batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l52120-l52240
---
record_id: batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l52120-l52240
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
passage_locator:
label: Canto XXXVIII. The Ascent Of Suvela. / Canto XLII. The Sally. / Canto XLIII.
The Single Combats. / Canto XLIV. The Night.; lines 52120-52240
start: '52120'
end: '52240'
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: Rama and Lakshman lie motionless and bloodied on the battlefield under
a numbing spell. Vibhishan calms Sugriva and says the brothers are not dead and
will revive. Indrajit reports his apparent victory to Ravana, who rejoices. Ravana
orders Sita to be taken in a car to view the fallen brothers, hoping that seeing
Rama apparently dead will turn her toward him. Sita is brought through the air,
sees the slain Vanars and the fallen brothers, and begins to lament.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Rama and Lakshman lie motionless, bloodied, and apparently lifeless on the
battlefield.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Sugriva reacts to the fallen princes with tears, fear, and anger.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Vibhishan tells Sugriva that the brothers are not dead but bound by magic
and will awake.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: Vibhishan touches Sugriva’s eyes with a dew-bathed finger and urges him not
to fear or delay.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Indrajit goes to Ravana and reports the battle and the fall of the princes.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: Ravana rejoices and embraces his warrior son after hearing the report of Rama’s
apparent death.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: Vanar warriors keep watch around the place where Rama lies, with Angad and
other chiefs present.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: The Vanar troops are described as armed with trees and fearful of Rakshasas.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: Ravana orders warders to tell Sita that Rama and Lakshman are dead and to
bring her to see them.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: Ravana says that after Sita sees Rama’s lifeless body her heart will turn
to him.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:11
text: The warders place Sita in a car and swiftly fly with her through the air to
the battlefield.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:12
text: Sita sees heaps of slain Vanars, Rakshasas triumphant in battle, Vanar chiefs
beside the fallen brothers, and the brothers pierced by arrows.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: obs:13
text: When Sita sees the brothers, she breaks into lament, with overflowing eyes,
groans, and sighs.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Rama
description: A prince and battle leader lying bloodied, motionless, and under a
spell; Ravana represents him to Sita as dead.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Lakshman
description: Rama’s brother, lying beside him apparently lifeless and pierced by
arrows.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Sugriva
description: King allied with Rama; he grieves and fears when he sees the fallen
princes, then is calmed by Vibhishan.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Vibhishan
description: Ally of Rama who assures Sugriva that the fallen brothers are not dead
and will revive; he rallies the frightened forces.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Indrajit
description: Ravana’s son, proud of the deed done by his art, who reports the princes’
fall to Ravana.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Ravana
description: Lord of Lanka and Rakshasa king; he rejoices at the report and orders
Sita to be shown Rama’s apparent corpse.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Sita
description: Janak’s child and the Maithil dame, mourning Rama in a grove; she is
brought to view the fallen brothers and laments.
role_refs:
- role:8
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Vanars
description: Rama’s allied troops, including chiefs and tree-armed legions, who
guard the fallen brothers and fear Rakshasas.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Angad
description: A Vanar chief standing near the fallen Rama, overwhelmed with grief.
role_refs:
- role:10
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Rakshasa warders
description: Warders who watch Sita and carry out Ravana’s command to bring her
in a car to the battlefield.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Rakshasas / rovers of the night
description: Ravana’s forces, seen by Sita as triumphant in the fight.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
roles:
- id: role:1
label: apparently slain or trance-bound warrior
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
basis: The brothers lie motionless and bloodied, but Vibhishan states they are spell-bound
rather than dead.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: role:2
label: beloved husband whose apparent death is shown to captive wife
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Ravana orders Sita to view Rama’s lifeless body, calling him the lord for
whose sake she rejected Ravana.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:3
label: grieving allied king
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Sugriva trembles and weeps at the sight of the fallen princes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: reassuring counselor and rallying ally
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Vibhishan calms Sugriva, explains the spell, and says he will rally those
who fear or yield.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:5
label: victorious attacker reporting conquest
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Indrajit is proud of his deed and reports the princes’ fall to Ravana.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:6
label: enemy king rejoicing at apparent victory
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Ravana rejoices when he hears the report of Rama’s death and embraces Indrajit.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:7
label: captor attempting persuasion through spectacle
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Ravana orders Sita to view Rama’s supposed corpse so that her heart may turn
to him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:8
label: captive beloved or wife
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Sita is watched by warders, mourns Rama, and is described as the lady whose
love for Rama led her to reject Ravana.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:9
label: lamenting witness
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: After seeing the fallen brothers, Sita groans, sighs, and begins a lament.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:10
label: watchful allied army
assigned_to:
- fig:8
- fig:9
basis: The Vanars keep watch around Rama and hold the ground in dense formation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:11
label: grieving warrior chief
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Angad stands near the fallen Rama overwhelmed with grief.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:12
label: royal warders and escorts
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: The warders watch Sita, hear Ravana’s command, bring the car, and take her
through the air.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:13
label: triumphant enemy forces
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: Sita sees the fierce rovers of the night thronging triumphant in the fight.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: deathlike battlefield trance
literal_form: Motionless, bloodied bodies lying on the plain as if dead, later explained
as a spell.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: dew touch on the eyes
literal_form: Vibhishan’s finger bathed in dew drawn across Sugriva’s eyes to free
his vision from mist.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: tree weapons
literal_form: Vanar legions described as tree-armed.
associated_figures:
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:4
label: flying car
literal_form: A car in which Sita is placed and carried through the yielding air.
associated_figures:
- fig:7
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:5
label: spectacle of the fallen beloved
literal_form: Sita is brought to see Rama and Lakshman lying pierced and apparently
dead on the battlefield.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:9
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: The fallen brothers on the bloody plain
summary: Rama and Lakshman lie motionless and bloodied on the battlefield, appearing
to be dead.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Vibhishan consoles Sugriva
summary: Sugriva grieves over the fallen princes, and Vibhishan tells him that the
brothers are not dead but spell-bound and will revive.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Indrajit reports to Ravana
summary: Indrajit returns to Lanka proud of his feat and tells Ravana of the battle
and the princes’ fall; Ravana rejoices and embraces him.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Vanars guard the fallen Rama
summary: Angad, Vanar chiefs, and tree-armed legions keep watch around the fallen
brothers while fearing Rakshasa attack.
figure_refs:
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Ravana orders Sita shown Rama’s apparent death
summary: Ravana commands Sita’s warders to tell her of Rama and Lakshman’s death
and bring her to view their bodies, hoping she will turn to him.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:10
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:6
label: Sita’s aerial viewing and lament
summary: Sita is placed in a flying car, sees the slain Vanars, triumphant Rakshasas,
and the pierced fallen brothers, then begins to lament.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
- fig:10
- fig:8
- fig:11
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: deathlike magical binding followed by promised revival
taxonomy_refs:
- death_rebirth
basis: The brothers appear dead, but Vibhishan explicitly says this is not death,
that magic binds them, and that they will awake and revive.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage promises revival but does not narrate the actual recovery
within this excerpt.
- id: motif:2
label: captive beloved shown the fallen hero
taxonomy_refs:
- stolen_beloved
basis: Ravana keeps Sita under guard, orders her to be shown Rama’s apparent corpse,
and hopes her heart will turn from Rama to him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The passage assumes the larger abduction/captivity context but itself
clearly shows guarded Sita and Ravana’s attempt to redirect her loyalty.
- id: motif:3
label: ally-counselor restores courage after apparent defeat
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Vibhishan calms Sugriva, interprets the apparent disaster, and rallies frightened
forces.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy family directly corresponds to this battlefield-counsel
pattern.
- id: motif:4
label: aerial conveyance to witness battlefield devastation
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Sita is placed in a car and swiftly carried through the air to view slain
Vanars and the fallen brothers.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage gives the vehicle and flight but does not provide further
ritual or cosmological framing.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: 'The Sita episode in this passage corresponds cautiously to a stolen-beloved
pattern: a guarded woman loyal to one man is shown his apparent death by a rival
who hopes to win her allegiance.'
claim_level: same_motif
target: stolen_beloved motif family
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: This claim is limited to the immediate passage evidence of guarded
Sita, Ravana’s stated desire, and the staged viewing; it does not analyze the
broader epic context.
- id: claim:2
claim: The apparent death of Rama and Lakshman functions like a death-and-return
pattern because the passage stresses lifelessness while also stating that the
condition is magical and temporary.
claim_level: same_function
target: death_rebirth motif family
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The actual return to consciousness occurs outside the provided excerpt,
so the identification rests on Vibhishan’s promise rather than completed narration.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 52120-52127
quote_or_summary: Rama and Lakshman are described as motionless on the bloody plain,
drawing no breath and lying as if bereft of life; Indrajit returns to Lanka proud
of his deed.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 52128-52132
quote_or_summary: Sugriva trembles at the bloodied fallen princes, with tears in
his eyes and anger rising.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: lines 52133-52142
quote_or_summary: "“This is not death: each prince will break / The spell that holds
him, and awake.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; short excerpt quoted.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 52143-52172
quote_or_summary: Vibhishan draws a dew-bathed finger across Sugriva’s eyes, urges
him to cast off fear, says the trance-bound pair will revive, and promises to
rally the troops.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 52173-52184
quote_or_summary: Indrajit reports the battle and the princes’ fall to Ravana, who
rises rejoicing, embraces his son, kisses his head, and hears again how Rama died.
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 52187-52198
quote_or_summary: The Vanars keep watch where Rama lies; Angad and other chiefs
stand grieving, tree-armed legions hold the ground, and the Vanars fear Rakshasas
in every sound.
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 52199-52218
quote_or_summary: Ravana orders Sita’s warders to tell her Rama and Lakshman are
dead, bring her in a car to see them, and show her Rama’s lifeless body so that
her heart will turn to him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 52219-52230
quote_or_summary: The warders bring the car to the grove where Sita mourns Rama,
place her in it, fly through the air, and she sees slain Vanars, triumphant Rakshasas,
and Vanar chiefs near the fallen brothers.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain translation; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 52231-52240
quote_or_summary: Sita sees each brother stretched on a gory bed with shattered
armor, splintered bow, and arrows piercing them; she then bursts into lament with
tears, groans, and sighs.
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: medium
notes: The literal battlefield and captivity events are clear. Motif labels involving
death-rebirth are provisional because revival is predicted but not narrated in
this 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: |-
Used only the supplied passage and metadata. Taxonomy references were limited to supplied available references and applied only where directly supported.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg__l52120-l52240
passage_sha256=c011f833942c204a958cffd32d6c64051d04482460c076eb3dd9d76ce36d4db5