiefs as witnesses to the enemy leader’s prowess.
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 extraction is strong because the passage is explicit. Motif classification
is limited to supplied taxonomy and the excerpt’s partial narrative context.
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. Empty taxonomy references indicate no directly supported supplied taxonomy item beyond those listed.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg__l51137-l51279
passage_sha256=980b2a5f18e130835f97cb9ebc41e307382f4981f77cd7f7da3eb03ae770efb2