batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l8320-l8460
---
record_id: batch.motif.hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg-l8320-l8460
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 8320-8460
start: '8320'
end: '8460'
translation: The Ramayan of Valmiki
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: "“Then if young Ráma’s hand can string / The bow that baffled lord and king,
/ To him I give... / My Sítá, not of woman born.”"
summary: Janak honors Viśvámitra and the princes, recounts the divine history of
Śiva’s bow, describes finding Sítá while ploughing, explains his vow to give her
only to the hero able to string the bow, and recalls the failed suitors and divine
aid against their siege.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Janak praises Viśvámitra’s ascetic power and requests to see him again at
dawn after the evening rites.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Janak circumambulates the sage with priests and kinsmen, and Viśvámitra departs
with the princes to their lodging.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: After morning worship, Janak summons and honors Viśvámitra and the two princes.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: Viśvámitra says Daśaratha’s two sons have come to see the treasured bow kept
by Janak.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Janak says the bow was once borne by Rudra at Daksha’s sacrifice and later
stored by Janak’s forefathers as a treasure.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: obs:6
text: At Daksha’s sacrifice, Rudra threatens the gods because he did not receive
his rightful portion; the gods placate him, and he restores their injured limbs.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: Janak finds an infant beneath the ploughshare while ploughing the ground and
names her Sítá because of her hidden birth.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:8
text: Janak vows that Sítá, described as not of mortal birth, will be the prize
of the worthiest hero.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:9
text: Many royal suitors come to woo Sítá, but none can raise or take Śiva’s bow
in hand.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:10
text: Rejected suitors besiege Mithilá for a year until Janak, through penance,
receives a fourfold host from the gods and the attackers flee.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:11
text: Janak says that if Ráma can string the bow, he will give Sítá to him.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Janak, lord of Videha
description: King who hosts Viśvámitra and the princes, recounts the bow’s history,
finds Sítá, and sets the condition for her marriage.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:5
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:8
- ev:12
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Viśvámitra
description: Sage and anchorite honored by Janak; he requests that Janak show the
bow to Daśaratha’s sons.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Ráma
description: One of Daśaratha’s sons who comes to see the bow; Janak states that
Sítá will be given to him if he can string it.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:12
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Lakshman / the second son of Daśaratha
description: The other prince accompanying Ráma and Viśvámitra to see the bow.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Rudra / Bhava
description: God who bore the bow at Daksha’s sacrifice, threatened the gods, was
appeased, and restored their injured limbs.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: The Gods / Sons of Heaven
description: Divine beings wounded during the sacrificial conflict, who appease
Rudra and later send Janak a fourfold host.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:11
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Sítá
description: Infant found beneath the ploughshare, raised by Janak as his daughter,
and promised as the prize for heroic worth.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:12
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Royal suitors
description: Kings and princes who seek Sítá, fail to lift the bow, and later besiege
Mithilá.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Daksha
description: Figure whose sacrifice is named as the setting in which Rudra bore
the bow and opposed the gods.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: royal host and patron of sacrifice
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Janak welcomes the sage and princes to view his sacrifice and honors them
according to law.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: role:2
label: honored sage and requester
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Viśvámitra is praised for ascetic deeds and asks Janak to show the bow.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: visiting royal warrior
assigned_to:
- fig:3
- fig:4
basis: The pair are identified as Daśaratha’s sons and warriors famous everywhere.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: divine wielder and restorer
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Rudra bore the bow, threatened the gods, and restored their injured limbs
after being appeased.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:5
label: custodian of divine bow
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Janak explains that the famed bow is a treasure in his palace inherited from
his forefathers.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: role:6
label: adoptive father and vow-maker
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Janak finds and raises Sítá and vows she will be awarded for heroic worth.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: role:7
label: prospective bow-stringing bridegroom
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Janak states that if Ráma can string the bow, Sítá will be given to him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: role:8
label: divine supplicants and helpers
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The gods appease Rudra and later send Janak a fourfold host after his penance.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:11
- id: role:9
label: earth-found daughter and marriage prize
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Sítá is found beneath the ploughshare, described as not of woman born, and
promised to the hero who proves his worth.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:12
- id: role:10
label: failed suitors and besiegers
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The suitors fail to lift the bow and then attack Mithilá in anger.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: role:11
label: sacrificial patron named in divine conflict
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Daksha’s sacrifice is the rite in which the conflict over Rudra’s portion
occurs.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Śiva’s wondrous bow
literal_form: A famed, bright, divine bow once borne by Rudra and kept as Janak’s
ancestral treasure.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:5
- fig:7
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:10
- ev:12
- id: sym:2
label: ploughed ground and share
literal_form: Ground opened by Janak’s ploughshare, beneath which the infant Sítá
is found.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:3
label: Daksha’s sacrifice
literal_form: A sacrificial rite at which Rudra bears the bow and confronts the
gods over his portion.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:4
label: fourfold host from the gods
literal_form: A divinely sent army granted to Janak after penance to relieve Mithilá.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:6
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Janak honors Viśvámitra and dismisses the evening assembly
summary: Janak praises the sage’s ascetic power, asks to see him again at dawn,
circumambulates him with priests and kinsmen, and Viśvámitra leaves with the princes.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Request to see the treasured bow
summary: At morning, Janak honors the visitors; Viśvámitra says the two sons of
Daśaratha have come to see the bow kept by Janak.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Rudra and the gods at Daksha’s sacrifice
summary: Janak recounts that Rudra bore the bow at Daksha’s sacrifice, threatened
the gods over his denied portion, was appeased, and restored their injured bodies.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:4
label: Sítá found in the furrow and vowed to heroic worth
summary: Janak finds Sítá while ploughing, raises her as his daughter, and vows
that she will belong only to a hero able to prove exceptional strength.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: scene:5
label: Failed suitors, siege, and divine aid
summary: Royal suitors fail to lift the bow, besiege Mithilá in anger, and are driven
away after Janak gains a divine army through penance.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:6
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: scene:6
label: Janak sets Ráma’s test
summary: Janak declares that Ráma may see the bow and that Sítá will be given to
him if he can string it.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Bride won by heroic test of strength
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
basis: Janak vows Sítá as the prize for heroic worth and sets the stringing of the
divine bow as the condition for Ráma to receive her.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:12
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage presents a marriage test
and royal alliance rather than an explicit coronation scene.
- id: motif:2
label: Earth-born child discovered while ploughing
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_birth
- miraculous_child
basis: Sítá is found beneath the ploughshare, named from her secret birth, and described
as not of woman born.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:12
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not elaborate the mechanism of birth beyond the earth/plough
discovery and the statement that she is not woman-born.
- id: motif:3
label: Divine weapon as ancestral treasure and marriage ordeal
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
- royal_legitimacy
basis: The bow once borne by Rudra is kept by Janak’s forefathers and becomes the
object through which suitors are tested for Sítá.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:10
- ev:12
confidence: medium
cautions: The object is clearly divine and central to the marriage condition; the
'sacred_exchange' classification is interpretive and should be reviewed.
- id: motif:4
label: Sacrificial conflict over a divine portion
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
- divine_judgment
basis: Rudra threatens the gods at Daksha’s sacrifice because he was denied his
rightful portion, and the gods seek to appease him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage is a brief retrospective account and does not narrate the
full Daksha sacrifice episode.
- id: motif:5
label: Penance obtains divine military aid
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
basis: Janak says that after long penance he won favor with the gods, who sent a
fourfold host to aid him against the besieging suitors.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage gives the exchange pattern tersely and does not describe the
penance itself.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 8320-8348
quote_or_summary: Janak praises Viśvámitra’s ascetic deeds, says that seeing him
purifies and enriches him, and asks him to return after evening rites.
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 8349-8356
quote_or_summary: Janak circumambulates the sage with priests and kinsmen; Viśvámitra
departs with the princes to their lodging.
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: summary
locator: Canto LXVI opening, within supplied lines 8320-8460
quote_or_summary: At sunrise, after morning worship, Janak invites and honors the
princes and the anchorite, then asks how he may please the sage.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:4
type: quote
locator: Canto LXVI, within supplied lines 8320-8460
quote_or_summary: "“King Daśaratha’s sons, this pair / Of warriors famous everywhere,
/ Are come that best of bows to see”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quote from supplied passage.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: Canto LXVI, within supplied lines 8320-8460
quote_or_summary: Janak says the bow was held by Devarát’s line and that mighty
Rudra bore it at Daksha’s sacrifice.
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: Canto LXVI, within supplied lines 8320-8460
quote_or_summary: Rudra threatens the gods for denying his portion; they appease
him with flatteries, and he restores their torn and mangled limbs.
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: quote
locator: Canto LXVI, within supplied lines 8320-8460
quote_or_summary: "“Thenceforth this bow, the gem of bows... / Stored by our great
forefathers lay / A treasure and a pride for aye.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quote from supplied passage.
- id: ev:8
type: quote
locator: Canto LXVI, within supplied lines 8320-8460
quote_or_summary: "“Once, as it chanced, I ploughed the ground, / When sudden, ’neath
the share was found / An infant springing from the earth”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quote from supplied passage.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: Canto LXVI, within supplied lines 8320-8460
quote_or_summary: Sítá grows in strength and grace; Janak cherishes her as daughter
and vows that she, not of mortal birth, will be the prize for the noblest hero’s
worth.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: Canto LXVI, within supplied lines 8320-8460
quote_or_summary: Many princely suitors come to Mithilá, but none can raise or take
Śiva’s bow in hand; Janak rejects them.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: Canto LXVI, within supplied lines 8320-8460
quote_or_summary: The rejected suitors besiege Mithilá for a year; after Janak’s
penance, the gods send a fourfold host and the attackers flee.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:12
type: quote
locator: Canto LXVI close, within supplied lines 8320-8460
quote_or_summary: "“Then if young Ráma’s hand can string / The bow that baffled
lord and king, / To him I give... / My Sítá, not of woman born.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/hindu/project-gutenberg/ramayana-griffith.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quote from supplied passage.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: Literal extraction is direct from the supplied passage. Motif taxonomy assignments
are candidates and require human review, especially where broad taxonomy labels
are applied to a marriage test or divine weapon.
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; no comparison claims were added because the passage itself does not explicitly compare this episode to other texts or traditions.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:hindu-ramayana-griffith-gutenberg__l8320-l8460
passage_sha256=dd3cf1cde6bc9830f697cb4277587a576283490470657dcc380005f4b7c996c0