batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l54847-l55004
---
record_id: batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l54847-l55004
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
passage_locator:
label: Canto L. The Broken Spell. / Canto LX. Kumbhakarna Roused. / Canto LXXIV.
The Medicinal Herbs. / Canto LXXV. The Night Attack.; lines 54847-55004
start: '54847'
end: '55004'
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: Rāvaṇ, grieving and enraged, recalls the boon and armor received from Brahmā
and vows vengeance. He nearly kills the captive Maithil dame in the grove, but
a Rākshas lord restrains him by warning against killing a woman. Later, amid lamentation
in Laṅkā, Rāvaṇ orders his chariot and army prepared, rides out with martial display,
encounters ominous signs, and slaughters many Vānars. The field is filled with
dead; Rāma and his Vānar allies fight on, several giant chiefs have fallen, and
Rāvaṇ urges his charioteer forward, comparing Rāma to a tree whose fruit is Sītā
and whose branches are the Vānar lords.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Rāvaṇ is described as grief-stricken and wrathful, with fire and smoke issuing
from his mouth before he speaks.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Rāvaṇ says he gained Brahmā’s favor through long penance and that Brahmā’s
word assured his life against gods and fiends.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Rāvaṇ says he will go armed with mail and Brahmā’s gifted bow to kill those
who slew his son.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Rāvaṇ goes to the grove where the captive Maithil dame stands weeping.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Rāvaṇ raises a sword as if to strike the Maithil dame.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: A Rākshas lord restrains Rāvaṇ’s arm and argues that killing a woman would
bring lasting guilt and stain his fame.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: Rāvaṇ accepts the counsel, his anger is appeased, and he returns to his council
hall.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: The groans and lamentations of women in Laṅkā reach Rāvaṇ, who then orders
his bow, chariot, and army prepared for battle.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: Rākshas warriors gather with weapons including spears, swords, axes, clubs,
maces, and pikes.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: Rāvaṇ mounts a gold-inlaid chariot drawn by eight noble steeds while drums,
shells, bells, weapons, and shouts accompany him through Laṅkā.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:11
text: As Rāvaṇ’s car passes the gate, the sun is overcast, the earth rocks, birds
cry ominously, a vulture strikes his standard, blood drops, his steeds stop in
fear, and a fiery meteor appears.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:12
text: Rāvaṇ continues onward despite the ominous signs.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:13
text: Rāvaṇ draws his bow and kills many Vānars with arrows, leaving bodies wounded,
dismembered, or dead on the plain.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:14
text: The battlefield is covered with bleeding limbs, dying warriors, and dead bodies
while Rāma shoots arrows at the giants and Angad and Sugrīva fight for the Vānars.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:15
text: Mahodar, Mahāpārśva, and Virūpāksha are reported fallen after being struck
or stained with gore.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:16
text: Rāvaṇ tells his charioteer to drive forward and calls Rāma a tree whose fruit
is Sītā and whose branches are the Vānar lords.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Rāvaṇ
description: King and lord of Laṅkā; grief-stricken, wrathful, armed for battle,
and leader of the Rākshas forces.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:6
- ev:8
- ev:10
- ev:12
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Brahmā
description: Divine figure whose grace, pledged word, mail, and bow Rāvaṇ invokes.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Maithil dame / Sītā
description: Captive woman in the grove, weeping and threatened by Rāvaṇ; later
named by Rāvaṇ as the fruit of Rāma’s tree.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:12
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Rākshas lord counselor
description: A Rākshas lord who restrains Rāvaṇ and counsels him not to kill the
woman.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Rākshas warriors and nobles
description: Rāvaṇ’s nearby nobles, captains, and warriors who gather with weapons
for battle.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Vānars
description: Rāma’s monkey allies who face Rāvaṇ in the field; many are slain by
his arrows.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Rāma
description: Enemy of Rāvaṇ; called one of Raghu’s sons and shown shooting arrows
at the giants; later compared by Rāvaṇ to a tree.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Raghu’s sons
description: Rāma and his brother are the enemies whom Rāvaṇ vows will die and whose
station is at the gate.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Angad
description: Vānar fighter who continues fighting for the Vānars on the battlefield.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Sugrīva
description: Vānar fighter who continues fighting for the Vānars on the battlefield.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Mahodar
description: Giant chief reported dead on the battlefield.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Mahāpārśva
description: Giant chief reported dead on the battlefield.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: fig:13
name_or_label: Virūpāksha
description: Giant chief reported fallen and stained with gore.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: fig:14
name_or_label: Rāvaṇ’s charioteer
description: Driver whom Rāvaṇ commands to urge the car forward.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
roles:
- id: role:1
label: wrathful grieving king
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He mourns, becomes enraged, recalls his losses, and gives commands as Laṅkā’s
lord.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- id: role:2
label: vengeance-seeker
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He vows to kill the slayers of his son and later orders battle against Raghu’s
sons and the Vānars.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: role:3
label: war leader in chariot
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He mounts the chariot, rides through Laṅkā, and enters the battlefield.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:10
- id: role:4
label: divine boon-giver
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Rāvaṇ says Brahmā’s grace, pledged word, armor, and bow secured him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: captive threatened woman
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: She is called captive, stands weeping in the grove, and is nearly struck
by Rāvaṇ’s sword.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:6
label: restraining counselor
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: He holds back Rāvaṇ’s arm and argues against killing the woman.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:7
label: royal war host
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: They are ordered to prepare and gather with weapons for the field.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:8
label: allied Vānar fighters
assigned_to:
- fig:6
- fig:9
- fig:10
basis: The Vānars, Angad, and Sugrīva fight against Rāvaṇ and the giants.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: role:9
label: opposing hero force
assigned_to:
- fig:7
- fig:8
basis: Rāvaṇ names Raghu’s sons as targets, while Rāma fights the giants and is
the central enemy in Rāvaṇ’s final metaphor.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: role:10
label: fallen giant chief
assigned_to:
- fig:11
- fig:12
- fig:13
basis: The passage states that Mahodar, Mahāpārśva, and Virūpāksha are overthrown
or dead.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: role:11
label: chariot driver
assigned_to:
- fig:14
basis: Rāvaṇ addresses him and orders him to drive the car forward.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: wrath fire
literal_form: Fire, smoke, and red lightning associated with Rāvaṇ’s body in anger.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: Brahmā’s armor and bow
literal_form: Burnished mail and a deadly bow described as Brahmā’s gifts to Rāvaṇ.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: raised sword over captive woman
literal_form: A glittering brand held by Rāvaṇ and raised in act to smite the Maithil
dame.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: royal war chariot
literal_form: Gold-inlaid, gem-decked chariot drawn by eight noble steeds.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:5
label: battle omens
literal_form: Overcast sun, rocking earth, ominous birds, vulture at the standard,
blood drops, fearful steeds, and fiery meteor.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:6
label: bow and arrows of slaughter
literal_form: Rāvaṇ’s clanging bow and arrows killing many Vānars; Rāma’s bow sending
shafts against giants.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: sym:7
label: Rāma as tree
literal_form: 'Rāvaṇ’s speech-metaphor: Rāma is a tree, Sītā is its fruit, and Vānar
lords are its branches.'
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Rāvaṇ’s wrath and vow of vengeance
summary: Rāvaṇ’s grief turns to rage; he recalls Brahmā’s boon, armor, and bow,
and declares that he will kill those responsible for his son’s death.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Threat to the captive in the grove
summary: Rāvaṇ rushes to the grove, finds the weeping captive Maithil dame, and
raises his sword to kill her, but a Rākshas lord restrains him with moral counsel.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:3
label: Mobilization in Laṅkā
summary: Hearing lamentation, Rāvaṇ orders his chariot, bow, and host made ready;
armed Rākshas warriors gather.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:4
label: Rāvaṇ’s chariot procession and omens
summary: Rāvaṇ rides through Laṅkā in a richly decorated chariot amid martial noise
and praise, but ominous signs appear as he passes the gate.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: scene:5
label: Rāvaṇ slaughters Vānars
summary: Despite the omens, Rāvaṇ enters battle, draws his bow, and kills many Vānars
with arrows.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: scene:6
label: Battlefield after fallen giants
summary: The field is covered in dead and dying. Rāma fires on the giants, Angad
and Sugrīva continue fighting, three giant chiefs lie slain, and Rāvaṇ urges his
charioteer toward the enemy while describing Rāma as a tree whose fruit is Sītā.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
- fig:12
- fig:13
- fig:14
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: boon earned by ascetic hardship
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: Rāvaṇ says that after many years of penance and pain he gained Brahmā’s grace,
protection, armor, and bow.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage presents penance leading to divine favor, but it does not
describe a formal bargain in detail.
- id: motif:2
label: vengeance vow after kin loss
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Rāvaṇ vows to kill the slayers of his son and later orders battle against
Rāma’s side.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: This is a narrative action pattern rather than a supplied taxonomy motif
family.
- id: motif:3
label: threatened captive beloved restrained by counsel
taxonomy_refs:
- stolen_beloved
basis: The captive Maithil dame, later identified as Sītā, is threatened by Rāvaṇ’s
sword but spared after counsel; Rāvaṇ’s later speech identifies her as central
to Rāma.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:12
confidence: high
cautions: The wider abduction context is not narrated in this excerpt, though the
passage explicitly calls her captive and names Sītā.
- id: motif:4
label: bad omens before battle
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: 'Before Rāvaṇ enters the field, multiple adverse signs appear: darkened sun,
trembling earth, ominous birds, vulture, blood, frightened steeds, and a meteor.'
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage does not explicitly say the omens are divine judgment; it
states the signs and that Death impels him onward.
- id: motif:5
label: enemy alliance as tree to be uprooted
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
basis: Rāvaṇ likens Rāma to a tree, Sītā to its fruit, and the Vānar lords to branches
with protective shade, then declares he will uproot it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
confidence: medium
cautions: This is an explicit metaphor within a speech; its status as a broader
motif requires comparison outside this excerpt.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The captive Sītā threatened by Rāvaṇ and framed as the central prize of conflict
fits the supplied stolen-beloved motif family at the passage level.
claim_level: same_motif
target: stolen_beloved
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:12
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage excerpt does not recount the original abduction or full
recovery plot, so the identification rests on her captive status and Rāvaṇ’s own
framing of Sītā as Rāma’s fruit.
- id: claim:2
claim: Rāvaṇ’s account of penance leading to Brahmā’s protective gifts is comparable
in function to a sacred-exchange pattern between ascetic effort and divine boon.
claim_level: same_function
target: sacred_exchange
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The wording emphasizes grace gained by austerity rather than a negotiated
exchange, so the comparison should remain cautious.
- id: claim:3
claim: The cluster of adverse signs before Rāvaṇ’s sortie is comparable to a bad-omens-before-doom
battle pattern.
claim_level: same_function
target: ominous portents before battle or downfall
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The excerpt supplies the omens and the phrase that Death impels him,
but does not in this range narrate Rāvaṇ’s final death.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: 54847-54852
quote_or_summary: Rāvaṇ’s grief turns to vengeance; he gnashes his teeth, red lightning
flashes from his eyes, and fire and smoke come from his mouth.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 54854-54869
quote_or_summary: Rāvaṇ says long penance won Brahmā’s grace, life-assurance against
gods and fiends, burnished mail, and a deadly bow, and he vows to kill his son’s
slayers.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 54871-54880
quote_or_summary: Rāvaṇ goes to the grove where the captive Maithil dame stands
weeping; he raises his sword as if to strike her.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 54881-54894
quote_or_summary: A Rākshas lord restrains Rāvaṇ and warns that killing a gentle
woman would stain his fame with eternal guilt.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 54895-54898
quote_or_summary: The counsel pleases Rāvaṇ, his wrath is appeased, and he returns
to the council hall.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 54906-54923
quote_or_summary: Women’s lamentations reach Rāvaṇ; he tells his nobles that Raghu’s
sons and countless Vānars will die and orders his car, bow, and host readied.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 54925-54928
quote_or_summary: Captains move through the streets, and Rākshas warriors gather
with spear, sword, axe, club, mace, and pike.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 54936-54952
quote_or_summary: Rāvaṇ’s gold-inlaid chariot is brought; he mounts it, drawn by
eight steeds, while bells, drums, shells, weapons, and crowds accompany him through
Laṅkā.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: 54953-54968
quote_or_summary: At the gate, the sun is overcast, earth rocks, birds cry, a vulture
strikes the standard, blood drops, steeds halt in fear, and a fiery meteor appears;
Rāvaṇ continues onward as if driven by Death.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: 54969-54978
quote_or_summary: The Vānars hear Rāvaṇ’s car and turn to fight; Rāvaṇ draws his
bow and kills many Vānars, leaving bodies wounded, blinded, dismembered, and dead.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: 54988-54997
quote_or_summary: The plain is covered with bleeding limbs and dead; Rāma shoots
at the giants, Angad and Sugrīva fight, and Mahodar, Mahāpārśva, and Virūpāksha
are dead or fallen.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:12
type: quote
locator: 54998-55004
quote_or_summary: Rāvaṇ orders his charioteer forward and says Rāma is the tree
whose fruit is Sītā and whose branches are the Vānar lords aiding him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: Literal extraction is strong for named figures, actions, weapons, omens,
and speeches. Motif and comparison assignments are cautious because the excerpt
is discontinuous and contains translator omission notes.
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 provided passage text and metadata. Translator bracketed omission notes were treated as part of the supplied passage but not used as primary evidence for motifs except where they contextualize discontinuity.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg__l54847-l55004
passage_sha256=5596a32c49d0f0e05c132f5cca962297912c047098f2af3ac5933129409e7fbd