batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l7984-l8153
---
record_id: batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l7984-l8153
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
passage_locator:
label: Canto LVII. Trisanku. / Canto LVIII. Trisanku Cursed. / Canto LIX. The Sons
Of Vasishtha. / Canto LXI. Sunahsepha.; lines 7984-8153
start: '7984'
end: '8153'
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: Śunahśepha is bound as a sacrificial victim, praises divine powers, and
receives long life while the king gains the fruit of sacrifice. Viśvāmitra continues
severe austerities; Brahmā grants him successively higher saintly titles but not
yet the title he seeks. Menakā interrupts his penance for ten years, after which
he repents and resumes fiercer austerities in the north. Indra, fearing the power
gained by the ascetic, summons Rambhā to seduce him, promising aid in the form
of a koïl with Kandarpa.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The youth is declared free from blemish, clothed in red raiment, and tied
as a victim beside a sacrificial pillar.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: While bound, the youth raises hymns to the Fire-God and praises Indra and
Upendra/Vishnu.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Vishnu is pleased by the hymn and gives long life to Śunahśepha; the king
gains the ordained fruit of sacrifice by Indra’s grace.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Viśvāmitra practices austerity and fasting for a thousand years on Pushkar’s
shore.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Brahmā addresses Viśvāmitra after his completed vow and grants him the name
of Saint; later Brahmā grants the rank of Mighty Saint but denies that he has
yet attained the title of Brāhman saint.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: obs:6
text: Menakā comes from Paradise to bathe in Pushkar’s water, and Viśvāmitra sees
her beauty in the secluded retreat.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: Viśvāmitra, overcome by desire, asks Menakā to stay with him in the grove.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: Menakā remains with Viśvāmitra, and ten years pass while his austere vow and
rites are interrupted.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: Viśvāmitra concludes that the immortals conspired to interrupt his austerities
and sends Menakā away with gentle words.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: Viśvāmitra goes to the northern snowy hills, vows to overcome love, and resumes
severe penance.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:11
text: His later penance includes standing with arms raised on one foot, living on
air, enduring five fires in summer, remaining uncovered in rain, and lying in
a stream.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:12
text: Indra fears the power of Viśvāmitra’s austerities and summons Rambhā to seduce
him from his rites.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:13
text: Rambhā fears the sage’s anger, but Indra orders her to obey and says he will
aid her in koïl form with Kandarpa as ally.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Śunahśepha
description: The youth bound as a sacrificial victim who praises divine powers and
is granted long life.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: the king / monarch
description: The ruler who brings the youth to the sacred ground and gains the fruit
of the sacrifice.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Vishnu / Upendra
description: The thousand-eyed deity praised by Śunahśepha, pleased by worship,
and giver of long life.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Indra / Śakra / Lord of the skies
description: The thousand-eyed lord who grants sacrificial fruit, later fears Viśvāmitra’s
austerities, and commands Rambhā to seduce him.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Viśvāmitra / son of Kuśik
description: The ascetic who performs repeated thousand-year austerities, is interrupted
by Menakā, repents, and resumes harsher penance.
role_refs:
- role:5
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Brahmā / Sire of worlds
description: The deity who speaks for the gods and confers saintly ranks on Viśvāmitra
while withholding the highest title he seeks.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: the Gods / Immortals
description: The divine assembly that approaches Brahmā regarding Viśvāmitra and
is said by Viśvāmitra to have conspired against his austerities.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Menakā
description: A fair nymph from Paradise who bathes in Pushkar and remains with Viśvāmitra,
interrupting his austerities.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Kandarpa
description: A love-associated power named as the force that subdues Viśvāmitra
and later as Indra’s ally in the planned seduction by Rambhā.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:9
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Rambhā
description: A beautiful nymph summoned by Indra to seduce Viśvāmitra, though she
fears the sage’s wrath.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
roles:
- id: role:1
label: sacrificial victim
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The youth is clothed in red and tied as a victim beside the pillar.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: rescued worshipper
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: His hymn pleases Vishnu, who grants him long life.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: sacrificing king
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The king reaches the sacred ground and gains the fruit of sacrifice.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: divine benefactor
assigned_to:
- fig:3
- fig:4
basis: Vishnu grants long life, and Indra grants the king the fruit of sacrifice.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: ascetic practitioner
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Viśvāmitra repeatedly undertakes long and severe austerities and fasts.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:6
label: ascetic under temptation
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Menakā interrupts his rites, and Rambhā is later sent to seduce him from
them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: role:7
label: divine evaluator of ascetic merit
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Brahmā confers saintly rank on Viśvāmitra according to his rites and austerities.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: role:8
label: divine obstructer of ascetic power
assigned_to:
- fig:4
- fig:7
basis: The immortals are said to conspire against Viśvāmitra’s austerities, and
Indra later plans to spoil his merit through Rambhā.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: role:9
label: celestial temptress
assigned_to:
- fig:8
- fig:10
basis: Menakā’s presence interrupts Viśvāmitra’s austerity, and Rambhā is explicitly
ordered to lure him from his rites.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: role:10
label: love-power or ally of seduction
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Kandarpa’s might subdues Viśvāmitra, and Indra later names Kandarpa as an
ally in Rambhā’s mission.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:9
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: sacrificial pillar
literal_form: pillar at whose side the youth is tied as a victim
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: red raiment
literal_form: red clothing placed on the sacrificial victim
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: fire
literal_form: Fire-God’s hymn and five fires surrounding the ascetic in summer
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- id: sym:4
label: water
literal_form: Pushkar’s wave where Menakā bathes and the stream where Viśvāmitra
lies during penance
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: sym:5
label: northern snowy hills
literal_form: northern hills of snow to which Viśvāmitra goes for penance
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:6
label: koïl form
literal_form: Indra’s promised form of a koïl during Rambhā’s seduction mission
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Śunahśepha bound and saved
summary: The youth is bound as a sacrificial victim, praises the Fire-God, Indra,
and Vishnu, and is granted long life while the king obtains the fruit of sacrifice.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Viśvāmitra gains but exceeds the title of Saint
summary: After a thousand years of austerity at Pushkar, the gods approach, and
Brahmā grants Viśvāmitra the title of Saint; Viśvāmitra continues toward sterner
penance.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Menakā interrupts the ascetic vow
summary: Menakā comes to bathe at Pushkar; Viśvāmitra is overcome by desire, asks
her to stay, and ten years pass while his rites are suspended.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Repentance and northern retreat
summary: Viśvāmitra recognizes the interruption of his austerities, sends Menakā
away gently, goes north to the snowy hills, and vows to conquer love.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:8
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Fiercer austerities and partial recognition
summary: Viśvāmitra performs another thousand years of severe penance; the gods
fear his power, and Brahmā grants him the title of Mighty Saint but tells him
to continue before attaining the title of Brāhman saint.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:6
label: Indra sends Rambhā
summary: Indra, fearing Viśvāmitra’s accumulated merit, orders Rambhā to lure him
from his rites and promises to assist her in koïl form with Kandarpa.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:9
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: human sacrifice with divine rescue
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: Śunahśepha is tied as a sacrificial victim, praises divine powers, and receives
long life, while the king gains sacrificial fruit.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: The passage summarizes the rescue but does not detail the wider ritual
context beyond the victim, hymns, and divine reward.
- id: motif:2
label: ascetic ordeal and progressive spiritual rank
taxonomy_refs:
- initiation
basis: Viśvāmitra undergoes repeated thousand-year austerities, receives graded
titles from Brahmā, and must continue before attaining the highest title sought.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage frames the ordeal as ascetic
penance and rank, not explicitly as an initiation ceremony.
- id: motif:3
label: divine evaluation of merit
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: Brahmā and the gods assess Viśvāmitra’s austerities and confer or withhold
titles according to his merit and self-control.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The evaluation concerns ascetic rank rather than punishment or final judgment.
- id: motif:4
label: celestial seduction interrupting ascetic power
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Menakā’s presence halts Viśvāmitra’s rites for ten years, and Indra later
sends Rambhā to seduce him from his austerities.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy family exactly names this motif; it is recorded as
a passage-level candidate pattern.
- id: motif:5
label: worship or hymn securing divine benefit
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: The bound youth’s hymn and praise please Vishnu, who grants long life; the
king gains the sacrificial fruit by Indra’s grace.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: The exchange is devotional and ritual, but the passage does not describe
a negotiated bargain.
- id: motif:6
label: deity assuming bird form for seduction plot
taxonomy_refs:
- shapeshifter
basis: Indra states that he will assist Rambhā in koïl form during her mission to
distract Viśvāmitra.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage presents the planned form but does not yet narrate its execution.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: 'Within this passage, the Menakā episode and the planned Rambhā episode serve
the same narrative function: a celestial woman is used to interrupt Viśvāmitra’s
ascetic power through erotic attraction.'
claim_level: same_function
target: Menakā and Rambhā temptation episodes within the passage
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:8
- ev:9
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: 'The two episodes are not identical in narrated completion here: Menakā’s
interruption is completed, while Rambhā’s is only ordered and prepared in the
provided passage.'
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 7984-7991
quote_or_summary: The youth is declared free from blemish, clothed in red, tied
as a victim beside a pillar, and while bound raises hymns to the Fire-God, Indra,
and Upendra.
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 7992-7999
quote_or_summary: Vishnu is pleased by the mystic praise and grants long life to
Śunahśepha; the king gains the ordained fruit of sacrifice by Indra’s grace.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 8000-8020
quote_or_summary: Viśvāmitra practices austerity and fasting for a thousand years
on Pushkar’s shore; the gods approach after the vow, and Brahmā grants him the
high and holy name of Saint.
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 8021-8041
quote_or_summary: Menakā descends from Paradise to bathe in Pushkar; Viśvāmitra
sees her, is subdued by Kandarpa, and asks her to stay with him.
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 8042-8063
quote_or_summary: Menakā dwells with Viśvāmitra; ten years pass while his austere
rites are stayed. He realizes the immortals have conspired to disturb his austerities,
repents, and sends her away gently.
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 8064-8093
quote_or_summary: Viśvāmitra goes to the northern snowy hills, vows to overcome
love, and performs severe penance for a thousand years. The gods counsel that
he be a Mighty Saint; Brahmā grants that rank but says he is not yet a Brāhman
saint.
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 8094-8113
quote_or_summary: 'Viśvāmitra renews fiercer austerities: arms raised, standing
on one foot, living on air, surrounded by five fires, uncovered in rain, and lying
in a stream until a thousand years pass.'
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 8114-8126
quote_or_summary: Vishnu and the gods observe Viśvāmitra’s labours with awe; Indra
fears them and summons Rambhā to spoil the hermit’s merit by love’s lure.
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 8127-8153
quote_or_summary: Rambhā fears the sage’s wrath, but Indra commands her to obey,
promising to aid her in koïl form with Kandarpa and to use her beauty to seduce
Viśvāmitra from his rites.
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: high
notes: The passage provides clear narrative actions and repeated patterns. Motif
taxonomy mapping is strongest for sacrifice and weaker where broad taxonomy labels
are applied to ascetic testing or merit evaluation.
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 text and metadata were used. Taxonomy references are limited to the supplied lists.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg__l7984-l8153
passage_sha256=574ddccbddd1c1f35b57a9adef650d933332a477ea111d9ffee852d72a5a2aef