batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l5492-l5590
---
record_id: batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l5492-l5590
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
passage_locator:
label: Canto XXXIII. The Sone. / Canto XXXIV. Brahmadatta. / Canto XXXIX. The Sons
Of Sagar. / Canto XL. The Cleaving Of The Earth.; lines 5492-5590
start: '5492'
end: '5590'
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: Raghu’s son asks the hermit to continue the account of Sagar. The hermit
recounts Sagar’s sacrifice between the Himalaya and Vindhya, Indra’s theft of
the sacrificial horse in demon disguise, Sagar’s command that his sixty thousand
sons dig through the earth to recover it, their destructive excavation to hell,
and the complaint of distressed beings to the Omnipotent Sire.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Raghu’s son asks the hermit to repeat clearly how his ancestor brought the
rite to completion.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Sagar prepares a sacrifice in the plain between the Himalaya and Vindhya,
described as especially fit for rites.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Anśumán is assigned to watch the sacrificial steed as it roams.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Indra, monarch of the skies, veils his form in demon guise and drives away
the victim horse.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The priests report that the sacred rite has been obstructed and urge Sagar
to recover the horse and slay the thief.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: Sagar summons his sixty thousand sons and orders them to search the earth
and beneath the ocean, digging until the horse is found.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: The sons obediently force their way through earth’s recesses, each digging
a league beneath the soil.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: The earth is cleft and groans as the sons dig with sharp tools, and monsters,
giants, demons, fiends, and snakes die under their blows.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: The sons dig sixty thousand leagues and reach hell while searching Jambudvip
with its hills and mountains.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: Gods, bards, fiends, and snakes become afraid and petition the Omnipotent
Sire, saying the sons of Sagar are piercing the earth and killing innumerable
guiltless creatures.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Raghu’s son
description: The listener who asks the hermit to continue and clarify the tale of
Sagar’s rite.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: The hermit / ancient sire
description: The speaker who answers Raghu’s son and narrates Sagar’s deeds.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Sagar
description: The king who prepares the sacrifice and commands his sons to recover
the stolen horse.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Anśumán
description: The prince appointed to watch the roaming sacrificial steed.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Indra
description: The monarch of the skies who assumes demon guise and drives away the
sacrificial horse.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Priests
description: The ritual officiants who report the theft and warn that the obstructed
rite brings harm.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Sagar’s sixty thousand sons
description: The sons commanded to pursue the thief, dig through the earth, and
recover the horse.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Earth-dwelling beings
description: Monsters, giants, demons, fiends, and snakes dwelling in the earth’s
core and killed during the digging.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Gods, bards, fiends, and snakes
description: Distressed beings who go before the Omnipotent Sire to complain of
the sons’ destructive digging.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: The Sire Omnipotent / mighty Father
description: The divine authority approached by fearful beings for grace.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
roles:
- id: role:1
label: questioning listener
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He asks to hear the tale repeated fully and clearly.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: narrator of ancestral deeds
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: He answers and proceeds with the legendary account of Sagar.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: sacrificing king and commander
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: He prepares the sacrifice and orders his sons to search and dig for the stolen
horse.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: guardian of the sacrificial horse
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: He is sent with a bow and car to watch the roaming steed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: divine thief in disguise
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Indra veils himself in demon guise and drives away the victim horse.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:6
label: ritual officiants warning of obstruction
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: They report the stolen horse and warn that the obstructed rite brings woe.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:7
label: obedient excavators and pursuers
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: They obey Sagar, pursue the robber’s track, dig through the earth, and reach
hell.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:8
label: victims of the excavation
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The passage says numerous earth-dwelling beings die beneath the sons’ blows
and are guiltless.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: role:9
label: petitioners against destruction
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: They fear the digging and approach the Omnipotent Sire with complaint.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:10
label: supreme recipient of petition
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: The distressed beings seek the mighty Father’s grace and address him as lord.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: sacrificial horse
literal_form: Victim horse / roaming steed taken during Sagar’s rite.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:2
label: cleft earth
literal_form: Earth dug open by the sons with picks, bars, and coulters until it
groans.
associated_figures:
- fig:7
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: sym:3
label: mountain-bounded ritual land
literal_form: The plain between Himálaya and Vindhya; Jambudvip with hills and mountains.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:7
- id: sym:4
label: serpents / snakes in the earth
literal_form: Snakes named among the beings dwelling in the earth and among the
fearful petitioners.
associated_figures:
- fig:8
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs:
- serpent
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: sym:5
label: ocean boundary and depth
literal_form: The sea-garlanded earth and the possible hiding place beneath the
ocean’s tide.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Request for the ancestral tale
summary: Raghu’s son asks the hermit to explain again how his ancestor completed
the rite, and the hermit resumes the story of Sagar.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Sacrifice and theft of the horse
summary: Sagar prepares a sacrifice in the ritual plain; Anśumán watches the steed,
but Indra in demon guise drives it away.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Sagar commands the search
summary: Sagar orders his sixty thousand sons to pursue the thief across and beneath
the earth and ocean, digging until they recover the horse.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: The earth is cleft
summary: The sons dig league by league through the earth, which groans, and they
kill many earth-dwelling beings while reaching hell.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:5
label: Petition to the Omnipotent Sire
summary: Fearful gods, bards, fiends, and snakes go before the mighty Father and
complain that Sagar’s sons are piercing the earth and killing guiltless creatures.
figure_refs:
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Theft of a sacrificial object by a divine figure in disguise
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_theft
basis: Indra, a sky monarch, hides his form in demon guise and takes the victim
horse required for Sagar’s sacrifice.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The passage names the thief and the stolen ritual animal, but it has not
yet narrated the recovery or outcome.
- id: motif:2
label: Ritual obstruction requiring restoration
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: The priests say the rite is impeded by the stolen horse and urge immediate
action to restore its proper course.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The passage focuses on the disruption and search rather than on the completed
sacrifice.
- id: motif:3
label: Descent through the earth in pursuit of a stolen sacred object
taxonomy_refs:
- hero_descent
basis: Sagar’s sons pursue the robber’s track by digging through the earth until
they reach hell while looking for the horse.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The descent is collective and destructive, not a single hero’s initiatory
journey.
- id: motif:4
label: Cosmic disturbance from violent penetration of the earth
taxonomy_refs:
- chaos
basis: The sons’ excavation causes the earth to groan, kills innumerable creatures,
and alarms gods, bards, fiends, and snakes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage shows disorder and fear, but not full cosmic dissolution.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: 'The episode fits the same motif-family function as sacred theft: a ritual
object is removed by a divine actor in disguise, obstructing the rite and prompting
recovery efforts.'
claim_level: same_motif
target: sacred_theft
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: This is a taxonomy-level comparison only; the passage does not compare
traditions or state a broader parallel.
- id: claim:2
claim: The digging sequence can be cautiously compared to descent motifs because
the search moves from the surface world through the earth to hell.
claim_level: same_function
target: hero_descent
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The actors are a large group of royal sons, and the passage emphasizes
pursuit and devastation rather than a transformative descent.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 5492-5508
quote_or_summary: Raghu’s son asks the ancient hermit to repeat how his ancestor
completed the rite; the hermit agrees to continue the legendary tale of Sagar’s
deeds.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 5509-5519
quote_or_summary: Sagar prepares his sacrifice in the plain between Himálaya and
Vindhya, and Anśumán is sent with bow and car to watch the roaming steed.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: lines 5520-5523
quote_or_summary: "“Indra, monarch of the skies, / Veiling his form in demon guise,
/ Came down upon the appointed day / And drove the victim horse away.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 5524-5535
quote_or_summary: The priests report that a robber has taken the victim horse on
the sacred day, warn that the obstructed rite brings harm, and urge Sagar to recover
it and kill the thief.
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 5536-5560
quote_or_summary: Sagar summons his sixty thousand sons, tells them to pursue the
robber whether hidden in earth or beneath the ocean, explore the sea-garlanded
world, and dig a league each until they find the horse.
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 5561-5575
quote_or_summary: The sons obey, force their way through the earth, dig with hard
iron tools, the earth groans, and monsters, giants, demons, fiends, and snakes
die beneath their blows.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 5576-5581
quote_or_summary: The sons dig sixty thousand leagues, reach hell, and search Jambudvip
with its hills and mountains.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 5582-5590
quote_or_summary: Gods, bards, fiends, and snakes become afraid, approach the Omnipotent
Sire, and report that Sagar’s sons are piercing the whole earth and killing innumerable
guiltless creatures while accusing them of stealing the horse.
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: The passage is explicit about the ritual theft, command to dig, destructive
excavation, and petition. Motif classification beyond sacred theft and sacrifice
is more interpretive and should be reviewed.
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: |-
Only the supplied passage and metadata were used. Taxonomy references are limited to the available lists.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg__l5492-l5590
passage_sha256=693c8350232b06e8d9eeee48183751c045dc205d5b3cf2e50c47f32aa13c9bdf