batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l57691-l57754
---
record_id: batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l57691-l57754
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
passage_locator:
label: CAREY AND MARSHMAN. / SCHLEGEL. / GORRESIO. / HIPPOLYTE FAUCHE.; lines 57691-57754
start: '57691'
end: '57754'
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: 'The passage summarizes episodes concerning Rāvaṇa: his marriage to Mandodarī,
the birth of Meghanāda/Indrajit, the conquest of Kuvera and acquisition of a magic
chariot, the story of Vedavatī''s ascetic devotion to Vishnu, Rāvaṇa''s insult
of her, her entry into fire and rebirth as Sītā for Rāvaṇa''s destruction, and
a later episode in which gods assume animal forms to escape Rāvaṇa during king
Marutta''s sacrifice.'
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Rāvaṇa marries Mandodarī, daughter of the Asura Maya, and she bears Meghanāda,
later called Indrajit after victory over the sovereign of the skies.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Rāvaṇa's conquest of Kuvera and acquisition of a magic self-moving chariot
are identified as subjects of following sections.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Rāvaṇa sees Vedavatī in a Himalayan forest, described as brilliantly beautiful
and wearing ascetic garb.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Vedavatī says she is the vocal daughter of Kuśadhwaja and that her father
wished to give her only to Vishnu.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Vedavatī says she has wed Nārāyaṇa in her heart and practices austerity to
obtain him as husband.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Rāvaṇa urges Vedavatī to become his bride and boasts that he is superior to
Vishnu.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: Rāvaṇa touches Vedavatī's hair with the tip of his finger; she becomes angry
and cuts off her hair.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: Vedavatī declares that she will enter fire, be born again for Rāvaṇa's destruction,
and be born as a virtuous daughter not produced from a womb.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: Vedavatī enters a blazing fire, after which celestial flowers fall from the
sky.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: The passage identifies Vedavatī of the Krita age as born in the Treta age
as the daughter of the king of the Janakas and bride of Rāma.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:11
text: The passage states that Rāma is eternal Vishnu and reports a commentary identifying
Sītā as Lakshmi.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: obs:12
text: Rāvaṇa violently interrupts a sacrifice performed by king Marutta.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:13
text: 'The assembled gods assume animal shapes to escape: Indra becomes a peacock,
Yama a crow, Kuvera a lizard, and Varuṇa a swan.'
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:14
text: Each deity gives a boon to the animal form he chose, explaining features or
ritual associations of peacocks, swans, lizards, and crows.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Rāvaṇa
description: A powerful figure who marries Mandodarī, conquers Kuvera, desires Vedavatī,
insults her by touching her hair, and interrupts Marutta's sacrifice.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Mandodarī
description: Beautiful daughter of the Asura Maya and wife of Rāvaṇa; mother of
Meghanāda.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Maya
description: Asura father of Mandodarī, described as an artist of wonderful skill.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Meghanāda / Indrajit
description: Son of Rāvaṇa and Mandodarī, named Indrajit after victory over the
sovereign of the skies.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Kuvera
description: Rāvaṇa conquers Kuvera and obtains a magic self-moving chariot; Kuvera
also appears among gods who later take animal forms.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:8
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Vedavatī / Sītā
description: Ascetic woman devoted to Vishnu as husband; after Rāvaṇa's insult she
enters fire and is later identified as born as Sītā, daughter of the king of the
Janakas and bride of Rāma.
role_refs:
- role:7
- role:8
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Vishnu / Nārāyaṇa / Rāma
description: Vishnu/Nārāyaṇa is the husband Vedavatī seeks; the passage identifies
Rāma as eternal Vishnu and as Sītā's bridegroom.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Kuśadhwaja
description: Rishi, son of Vṛihaspati, described as Vedavatī's father.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: King of the Janakas
description: Righteous man whose daughter Sītā is said to become in Vedavatī's rebirth.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: King Marutta
description: King whose sacrifice is violently interrupted by Rāvaṇa.
role_refs:
- role:14
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Indra
description: A deity who assumes the shape of a peacock to escape Rāvaṇa and gives
a boon connected with the peacock's tail.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Yama
description: A deity who assumes the shape of a crow and grants the crow a boon
concerning death and funeral oblations.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:13
name_or_label: Varuṇa
description: A deity who assumes the shape of a swan and gives a boon connected
with the swan's white color.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
roles:
- id: role:1
label: world-conquering antagonist
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Rāvaṇa conquers Kuvera, pursues Vedavatī, and disrupts Marutta's sacrifice.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:8
- id: role:2
label: insulting unwanted suitor
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He asks Vedavatī to become his bride and touches her hair despite her devotion
to Vishnu.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:3
label: wife and mother
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Mandodarī is married to Rāvaṇa and bears Meghanāda.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:4
label: skilled Asura father
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Maya is called Mandodarī's father and an artist of wonderful skill.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:5
label: victorious son
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Meghanāda is Rāvaṇa's son and is named Indrajit after victory over the sovereign
of the skies.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:6
label: defeated possessor of magic chariot
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The passage links Rāvaṇa's conquest of Kuvera with acquisition of a magic
self-moving chariot.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:7
label: ascetic beloved of Vishnu
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Vedavatī practices austerity and declares Nārāyaṇa to be her husband.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:8
label: self-immolating rebirth figure
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Vedavatī enters fire and says she will be born again for Rāvaṇa's destruction.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:9
label: cause of Rāvaṇa's death
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The commentary says Sītā was the principal cause of Rāvaṇa's death.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:10
label: divine husband and avatar identity
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Vedavatī seeks Nārāyaṇa/Vishnu as husband, and Rāma is identified as eternal
Vishnu.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: role:11
label: deity in animal disguise
assigned_to:
- fig:5
- fig:11
- fig:12
- fig:13
basis: The gods assume animal forms to escape Rāvaṇa during Marutta's sacrifice.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:12
label: father of Vedavatī
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Vedavatī says she is the vocal daughter of Kuśadhwaja.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:13
label: righteous rebirth-father
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Vedavatī asks to be born as the virtuous daughter of a righteous man, later
identified as the king of the Janakas.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:14
label: sacrificing king
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: King Marutta is performing the sacrifice that Rāvaṇa interrupts.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Himalayan forest
literal_form: forest on the Himālaya
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: ascetic garb
literal_form: ascetic clothing worn by Vedavatī
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: hair cut after insult
literal_form: Vedavatī's hair, touched by Rāvaṇa and then cut off by her
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: blazing fire
literal_form: fire entered by Vedavatī
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:5
label: celestial flowers
literal_form: flowers falling from the sky after Vedavatī enters the fire
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:6
label: magic self-moving chariot
literal_form: self-moving chariot acquired after the conquest of Kuvera
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:7
label: animal forms of gods
literal_form: peacock, crow, lizard, and swan forms assumed by gods
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:11
- fig:12
- fig:13
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:8
label: interrupted sacrifice
literal_form: sacrifice performed by king Marutta and interrupted by Rāvaṇa
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Rāvaṇa's family and conquest of Kuvera
summary: Rāvaṇa marries Mandodarī, fathers Meghanāda/Indrajit, conquers Kuvera,
and gains a magic self-moving chariot.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Rāvaṇa encounters Vedavatī in the Himalayan forest
summary: Rāvaṇa sees Vedavatī in ascetic garb, questions her, and learns that she
is devoted to Vishnu as her chosen husband.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Vedavatī's insult, vow, and entry into fire
summary: Rāvaṇa presses Vedavatī to marry him and touches her hair; she cuts it
off, declares future rebirth for his destruction, and enters a blazing fire.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:4
label: Vedavatī identified with Sītā
summary: The passage identifies Vedavatī as later born as Sītā, daughter of the
Janakas and bride of Rāma, and comments that Sītā was the principal cause of Rāvaṇa's
death.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:9
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:5
label: Gods escape Rāvaṇa at Marutta's sacrifice
summary: Rāvaṇa interrupts Marutta's sacrifice; gods assume animal forms to escape
and give boons to the animals they chose.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:10
- fig:11
- fig:12
- fig:13
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Divine beloved sought through austerity
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_beloved
basis: Vedavatī declares Nārāyaṇa/Vishnu to be her husband and practices austerity
to obtain him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The passage frames the relationship as an inner vow and ascetic aspiration,
not a completed earthly marriage at this point.
- id: motif:2
label: Heart-marriage to a deity
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_marriage
basis: Vedavatī says she has wed Nārāyaṇa with her heart and accepts no other husband.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The language supports a sacred or devotional union, but the passage does
not describe a ritual marriage ceremony.
- id: motif:3
label: Death in fire followed by rebirth
taxonomy_refs:
- death_rebirth
basis: Vedavatī declares she will enter fire and be born again, then enters a blazing
fire and is later identified as reborn as Sītā.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage is a summarized account of another section rather than direct
narrative verse.
- id: motif:4
label: Non-womb birth of a virtuous daughter
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_birth
basis: Vedavatī asks to be born as a virtuous daughter not produced from the womb
and is later identified as Sītā, daughter of the king of the Janakas.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage states the birth condition but does not narrate the birth
scene itself.
- id: motif:5
label: Insulted ascetic becomes cause of oppressor's destruction
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: After Rāvaṇa's insult, Vedavatī vows rebirth for his destruction; commentary
says Sītā is the principal cause of Rāvaṇa's death.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage attributes the actual destructive function to Rāma while emphasizing
Sītā as principal cause.
- id: motif:6
label: Fire as vehicle of self-offering and transition
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: Vedavatī enters blazing fire after declaring she can no longer live following
Rāvaṇa's insult.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage uses fire-entry language, but does not explicitly call Vedavatī's
act a sacrifice.
- id: motif:7
label: Gods assume animal forms to escape danger
taxonomy_refs:
- shapeshifter
basis: Indra, Yama, Kuvera, and Varuṇa become a peacock, crow, lizard, and swan
to escape Rāvaṇa.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The transformation is defensive concealment rather than a trickster episode.
- id: motif:8
label: Animal traits explained by divine boons
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The gods grant boons to the animals whose forms they assumed, explaining
the peacock's tail, swan's whiteness, lizard's gold color, and crow's death and
funerary associations.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy reference exactly matches etiological animal boons.
- id: motif:9
label: Interruption of royal sacrifice by antagonist
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: Rāvaṇa violently interrupts king Marutta's sacrifice, causing the assembled
gods to flee in animal forms.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The passage summarizes the interruption without detailing the sacrificial
rite.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage explicitly identifies Vedavatī of the Krita age with Sītā of
the Treta age, presenting rebirth as a link between the insulted ascetic and Rāvaṇa's
eventual destruction.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Vedavatī and Sītā as a single rebirth-linked figure within the Ramayana
account
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: This is an intra-passage theological and narrative identification,
not independent evidence for historical transmission.
- id: claim:2
claim: The passage compares Sītā with Lakshmi and Rukminī as consorts associated
with Vishnu's incarnations as Rāma and Krishna.
claim_level: same_function
target: Sītā, Lakshmi, and Rukminī as divine consort figures in Vishnu-related births
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The claim is reported through commentary and a cited statement of Parāśara;
the passage does not narrate Lakshmi or Rukminī episodes.
- id: claim:3
claim: The animal transformations of the gods function as an etiological pattern
explaining features and ritual associations of peacock, crow, lizard, and swan.
claim_level: same_function
target: animal-trait origin tale pattern
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage supports a functional comparison to etiological animal
tales, but no external tradition is named in the passage.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 57693-57701
quote_or_summary: Rāvaṇa gives up or gains Lanka in prior context, marries Mandodarī
daughter of Maya, fathers Meghanāda/Indrajit, conquers Kuvera, and acquires a
magic self-moving chariot.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 57701-57712
quote_or_summary: Rāvaṇa comes to a Himalayan forest and sees Vedavatī, a beautiful
ascetic; she identifies herself as daughter of Kuśadhwaja, born during his study
of the Veda.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: lines 57712-57720
quote_or_summary: Vedavatī says she has wed Nārāyaṇa with her heart and that Nārāyaṇa
alone is her husband.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt summarized from supplied passage.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 57720-57727
quote_or_summary: Rāvaṇa asks the young Vedavatī to become his bride, boasts superiority
to Vishnu, and touches her hair after she rejects his contempt of the deity.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 57727-57737
quote_or_summary: Vedavatī cuts off her hair, says she will enter fire, and declares
she will be born again for Rāvaṇa's destruction as a virtuous daughter not produced
from a womb.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 57737-57745
quote_or_summary: Vedavatī enters blazing fire; celestial flowers fall; she is identified
as later born as the daughter of the king of the Janakas and bride of Rāma, who
is called eternal Vishnu.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 57745-57751
quote_or_summary: The commentator says Sītā was the principal cause of Rāvaṇa's
death, while Rāma performs the destruction; the commentary also identifies Sītā
with Lakshmi and cites her becoming Sītā and Rukminī in Vishnu's births as Rāma
and Krishna.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 57752-57754
quote_or_summary: Rāvaṇa interrupts Marutta's sacrifice; gods take animal shapes
to escape—Indra as peacock, Yama as crow, Kuvera as lizard, Varuṇa as swan—and
give boons explaining animal traits and funerary associations.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The passage is a secondary-style summary and commentary excerpt within the
supplied text, but its narrative claims are explicit. Motif labels beyond the
supplied taxonomy are kept descriptive where no taxonomy reference fits.
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: |-
All observations and motif candidates are based only on the supplied passage and metadata.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg__l57691-l57754
passage_sha256=a3d8e7115d771e538c4210221f8d470f4bd69cf0c83fd9fe20c0320147605733