The Sermon at Benares Extra Questions and Answers

In this page you can find The Sermon at Benares Extra Questions and Answers will make your practice complete.

Extra Questions, Notes, Assignment and study material for Class 10^th as Per Latest CBSE Syllabus

Chapter- 10 Language and Literature- First Flight (Latest 2018-19)

The Sermon at Benares Extra Questions and Answers

By– Betty Crenshaw

About the Author- Betty Crenshaw

About the Author

Betty Renstaw’s was an American writer. She was born of October. 2, 1921 in the Renstaw family. She died on April 30, 1999, at the age of 77.

Introduction of the lesson- The Sermon at Benares

gautama Buddha was born in 563 B.C. He was a philosophical fellow even in his childhood. He was sent for schooling at the age of twelve. He was married at the age of sixteen. They had a son. When he was twenty-five years old, one day when he was going for hunting he caught sight of a sick man, an aged man, a dead man’s funeral procession and a monk. He realised that this world is a home of sufferings. He left home in search of wisdom. He wandered for seven years and got enlightenment.

(गौतम बुद्ध का जन्म 563 ईoपूo में हुआ था जा रहा था । वह बचपन से ही दार्शनिक विचारों का था । बारह वर्ष की आयु में उसे में उसे शिक्षा ग्रहण करने के लिए भेजा गया । सोलह वर्ष की आयु में उसकी शादी हो गई । उनका एक बेटा था जब वह पच्चीस वर्ष का था , एक दिन जिस समय वह शिकार करने जा रहा था तो उसकी नज़र एक बीमार आदमी, एक वृद्ध आदमी, एक मृत आदमी की शव –यात्रा और भिक्षु पर पड़ी । उसने महसूस किया कि यह संसारदुखों का घर है। उसने ज्ञान की खोज में घर छोड़ दिया । यह सात साल तक भटकता रहा और ज्ञान की प्राप्ति हो गई ।)

Plot/ Theme / Central Idea of the Lesson/ Literary Analysis of The Sermon at Benares/ Main Idea

‘Sermon At Benares’ is the story of an unfortunate woman Kisa Gotami. She had lost her only one. In her grief, she carried the dead body of her son from one place to another. In the end, she came to Lord Buddha. She needed the medicine that could cure her son. The Buddha asked her to bring him a handful of mustard seed from a house where no one had lost a child, husband, parent or friend. Kisa Gotami didn’t find a house where some beloved one had not died in it. She thought to herself that it was the fate of mankind. Death was inevitable. Nobody can avoid dying. The world is afflicted with death and decay. The wise don’t grieve. `He who has overcome all soon will become free from sorrow, and be blessed.’

Important Word-Meanings of difficult words from the lesson- The Sermon at Benares

[PAGE 133] : Sacred = pious (पवित्र); sculptures = religious books (धार्मिक पुस्तकें); befitted -= suited (उचित था); royalty = kingly family (शाही परिवार); heretofore = till then (तब तक); shielded = protected (रक्षा की); chanced-upon = saw by chance (संयोग से देखा); funeral procession = procession of a dead body for cremation (शव – यात्रा); monk= mendicant (भिक्षु); alms = beggings (भिक्षा)l; enlightenment = spiritual knowledge (आध्यात्मिक ज्ञान); witnessed = saw (देखा) ; vowed = swore (कसम खाई) I

[PAGE 134] : Preached = gave sermons (उपदेश दिया); sermon = preaching (उपदेश); dipping /paces=place where people take bath (नहाने के स्थान); preserved = protected (रक्षा की); reflects = shows (दिखाना)inscrutable = mysterious (रहस्य पूर्ण); at length = in the end (अंत में); physician = doctor (डॉक्टर); repaired=(here) went (गया); mustard-seed = an oil seed (सरसों); procure = get (प्राप्त करना); grief = sorrow (दुःख); weary = tired (थक गई); hopeless = in despair (दुःख में); flickered up = shone (चमका); extinguished = put out (बुझ गया); desolation = deep sorrow (गहरा दुःख); immortality = deathlessness (अमरत्व); surrendered = submitted (हार मान लेना /समर्पण करना); mortals = human beings (नश्वर)

[PAGE 135] : Earthen vessels = pot made of baked clay (मिट्टी का बर्तन); potter = one who makes pots (कुम्हार); overcome = controlled by (नियंत्रित होना); depart = go away (चले जाना); kinsmen = relatives (रिश्तेदार); mark = look (देखना); lamenting = grieving (अफ़सोस करना); slaughter = killing (वध करना); afflicted with = affected by (पीड़ित होना); decay = rotting/degeneration (गलत /पतन होना); pale = yellow (पीला); composed = controlled (शांत); blessed = the one who gets blessing (जिसे आशीर्वाद मिला हो)

Summary in English- The Sermon at Benares

gautama Buddha was born in 563 B.C. He was horn in a royal family. He was a prince. His name was Siddhartha Gautama. At the age of twelve, he was sent away for schooling. He studied all the sacred Hindu scriptures. He returned after four years. At the age of sixteen, he married a princess. They had a son. For ten years the couple passed a happy life. Siddhartha had been shielded from the suffering of the world. However, when he was twenty-five, Siddhartha saw a sick man, then an aged man, then a funeral procession. Finally, he came across a monk begging for alms. This was his first encounter with the harsh realities of life. These sights made him so sad that he decided to renounce the worldly pleasures. He left his family and became a beggar. He went out into the world to seek spiritual knowledge.

Siddhartha Gautama wandered for seven years in search of wisdom and truth. Finally, he sat down under a fig tree to meditate. He vowed to stay there until he got enlightenment. After seven days. Gautama got enlightenment. He named the tree as the ‘Bodhi Tree’. that is ‘The tree of wisdom’. He became known as ‘the Buddha’ which means ‘enlightened’ or ‘the awakened’. He began to teach and to spread his message of wisdom and truth. He became known as the Buddha (the enlightened).

Buddha gave his first sermon at Benares. It is the holiest of places on the bank of the Ganges. His first sermon reflects his wisdom about one inscrutable kind of suffering i.e. death. Here, the Buddha tells about the universality of death which is inevitable and can’t be escaped.

A lady named Kisa Gotami had an only son. One day, her son died. She wanted her child should become alive again. She wanted some medicine to bring her son to’life. People called her mad. At last, she came across a man. He advised her to meet the Buddha. She approached Buddha with a request to give her medicine so that her only son could he live again. After deep thought, the Buddha asked her to bring a handful of mustard-seed. But there was a condition. She must bring it from a house where no one had died. Kisa Gotami went from door-to-door to get the mustard-seed. She found mustard: seed in every home but she could not find a home where nobody had died. By evening, she was sad and tired. She saw the lights of the city. soon there was the darkness of the night. Now she considered the fate of man. Now she realised that death is inevitable. No one can escape it.

she came back to the Buddha and asked for his blessings. The Buddha in his sermon told her that our life is brief and painful. Everyone who takes birth has to die. The vessel made by the potter is not permanent. It has to break one day. In the same way, everyone has to die. Death spares none. A father cannot save his son. Everyone grieves when someone dear dies. But grieving cannot bring the dead back to life. So death and sufferings are unavoidable. The wise persons do not grieve as they know the truth. Weeping does not bring peace to the mind. on the other hand, a person’s pain becomes greater by grieving. His body also suffers. One who has learnt to control his grief shall have peace of mind. That person is blessed, who has overcome his sorrow.

Summary in English- The Sermon at Benares (2) :

1.Buddha’s Early Life: Gautama Buddha (563 B.C. — 483 B.C.) was born as a prince. He was named Siddhartha Gautama. At the age of ten, he was sent away for schooling. He studied Hindu sacred scriptures. He was married to a princess at the age of sixteen. He had a son. Ten years of his married life were spent in royal luxuries. At the age of 25, he chanced upon a sick man, then an aged man, and then a funeral procession. Finally, he saw a monk begging for alms. These sights moved him. He gave up the luxuries of royal life. He set out in search of enlightenment. After wandering for seven years, finally, he meditated under a fig tree. Enlightened after seven days, he renamed the tree as the Bodhi Tree. It was the Tree of Wisdom. He became known as the Buddha — the Awakened or the Enlightened one. The Buddha preached his first sermon at Benares, the holy city on the Ganges.

2. Kisa Gotami’s Only Son Died: Kisa Gotami’s only son had died. She was deeply grieved. She carried her dead son to all her neighbours. She asked them for medicine. The people thought that she had lost her senses. At last, a man advised her to go to Sakyamuni, the Buddha. She went to him and requested to give some medicine that could ewe her son.

Main Points of the Story – The Sermon at Benares

Gautama Buddha was born a prince. He was named Siddhartha Gautama.
He was married at the age of sixteen and enjoyed the royal luxuries for ten years.
He had a son. Up to the age of twenty-five, he was shielded from the sufferings of the world.
The sight of a sick man, then an aged man, and a funeral procession shocked him.
Finally, he saw a monk begging for alms.
He gave up royal pleasures and set out to seek enlightenment.
He wandered for seven years and finally sat down under a big tree in meditation.
Enlightenment came to him after seven days.
He named the big tree the Bodhi Tree or Tree of Wisdom.
He was known as the Buddha or the Awakened or the enlightened one.
The Buddha preached his first sermon at the holy city of Benares on the River Ganges.
Kisa Gotami’s only son had died.
She had lost her senses and carried the dead boy to all her neighbours. 3
She asked them for medicines to cure him.
She prayed the Buddha to give such medicine that night to cure her son.
The Buddha asked Kisa Gotami to bring a handful of mustard seeds.
She went from house to house and had no problem in getting a handful of mustard seeds. However, she did have a problem with finding a house where no one had died.
She considered the fate of men and realised that she was selfish in grief.
Death is common to all.
Surrendering all selfishness leads to immortality.
All earthen pots end in being broken.
The world is afflicted with death and decay.
He who has overcome all sorrows, Will become blessed and enlightened one.

Summary in Hindi – The Sermon at Benares- Full Text

गौतम बुद्ध का जन्म 563 ई०पू० में हुआ था। उसका जन्म एक शाही परिवार में हुआ था । वह एक राजकुमार था ।उसका नाम सिद्धार्थ गौतम था । बारह साल की उम्र में उसे स्कूली शिक्षा के लिए भेजा गया ।उसने सारे पवित्र हिन्दू धार्मिक ग्रंथों का अध्ययन किया । वह चार वर्ष बाद लौटा । सोलह साल की उम्र में उसकी शादी एक राजकुमारी से हुई । उनका एक बेटा हुआ । दस साल तक इस युगल ने बड़ा प्रसन्नतापूर्वक जीवन व्यतीत किया । सिद्धार्थ को अब तक संसार के दुःखों से दूर रखा गया था । मगर हब वह पच्चीस साल का था तो सिद्धार्थ ने एक बीमार व्यक्ति देखा, फिर एक बूढा व्यक्ति देखा और फिर उसने एक शय-यात्रा

देखी । अंत में , एक भिक्षु को देखा जो भीख माँग रहा था यह उसका जीवन की वास्तविकताओं से पहला साक्षात्कार था । इन द्रश्यों ने उसे उदास कर दिया कि उसने सांसारिक सुखों को त्याग देने का प्रण कर लिया । उसने अपने परिवार को छोड़ दिया और भिक्षु बन गया । वह संसार में आध्यात्मिक ज्ञान की खोज में निकल पड़ा ।

सिद्धार्थ गौतम सात साल तक ज्ञान और सच्चाई की खोज में भटकता रहा । अंतमें वह मनन करने के लिए एक वट वृक्ष के नीचे बैठ गया । उसने प्रण किया कि वह वहाँ पर तब बैठा रहेगा जब तक उसे ज्ञान की प्राप्ति नहीं हो जाती । सात दिन के बाद उसे आध्यात्मिक ज्ञान मिलता । उसने उस वृक्ष का नाम ‘बोधि वृक्ष’ रख दिया अर्थात् ‘ज्ञान का वृक्ष’ । उसे लोग ‘बुद्ध’ के नाम से जानने लगे अर्थात “ज्ञान वाला” अथवा “जागृत” । उसने शिक्षा देना और ज्ञान और सच का संदेश फैलाना आरंभ कर दिया ।

बुद्ध ने अपना पहला उपदेश बनारस में दिया । यह गंगा कै तट पर सबसे पवित्र स्थान है । उसका पहला उपदेश रहस्यमयी कष्ट अर्थात् मृत्यु के बारे में उसके झान को दर्शाता है । इसमें बुद्ध मृत्यु की सार्वभौमिकता के बारे में बताता है जोकि अटल है और उससे जा सकता।

किसा गौतमी नाम की एक स्त्री का एक मात्र बेटा था । एक दिन उसके बेटे की मृत्यु हो गई । वह चाहती थी कि उसका बेटा फिर से जीवित हो जाए । वह चाहती थी कि कोई ऐसी औषधि मिल जाए जो उसके बेटे को जीवित कर दे। लोगों ने उसे पागल कहा । आखिर उसे एक आदमी मिला । उसने उसे सलाह दी कि वह बुद्ध से मिले । वह बुद्ध के पास गई और उससे प्रार्थना की कि वह उसे कोई औषधि दे ताकि उसका बेटा फिर से जी उठे । काफी गहरे विचार के बाद बुद्ध ने उसे कहा कि वह एक मुठ्ठी भर सरसों के बीज ले आए अंगार एक शर्त थी । उए सरसों उस घर से लानी थी जहाँ कोई भी व्यक्ति नहीं मरा था । किसा गौतमी सरसों लाने कि लिए घर –घर गई । उसे सरसों उस घर से लानी थी जहाँ कोई व्यक्ति नहीं मरा था । मगर ऐसा कोई घर नहीं मिला जहाँ कभी किसी की मृत्यु नहीं हुई हो । शाम तक , वह उदास हो गई और थक गई । उसने शहर की रोशनियाँ देखीं । शीघ्र हीरात का अंधेरा हो गया । अब उसने मनुष्य के भाग्य के बारे में सोचा । अब उसने महसूस क्रिया कि मौत अवश्यम्भावी है । हमसे कोई भी नहीं बच सकता ।

वह बुद्ध के पास लौट आई और उससे आशीर्वाद माँगा । अपने उपदेश में बुद्ध ने उसे बताया क्रि हमारा जीवन संक्षिप्त और कष्टपूर्ण हैं। हर प्राणी जो जन्म लेता है, मरता है । कुम्हार द्धारा बनाया गया बर्तन स्थायी नहीं हैं । एक दिन इसे टूट जाना है । इसी प्रकार हर व्यक्ति को मरना है । मौत किसी को नहीं छोड़ती । कोई पिता अपने बच्चे को नहीं बचा सकता । जबकोई प्रिय मरता है । तो हर व्यक्ति रोता है मगर रोने से मरा हुआ व्यक्ति वापस नहीं आ जाता । इसलिए मौत और कष्ट अटल हैं । अक्लमंद व्यक्ति

अफ़सोस नहीं करते क्योंकि सच को जानते है । रोने से मन को शांति नहीं मिलती । इसके विपरीत विलाप करने से व्यक्ति की पीड़ा बढ़ जाती है । उसके शरीर को भी कष्ट होता है । वह व्यक्ति जिसने अपने दुख पर काबू पाना सीख लिया है, उसे मन की शांति मिलती है । जिसने अपने दुःख पर काबू पा लिया है, उस आशीर्वाद मिलता है ।

IMPORTANT PASSAGES FOR COMPREHENSION – The Sermon at Benares

Read the following passages and answer the questions that follow :

PASSAGE 1

Gautama Buddha (563 B.C.-483 B.C.) began life as a prince named Siddhartha Gautama, in northern India. At twelve, he was sent away for schooling in the Hindu sacred scriptures and four years later he returned home to marry a princess. They had a son and lived for ten years as befitted royalty. At about the age of twenty-five, the Prince. Heretofore shielded from the sufferings of the world, while out hunting chanced upon a sick man, then an aged man, then a funeral procession, and finally a monk begging for alms. These sights so moved him that he at once became a beggar and Went out into the world to seek enlightenment concerning the sorrows he had witnessed.[ H.B.S.E. March. 2017 (Set-D)]

Word-meanings: Sacred = pious (पवित्र): scriptures = religious books(धार्मिक पुस्तकें befitted= suited (उचित था); royalty = kingly family (शाही परिवार) ; heretofore = till then (तब तक). shielded = Potected (रक्षा की) ; funeral procession = procession on a dead body for cremation (शव-यात्रा)I

Questions :

(a) What did Siddhartha Gautama study?

(b) When was he married?

(c) When did he see a sick and old man?

(d) What was the effect of these sights on Gautama?

(e) Find a word from the passage which means ‘holy books’.

Answers :

(a) Siddhartha Gautama studied holy books.

(b) He was married at the age of sixteen.

(d) On seeing these sights. he decided to renounce the world and become a beggar.

(e) ‘Scriptures.’

PASSAGE 2

He wandered for seven years and finally sat down under a fig tree, where he vowed to stay until enlightenment came. Enlightened after seven days, he renamed the tree the Bo Tree (Tree of Wisdom) and began to teach and to share his new understandings. At that point, he became known as the Buddha (the Awakened or the Enlightened). The Buddha preached his first sermon at the city of Benares, most holy of the dipping places on the River Ganges.

Word-meanings: Enlightenment = spiritual knowledge (आध्यात्मिक ज्ञान): dipping places = place where people take bath (नहाने के स्थान) I

Questions :

(a) How long did the Buddha wander in search of wisdom?

(b) After how many days of meditation did he get enlightenment?

(d) Where did he give his first sermon?

(e) Find a word from the passage which means ‘took a pledge’.

Answers :

(a) He wandered for seven years in search of wisdom.

(b) He got enlightenment after seven days.

(d) He gave his first sermon at Benares.

(e) ‘Vowed.’

PASSAGE 3

The Buddha answered. “I want a handful of mustard-seed.” And when the girl in her joy promised to procure ii, the Buddha added, “The mustard-seed must be taken from a house where no one has lost a child. husband, parent or friend.”

Poor Kisa Gotami now went from house to house, and the people pitied her and said, “Here is mustard-seed: take it!” But when she asked, “Did a son or daughter, a father or mother, die in your family ?” they answered her. “Alas ! the living are few, but the dead are many. Do not remind us of our deepest grief.” And there was no house but some beloved one had died in it.

Word-meanings : Procure = get (प्राप्त करना) ; grief = sorrow (दुःख) I

Questions :

(a) What did the Buddha ask Kisa Gotami to bring?

(b) What was the condition attached to it?

(c) Why did Gotami go from house to house?

(d) What did the people tell Gotami?

(e) Find a word from the passage which means, ‘sorrow’.

Answers :

(a) The Buddha asked Kisa Gotami to bring a handful of mustard-seed.

(b) He said that she must bring the mustard-seed from a house where no one had

died. She went from house to house in search of mustard-seed.

(e) ‘Grief.’

PASSAGE 4

Kisa Gotami became weary and hopeless and sat down at the wayside watching the lights of the city, as they flickered up and were extinguished again. At last the darkness of the night reigned everywhere. And she considered the fate of men, that their lives flicker up and are extinguished again. And she thought to herself, “How selfish am I in my grief! Death is common to all, yet in this valley of desolation there is a path that leads him to immortality who has surrendered all selfishness.”

Word-meanings: Extinguished = put out (बुझ गया): desolation = deep sorrow (गहरा दुःख): immortality = deathlessness (अमरत्व)

Questions :

(a) What happened to Kisa Gotami in the end?

(b) What (lid Kisa Gotami do when she became tired and hopeless?

(c) What happened at last?

(d) When did Kisa realise in the end?

(e) Find a word from the passage that means ‘put out’.

Answers :

(a) She became tired and hopeless.

(b) She sat down at the wayside.

(d) She realised that death is inevitable.

(e) ‘Extinguished.’

PASSAGE 5

And the girl said. “Please tell me, sir, who is it’?” And the man replied. “Go to Sakyamuni the Buddha.” Kisa Gotami repaired to the Buddha and cried. “Lord and Master, give me the medicine that will cure my boy.”

The Buddha answered, “I want a handful of mustard-seed.” And when the girl in her joy promised to Procure it, the Buddha added. “The mustard-seed must be taken from a house where no one has lost a child, husband, parent or friend.”

Word-meanings : Repaired = went (चली गई); mustard-seed = an oil seed (सरसों) ;procure = get (प्राप्त करना)

Questions :

(a) Name the chapter.

(b)What suggestion did a man give to Gotami?

(c) What request did (Miami make to the Buddha?

(d) What did Buddha ask the girl to do?

(e) Had a word from the passage which means the same as ‘to get’.

Answers :

(a) Chapter: the Sermon at Benares.

(b) A man suggested her to go to Sakyamuni the Buddha.

(d) Buddha asked her to bring a handful of mustard seed from a house where no one has not lost a family member.

(e) Repaired.

PASSAGES FOR PRACTICE (UNSOLVED)

PASSAGE 6

The Buddha said, “The life of mortals in this world is troubled and brief and combined with pain. For there is not any means by which those that have been born can avoid dying; after reaching old age there is death; of such a nature are living beings. As ripe fruits are early in danger of falling, so mortals, when born, are always in danger of death. As all earthen vessels made by the potter end in being broken, so is the life of mortals. Both young and adult, both those who are fools and those who are wise, all fall into the power of death; all are subject to death.

“Of those who, overcome by death, depart from life, a father cannot save his son, nor kinsmen their relations. Mark ! while relatives are looking on and lamenting deeply, one by one mortal are carried off, like an ox that is led to the slaughter. So the worried is afflicted with death and decay, therefore the wise do not grieve, knowing the terms of the world.

Word-meanings: Mortals = human beings (नश्वर:): earthen vessels = pot made by baked clay (मिट्टी के बर्तन); lamenting = grieving (अफ़सोस करना)

Questions :

(a) What does the Buddha say about the life of mortals?

(b) What does he compare the life of mortals with?

(c) Why can’t a father save his sun or a kinsman his relations?

(d) Why don’t the wise grieve?

(e) Find a word from the passage which means ‘relatives’.

PASSAGE 7

“Not from weeping nor from grieving will anyone obtain peace of mind; on the contrary, his pain will be the greater and his body will suffer. He will make himself sick and pale, yet the dead are not saved by his lamentation. He who seeks peace should draw out the arrow of lamentation, and complaint, and grief. He who has drawn out the arrow and has become composed will obtain peace of mind: he who has overcome all sorrow will become free from sorrow, and be blessed.”

Word-meanings: Overcome = controlled by (नियंत्रित होना): lamenting = grieving (अफ़सोस करना)

Questions :

(a) When will one’s pain be greater?

(b) What will happen if a man grieves and weeps?

(c) How can one get peace of mind?

(d) Who will be blessed finally?

(e) Find a phrase from the passage which means ‘as against’.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS/ Quiz- The Sermon at Benares

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS – The Sermon at Benares

1.Gautama was horn in :

(A) 563 B.C. (B) 483 B.C.

Ans. (A) 563 B.C.

2. Which family did Gautama belong to?

(A) farmer (B) royal

Ans. (B) royal

3. In his childhood what was Gautama shielded front?

(A) pleasures (B) money

Ans. (I) sorrows of world

4. Gautama was sent for schooling at the age of.

(A) eight years (B) ten years

Ans. (C) twelve years

5. Gautama was married at the age of :

(A) sixteen years (B) twenty years

Ans. (A) sixteen years

6. At what age did Gautama leave home for wisdom?

(A) sixteen years (B) twenty years

Ans. (D) twenty-five years

7. Gautama left home in search of

(A) power (B) money

Ans. (C) enlightenment

8. Where did Gautama give his first sermon?

(A) Benares (B) Patna

Ans. (A) Benares

9. What is inevitable?

(A) life (B) enlightenment

Ans. (C) death

10. For how many years did Gautama wander in search of enlightenment?

(A) five years (B) seven years

Ans. (B) seven years

11. Kisa Gotami went from house to house demanding a handful of

(A) rice (B) food

Ans. (C) mustard seed

12. According to Buddha the life, how is the life of the mortals in this world?

(A) troubled (B) brief

Ans. (D) all of the above

13. Gautama Buddha was born in India.

(A) northern (B) southern

Ans. (A) northern

Main Characters of the Story- The Sermon at Benares

Character Sketch

1.Buddha: Gautama Buddha is the founder of the religion Buddhism. He was a spiritual teacher who had gained enlightenment of seeing the world’s pains and greed. Buddha preached that human life is very short and it is full of sorrows and pains. He cleared that our brief life is full of troubles and pains. Everyone on this earth has to one day meet with death.

2. Kiss Gotami: She was a young mother whose only son had died. She was a loving and caring mother, but at the same time, she became selfish and wanted to get her son back after death.

Extract Based / comprehension test Questions and Answers of The Sermon at Benares

Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow.

1.”The Buddha preached his first sermon at the city of Benares, most holy of the dipping places on the River Ganges; that sermon has been preserved and is given here. It reflects the Buddha’s wisdom about one inscrutable kind of suffering.”

(a) Name the holiest of the dipping places on the River Ganges where the Buddha preached his first sermon.

(b) What does Buddha’s first sermon reflect?

(d) How was he known as then?

Ans. (a) Benares.

(b) Buddha’s wisdom about one inscrutable kind of suffering.

(d) As he started preaching, he was known as Buddha, meaning, the awakened or the enlightened one.

2. “Kisa Gotami became weary and hopeless and sat down at the wayside watching the lights of the city, as they flickered up and were extinguished again. At last the darkness of the night reigned everywhere.”

(a) Why do you think Kisa Gotami became weary and hopeless?

(b) How many sons did KisaGotamihave?

(d) What message did she get from the flickering and extinguishing lights of the city?

Ans. (a) It was because she could not find a house where no one had died.

(b) Only one.

(d) Their lives flicker up and are extinguished.

3. At twelve, he was sent away for schooling in the Hindu sacred scriptures and years later he returned home to marry a princess. They had a son and lived for ten Y befitting royalty. At about the age of twenty-five, the prince heretofore shielded from sufferings of the world, while out hunting chanced upon a sick man, then an aged than a funeral procession, and finally a monk begging for alms. These sights so move that he at once became a beggar and went out into the world to seek enlighten concerning the sorrows he had witnessed.

(a) What happened at the age of twelve?

(b) What happened when he was out hunting———-

(d) When did he marry?

Ans. (a) At twelve, he was sent away for schooling in the Hindi; sacred seen

(b) He saw a sick man, then human image man and then a funeral procession-

(d) He married at the age en after completing his schooling.

4. At about the age of tweet e, the prince, hereto the world, while out hunting chanced upon a sick man, then an aged man than a farmer the procession, and finally a monk begging for alms. These sights so moved him that he at once ante a beggar and went out into the world to seek enlightenment concerning the sorrows he had witnessed. He wandered for seven years and finally sat down under a fig tree, where he vowed to stay until enlightenment came. Enlightened after seven days, he renamed the tree the Buddha Tree (Tree of Wisdom) and began to teach and to share his new understandings. At that point, he became known as the Buddha (the Awakened or the Enlightened).

(a) Name the Prince.

(b) What are the sights of sufferings that the Prince saw?

(d) What did he vow?

(a) When was Gautam Buddha’s first encounter with suffering?

(b) How did he react to it?

(d) What effect did the sights have on him?

Ans. (a) The name of the Prince was ‘Siddhartha’.

(b) He saw a sick man, then an aged man, and then a funeral procession.

(d) He vowed to stay under the fig tree until he was enlightened.

(a) Gautam Buddha’s first encounter was when he went out hunting.

(b) He renounced the worldly comforts and left home to seek enlightenment from these Sorrows.

(d) He went out for enlightenment.

5. Buddha said, “The life of mortals in this world is troubled and brief and combined with pain. For there is not any means by which those that have been born can avoid dying; after reaching old age there is death; of such a nature are living beings. As ripe fruits are early in danger of falling, so mortals, when born, are always in danger of death. As all earthen vessels made by the Potter end in being broken, so is the life of mortals. Both young and adult, both those who are fools and those who are wise, all fall. into the power of death, all are subject to death.”

(a) What did the Buddha say about the life of the people?

(b) What does a ripe fruit fear?

(d) What, according to Buddha, death is avoidable?

Ans. (a) The life of people is troubled and brief and combined with pain.

(b) A ripe fruit fears the danger of falling.

(d) There is not any means by which those that have been born, can avoid dying.

6. Kisa Gotami had an only son and he died. In her grief she carried the dead child to all her neighbours, asking them for medicine, and the people said, “She has lost her senses dead.” At length, Kisa Gotamimet a man who replied to her request; “I can’t give thee! nines for thy child, but I know a physician who can.” And the girl said, “Pray to tell me, sir, o is it?” And the man replied, “Go to Sakyamuni, the Buddha.” Kisa Gotami repaired to tile Buddha and cried: “Lord and Master, give me the medicine that will cure my boy”.

(a) Why was Kisa Gotami in grief?

(b) What did she ask of all her neighbours?

(d) Who did she carry her dead child to in her grief?

Ans. (a) Because her son was dead.

(b) She asked them for medicine.

(d) To all her neighbours.

7. Of those who, overcome by death, depart from life, a father cannot save his son, for kinsmen their relations. Mark ! While relatives are looking on and lamenting deeply, one by one mortal are carried off, like an ox that is led to the slaughter. So the world is afflicted with death and decay, therefore, the wise do not grieve, knowing the terms of the world. Not from weeping nor from grieving will anyone obtain peace of mind; on the contrary, his pain will be the greater and his body will suffer. He will make himself sick and pale, yet the dead are not saved by his lamentation.

(a) What is the fate of mortals?

(b) Why do the wise not grieve?

(d) How does ‘lamentation’ harm a person?

Ans. (a) The fate of mortals is death.

(b) Wise does not grieve because they know the terms of the world that one who is must die one day. They neither weep nor grieve.

(d) It makes one sick and pale; one does not get peace of mind.

8. The Buddha answered: “I want a handful of mustard seeds.” And when the girl in joy promised to procure it, the Buddha added: “The mustard seeds must be taken house where no one has lost a child, husband, parent or friend.”

(a) Identify ‘I’ in the passage.

(b) What did the Buddha ask the girl for?

(d) In this way, what did the Buddha want Kisa Gotami to understand?

Ans. (a) Buddha.

(b) To procure mustard seeds.

(d) Buddha wanted Kisa Gotami to understand that all men who live have to die. pea is inevitable and cannot be avoided.

VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS – The Sermon at Benares

[Answer in one sentence each]

Q.1. When was Siddhartha Gautama born? (H: B.S.E. March 2017 (Set-B)

Ans. Siddhartha Gautama was born in 563 B.C.

Q.2. At what age was Siddhartha married?

Ans. He was married at the age of sixteen years.

Q.3. What did Gautama chance to see one day?

Ans. One day he chanced to see a sick man, an old man, a dead man’s funeral procession and a monk.

Q.4. At what age did Gautama leave home for enlightenment? (H.B.S.E. March 2017 (Set-B)

Ans. He left home at the age of twenty-five for enlightenment.

Q.5. How long did Gautama wander in search of wisdom?

Ans. He wandered for seven years in search of wisdom.

Q.6. After how many days of meditation did he get enlightenment?

Ans. He got enlightenment after the meditation of seven days.

Q.7. What is the meaning of Buddha?

Ans. The meaning of Buddha is the Awakened or Enlightened.

Q.8. Where did Buddha give his first sermon?

Ans. Buddha gave his lint sermon at Benares.

Q.9. What did Buddha ask Kisa•Gotami to bring?

Ans. Buddha asked Gotami to bring a handful of mustard seeds from a house where no one had died.

Q.10. What did Kisa Gotami realise in the end?

Ans. In the end, she realised that death is inevitable.

Short Answer Type Important Questions – The Sermon at Benares

1. Kisa compared human life to an inanimate object. What is it and why does she do so?

Ans. Kisa compared human life with the lights of the city which flicker up and extinguished again and the darkness of the night spreads everywhere. Similarly, the human takes birth, flickers up and then extinguished the life of the remains. She compared so because the darkness of sadness spreads in use she was as in great grief of the death of his

2. Where and when did Siddhartha become the Buddha?

Ans. At the age of 25, Siddhartha confronted a sick man then an age sight moved funeral procession and finally a monk. Palace and wandered for seven years to shed seedling team the tree The Bodenheim Tree’ until enlightenment came. He renamesFinally so much that he even allied heat swath teen admiral

3. Which people are referred to as “wise” by the Buddha in his sermons?

Ans. Buddha preached in his sermons that everything that is born will come to its end. Death is inevitable: both young and adult or fools and wise are subject to death. But the people who do not grieve knowing the terms of the world are called wise people. Wise people neither weep nor grieve.

4. Why was Kisa Gotamis ad?

Ans. Kisa Gotami’s only son had died. She was grief-stricken. Carrying the dead son, she went to all her neighbours to get some medicine that would cure her son. A man sent her to the Buddha who asked her to procure a handful of mustard seeds from a house where no one had died, but she couldn’t find such a house and was thus sad.

5. Why was Gautama known as the Buddha?

Ans. Gautama sat under a pipal tree until he attained enlightenment. After seven days he got enlightenment and began to teach and share his new understandings. So he came to be known as the Buddha (the Awakened or the Enlightened).

6. How did the Buddha teach Kisa Gotami the truth of life?

Ans. Buddha changed Kisa’s thinking with the help of a simple act—asking her to procure a handful of mustard seeds from that house where none had died. She could not understand it. But, gradually she understood that death is inevitable.

7. Describe the life of Gautama Buddha before enlightenment.

Ans. Buddha was earlier a prince and lived in luxury. When he encountered suffering and grief, it made him sad and sorrowful. He renounced everything and went in search of riddance from suffering. He wandered for seven years. Then, one day, he sat under a fig tree and vowed not to leave until he was enlightened.

8. To seek peace one has to draw out the arrow of lamentation. State two values projected through the statement.

Ans.No lamenting can bring someone’s dear and near ones back to life. Neither can they stop one’s death. Lamenting tells upon one’s health. He becomes sick and pale. He loses appetite and interest in life. One has to learn that death is inevitable.

9. What sights moved Siddhartha Gautama to seek the path of enlightenment?

Ans. While going for hunting Gautam saw a sick man, an old man, a funeral procession and a monk begging. This encounter with the sufferings and grief moved him and he left to seek the path of enlightenment.

10. What did the Buddha preach to the people?

Ans. Buddha said that death is common to all mortals. You cannot avoid it. No amount of Weeping and lamenting can bring back a dead. So wise men don’t grieve. Weeping and Lamenting rather spoil one’s health. To overcome sorrow, become free of sorrow.

11. What happened to Kisa Gotami’s son? What did she ask her neighbours to give her?

When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house. What does she ask for? Does she get it? Why not?

Ans. When her son died, Kisa Gautama went from house to house in order to ask for as everyone said that she was out of her senses to invite for her son. But she didn’t get any it2nat her son was dead.

12. How do weeping and grieving affect us? (The Sermon at Benares)

Ans. Weeping and grieving bring no gains. It rather spoils one’s health and gives truer ‘, I Only you take out the arrow of lamentation and get composed you will get peace of overcome sorrow, become free of sorrow. I again go from house to house after she speaks with the Buddha.

13. Mention the incidents which prompted Prince Siddhartha to become a beggar.

Ans. Siddhartha while going for hunting saw a sick man, an old man, a funeral procession and a monk begging. This was his first encounter with suffering and grief. It made him sad and he immediately renounced everything.

14. What did Kisa Gotami learn in the end?

Ans. Kisa Gotami wandered from house to house to get a handful of mustard seeds but could not find it. She realized that death is common to all. All living beings have to die. She had been selfish in her grief.

15. What does the Buddha say about the world?

What is Gautam Buddha’s opinion about death?

Ans. Buddha says that the world is a valley of death. There is a path that leads man to immortality reality that has been cleansed of all selfishness. Death is common to all. One who is born will die as well. Death is imminent. The life of mortals in this world is troubled and brief and combined with pain.

16. Who was Gautam Buddha? When and where was he born?

Ans. Gautam Buddha was the earlier prince, Siddhartha who got enlightenment under a fig tree and was then named as Gautam Buddha. He was born as a prince in North India.

17. Kisa Gotami was selfish and grief-stricken. Justify.

Ans. Kisa Gotami lost her only son. In her grief, she carried her dead child everywhere and asked people to cure him. As instructed by Buddha she went door to door to get a handful of mustard seeds with condition that there should not be any loss of a child. Husband, parent or friend. In her grief, she forgot that everyone had to suffer such type of loss in his or her family Death is common to all. But in her grief, she became selfish and tried to full fill the condition that was impossible.

18. What does she ask for the second time around? Does she get it? Why not?

Ans. Buddha asked her to procure a handful of mustard seeds but he put a condition that it should be procured from a house where no death had ever taken place. She went from house to house but could not find such a residence.

Q.19. Who was Gautama Buddha?

Ans. Gautama Buddha was a prince in northern India. His full name was Siddhartha Gautama and he was sent away for schooling at the age of twelve. He married Yashodhara when he returned after four years.

Q.20. How did Siddhartha Gautama get the name of Buddha?

Ans. Siddhartha Gautama sat under a big peepal tree, where he vowed to stay until enlightenment came. He was enlightened after seven days. He began to teach and share his new understandings. Then he came to be known as Buddha.

Q.21. What did Buddha ask the lady to do?

Ans. Buddha asked the lady to bring a handful of mustard-seeds. But these must be taken from a house where no one had ever lost a child, husband or a friend. Then he would be able to help her.

Q.22. What does Gautama Buddha say about the life and death of human beings?

Ans. Gautama Buddha says that the life of human beings in this world is troubled, brief and combined with pain. It is because there is not any means by which those that have been born can avoid dying.

Q.23. Can an aggrieved person get peace of mind by weeping or grieving?

Ans. No, nobody can get peace of mind by weeping or grieving. Rather, his pain will be greater and his body will suffer by doing so. He will make himself sick and pale.

Q.24. Where did Buddha preach his first sermon?

Ans. After attainment of enlightenment, Buddha preached his first sermon at the holy city of Banaras which is situated on the sacred river Ganges.

Q.25. With what does Buddha compare the death and decay of human beings?

Ans. Gautama Buddha says that just as ripe fruit are liable to fall, so mortals when horn arc always in danger of death. An earthen vessel made by the potter end in being broken, the life of all mortals will ultimately meet death.

Q26. Describe the early life of Gautama Buddha.

Ans. Gautama Buddha began life as a prince. He was named Siddhartha Gautama. He was sent away for schooling in the Hindu sacred scriptures at twelve. When he returned home, he was married to a princess. He lived in royal luxury, shielded from the sufferings up to the age of twenty-five.

Q27. What were the sights that moved and shocked Gautama?

Ans. Prince Gautama had been deliberately shielded from all the sufferings of the world. One day he chanced upon a sick man, then an aged man and then a funeral procession. Finally, he saw a monk begging for alms. These sights moved him. He went out into the world to seek the solution of all these sufferings. He wanted to seek enlightenment.

Q28.What did Kisa Gotami do when her only son died? What did her neighbours think about her?

Ans. Kisa Gautami’s only son had died. She was overwhelmed with grief She carried the dead child to all her neighbours. She asked them for the medicine to cure her son. The neighbours thought she had lost her senses. A dead child could never be cured.

Q29. How did Kisa Gotami go to the Buddha? What did Buddha ask Gotami to do?

Ans. A man advised Kisa Gotami to go to Sakyamuni, the Buddha. He was the physician who could cure her dead son. She went to the Buddha. He asked Kisa Gotami to bring a handful of mustard seeds from a house. The house must be such where no one had lost a child, husband, parent or friend.

Q 30. Did Kisa Gotami get a handful of mustard seeds as directed by the Buddha?

Ans. Poor Kisa Gotami went from house to house. The people pitied her and were ready to give a handful of mustard seeds to her. But, she couldn’t find a house where no one had lost a child, husband, parent or friend.

Q31. Why did Kisa Gotami say, ‘How selfish am I in my grief!’ What did she realise about the fate of mankind?

Ans. Kisa Gotami became weary and hopeless. At last, the darkness of the night reigned everywhere. She realised that she had been very selfish in her grief Death spares none. One who is born is destined to die sooner or later. No grieving or lamenting would bring a dead man to life.

Q32. What did Buddha say about the mortals of the world?

Ans. The Buddha said to Kisa Gotami that the life of mortals is troubled and brief in this world. Those who have been born can’t avoid dying. As ripe fruits are in danger of falling, so mortals are always in danger of death. All earthen vessels end in being broken.

Q33. Can grieving and lamentation avoid death and decay in this world? What did the Buddha say in this regard?

Ans. This world is afflicted with death and decay. Therefore, the wise don’t grieve. No one will ever get peace of mind by weeping or grieving. Weeping or grieving only makes a person sick and pale. Only the person who has overcome all sorrow will be free from sorrow. He will then be blessed.

Q34. What did the Buddha want Kisa Gotami to understand?

Ans. The Buddha wanted Kisa Gotami to understand that all men and women are mortals. And all mortals are destined to die. No lamentation and grieving can bring a dead person back to life. Therefore, she should stop lamenting and grieving the death of her son. Overcoming the sorrows makes a person free from sorrows.

Q35. What did Kisa Gotami realise at last?

Ans. In the end, Kisa Gotami was free from all illusions. She realised the universal truth that all mortals are destined to die sooner or later. Death spares none. Her lamentation and grieving can’t bring her dead son alive. There was no family in which no son, daughter or parent had not ever died.

Q36. Describe the main message that the lesson ‘The sermon at Benares’ gives to the readers.

Ans. The Buddha wants us to understand that this world is full of sufferings, death and decay. Death spares none. Death is the ultimate truth of life. Everything that is born today will die sooner or later. No lamentation or grieving will bring the dead to life again.

Q37. How did Siddhartha Gautama get enlightenment? Why did he name the fig tree as the Bodhi tree?

Ans. Gautama wanted a final solution for the sufferings and pains that afflicted the people of the world. He wandered for seven years for seeking enlightenment. Finally, he sat down under a fig tree. He vowed to stay there until enlightenment came. Enlightened after seven days, he renamed the fig tree. It was named as the Bodhi Tree or Tree of Wisdom. He gave his first sermon at the city of Benares on the River Ganges.

Important Long/ Detailed Answer Type Questions- to be answered in about 100 -150 words each – The Sermon at Benares

1.” The life of mortals in this world is troubled and brief and combined with pain. With this statement of the Buddha find out the moral value that Kisa Gotami learnt after the house and was unable to get wanted the mustard seeds. table: grief death of her child.

Ans. Kisa Gotami lost her only son. In her neighbours, asking them to provide medicine for her son. A man suggested her to Buddha. Buddha asked her to bring a handful of mustard seeds but she should get it the house where no one had lost any near and dear one. But she could not get any such Of Kisa Gotami went from door to door requesting mustard seeds. People pitied her Do is troubled.

Only then Buddha made her understand that the life of mortals in this world and grief and combined with pain. Now Kisa understood the reality too realized the fate of men that their lives flick e reality of death. Her underskirts that death is common to all of us. Now she l’ up and extinguish again.

2.”The world is afflicted with death eaters and d the Buddha. Expand this thought revising Kisa Gotami’s experience when she a5,” Buddha for a solution.

Ans. When Kisa Gotami went to the Buddha for the medicine to revive her a Buddha told her to procure a handful of mustard seeds from a house where no one and gave her the seeds. She then asked them if anyone in the family had died, and they answered that many were dead in the house and it aggrieved them to remember those dead people. She became weary and hopeless after going to several houses and getting the same response. As she sat wearily she saw the city lights go out, and darkness reigned everywhere. She finally grasped the Buddha’s underlying meaning. She returned to the Buddha and narrated her experience. Thereafter the Buddha sermonized her that the life of mortals in this world is troubled and painful; that the world is afflicted with death and decay, and so there is no point in grieving over something which is inescapable.

3. Why did Kisa Gotami understand the message given by the Buddha only the second time? In what way did the Buddha change her understanding?

Ans. Kisa Gotami had lost her only son and in grief, she carried her dead son to all her neighbours to get him cured and restored back to life. Finally, she went to the Buddha asking him for medicine to cure her boy. The Buddha felt that she needed to be enlightened about the truth of life — that death and sorrow are inescapable. He could see that grief had blinded her, and it would be difficult for her to accept the truth. So the Buddha told her to procure mustard seeds from a house where none had died. Kisa Gotami went from door to door. Then she realized that there was no house where no one had died and that death is common to all. She came back to the Buddha where He sermonized her that life in this world is troubled and filled with sorrows. He gave her examples of ripe fruits and earthen vessels whose ‘lives’ are short. This way he made her realize that death is unavoidable and none —even the near and dear ones — can save anyone from death.

4. The Buddha said, “The world is affected by death and decay, therefore, the wise men do not grieve, knowing the terms of the world.” Do you think the statement is appropriate even for today’s life? Write your views in the context of the above statement.

Ans. The above-said statement holds true concerning today’s life as well. Buddha said that death is common to all mortals. Those who are born must die one day. Death is certain, can’t be avoided. As ripe fruits fall off the trees, so is the life of mortals. Life of a man is like an earthen pot that breaks and meets its end. No amount of weeping and lamenting can bring the dead back to life. So, wise men don’t grieve. They understand that it is the law of the world. Weeping and lamenting produce no gains. It rather spoils one’s health and gives more pain. If only you take out the arrow of lamentation and get composed, you will get peace of mind. To overcome sorrow, become free of sorrow. But in today’s world, man has forgotten this. He makes all kinds of efforts to provide himself with the comforts and earns money by all means whether wrong or right. He forgets that one day he has to die and everything will be left here only.

5. How did Buddha make Kisa Gotami realize about the reality of death?

How did Gautama Buddha teach Gotami that life is full of pains and sorrows and death comes to all?

Why does Kisa feel disappointed after going from door to door?

Ans. Kisa Gotami had only one son and he had died. In her greet fobs he occults reroof ended riser senses. all her neighbours asking them for medicine. She has thought the man suggested her to go to the Buddha. Kisa Gotami went to the Buddha and prayed 0hhaM tow to revive her son. The Buddha told her to procure a handful of mustard seeds from us. Here no one had olestra child, husband, parent or friend. Kisa Gotami went from door pitied her and offered her the seeds. But when she asked them if anyone had died in the family they could only answer that they had lost many and they did not want to that death of their deepest grief. Kisa Gotami became weary and hopeless and realized oath is common to all.

6. How did Buddha seek and achieve enlightenment?

Ans. Once Gautama went for hunting. On the way, he saw a sick man, an old man, a funeral procession and a begging monk. He was filled with sorrow. He renounced everything and went out into the world to seek enlightenment concerning the sorrows he had witnessed after having wandered for seven years, Buddha sat under a fig t from there till he was enlightened. After being enlightened that took a week’s time, he renamed the tree as Buddha Tree (Tree of Wisdom) and began to preach.

7. Through the story of Kisa Gotami, what did the Buddha try to preach to the common man?

Ans. Buddha said that death is common to all mortals. Those who are born must die one day. You cannot avoid it. Death is certain. He taught this, through the story of Kisa Gotami, Kisa was a common woman whose son had died. She could not believe it and carried her son to neighbours requesting them to give her medicine to cure him. People thought that she was not in her senses. She approached Buddha. He asked her to procure a handful of mustard seeds but he put a condition that they should be procured from a house where no death has ever taken place. Kisa could not find such a house. She, sad and depressed, sat on the sideways and watched city lights that flickered and extinguished. It made her realize that human lives flicker and extinguish as well and that death is an unavoidable phenomenon. She thought herself to be selfish for thinking only about her grief.

8. What did Buddha say about death and suffering? Explain by giving examples from the text.

“‘lb seek peace one should draw out the arrow of lamentation.” What do you infer from the Buddha’s statement?

Ans. Buddha said that death is common to all mortals. Those who are born must die one day. You cannot avoid it. Death is certain. As ripe fruits fall off the trees and meet an end so do the lives of the mortals. Life of a man is like an earthen pot that breaks and meets its end. No amount of weeping and lamenting can bring a dead back to life. So, wise men don’t grieve. They understand that it is the law of nature. Also, weeping and lamenting bring no gains. It rather spoils one’s health and gives more pain. If only you take out the arrow of lamentation and get composed you will get peace of mind. lb overcome sorrow, become free of sorrow.

9. What impression do you form of Lord Buddha after reading the lesson, “The Ser at Benares”?

Ans. Buddha was born in North India as a prince and named Siddhartha. Once he we out hunting. On the way, he saw a sick man, an old man, funeral procession and a bear monk. He was overcome with grief. He renounced all pleasures and luxuries offered royalty and went out into the world to seek enlightenment concerning the sorrows he witnessed. After attaining enlightenment, he gave his first sermon at Benares. It reflects ° wisdom on ‘suffering’. He said the life of man is short, full of troubles and pain. Man is ripe fruit, the fruit falls and the man dies. Lag at ace of mind, one must overcome so death and pain and draw out the arrow of lamentation. Buddha was a wise man to make people understand the difficult concept of suffering and death.

Q.10. Who was Gautama Buddha? What made him renounce his royal life and become a monk?

Ans. Gautama Buddha was born in 563 B.C. He was born in a royal family. His name was Siddhartha Gautama. At the age of twelve, he was sent away for schooling. He studied all the sacred Hindu scriptures. At the age of sixteen, he married a princess. They had a son. For ten years the couple passed a happy life. Siddhartha had been shielded from the sufferings of the world. However, when he was twenty-five, Siddhartha saw a sick man, then an aged man, then a funeral procession. Finally, he came across a monk begging for alms. This was his first encounter with the harsh realities of life. These sights made him so sad that he decided to renounce the worldly pleasures. He left his family and became a monk. He went out into the world to seek spiritual knowledge.

Q.11. Why did Siddhartha conic to be called the Buddha? Where did he give his first sermon?

Ans. Siddhartha Gautama wandered for seven years in search of wisdom and truth. Finally, he sat down under a big people tree to meditate. He vowed to stay there until he got enlightenment. After seven days, Gautama got enlightenment. He named the tree as the ‘Bodhi Tree’. , that is ‘The tree of wisdom.’ He became known as ‘the Buddha’ which means ‘enlightened’ or ‘the awakened’. He began to teach and to spread his message of wisdom and truth. The Buddha gave his first sermon at Benares. It is the holiest of places on the hank of the Ganges. His first sermon reflects his wisdom about one kind of suffering i.e. death. Here the Buddha tells about the universality of death which is inevitable and can’t be escaped.

12. How did the Buddha made Kisa Gotami realize that death is inevitable?

Why did Kisa Gotami go from house to house? In what way did the Buddha change her under. standing?

Ans. A lady named Kisa Gotami had only one son. One day, her son died. She wanted her child should become alive again. She wanted some medicine to bring her son to life. People called her mad. At last, she came across a man. He advised her to meet the Buddha. She approached the Buddha with a request to give her medicine so that her only son could be live again. After deep thought, the Buddha asked her to bring a handful of mustard-seed. But there was a condition. She must bring it from a house where no one had died Kisa Gotami went from door to door to get the mustard-seed. She found mustard-seed in every home but she could not find a house where nobody had ever died. By evening, she was sad and tired. She saw the lights of the city. They were trimming. Soon there was the darkness of the night. Now she considered the fate of man. Now she realised that death is inevitable. No one can escape it.

Q13. Describe the journey of Siddhartha Gautama becoming the Buddha.

Ans. Gautama Buddha began his life as a royal prince. He was named Siddhartha Gautama. At twelve, Gautama was sent away for schooling in the Hindu sacred scriptures. At the age of sixteen, he returned home to marry a princess. The prince was deliberately shielded from all sufferings of the world. But this attempt failed when the prince while out hunting chanced upon a sick man. Then, he saw an aged man. He also chanced to see a funeral procession. Finally, he saw a monk, begging for alms. These sights of suffering, sickness and decay shocked and moved the prince. He wanted to seek the final solution of all these sorrows and sufferings. He wandered for seven Years in search of enlightenment. Finally, he sat down under a fig tree. He meditated there until he was enlightened after seven days. He renamed the tree the Bodhi Tree or the Tree of Wisdom. He became known as the Buddha or the Awakened or the Enlightened one. The Buddha gave his first sermon at Benares on the River Ganges.

Q14. Why did Kisa Gotami go to every neighbour? Why did she say, ‘How selfish I am in my grief?’

Ans. Kisa Gotami’s only son had died. Naturally, she was filled with grief. She carried the dead child to all her neighbours. She asked them for medicine. The people thought that she had lost her senses in grief. She was demanding medicine for her dead son.

Only after meeting the Buddha, she followed his instructions. She couldn’t get a handful of mustard seeds not even from one family. There was no family where no one had lost a child, husband, parent or friend. Only then she realised what the Buddha wanted her to understand. She realised that she was very selfish in her grief. She was grieving for her dead child. She forgot that death spares none. She realised that no lamentation or grieving can bring a dead person back to life again.

Q15. What did the Buddha ask Kisa Gotami to do? Why couldn’t Kisa Gotami succeed in getting a handful of mustard seeds from any family?

Ans. Kisa Gotami couldn’t get any consolation and cure from her neighbours. They realised that grief had made her almost mad. One of them directed her to the Buddha. He thought only the Sakyamum, the Buddha was the most appropriate physician to cure her son. The Buddha wanted the grieving woman to learn, a lesson. So, he asked her to bring a handful of mustard seeds from a family. The mustard-seed must be taken from a house where no one had lost a child, a husband or a friend. Poor Gotami went from house to house begging for a handful of mustard seeds. The people pitied her. They were ready to give a handful of mustard seeds to her. In short, there was no house where some beloved one had not died in it. So, Kisa Gotami didn’t succeed in her mission. She only realised that she had been selfish in grief.

Q16. Describe the main teachings of the Buddha as highlighted in The Sermon at Benares.’

Ans. Before the age of twenty-five, Siddhartha Gautam was carefully shielded from the sufferings of the world. When he saw a sick man, an aged man and a funeral procession for the first time, he was moved and shocked at the sights. He gave up his royal luxuries and went out in search of the permanent solution of all those sufferings and sorrows. After a long meditation, he got the enlightenment. At that time, he became known as the Buddha or the Awakened one. He gave his first sermon at Benares. Through Kisa Gotami, the Buddha wanted to tell the world that death is the ultimate truth. All mortals are destined to die sooner or later. There is no family in the world where no one has lost a child, husband, parent or friend. Lamenting for a son or a parent is like showing selfishness in grief. No lamentation or grieving can bring a dead man back to life. This world is afflicted with death and decay. He who has overcome all sorrow will become free from sorrow. He will be the blessed one.

Q17. What does the Buddha say about the life of mortals in this world? How can one obtain the peace of the mind?

Ans. The Buddha preached his first sermon at Benares. He preached that all men, women and children are mortals. And, all mortals are destined to die. Actually, death and decay is the fate of all mortals in this world. Death spares none. The life of mortals in this world is troubled and brief. It is combined with pain. Those who have been born, can’t avoid dying. Actually, there is no means of avoiding death and decay. The ripe fruits fall, so do the aged people of the world. One by one the mortals is carried off, like an ox that is led to the slaughter. Therefore, the wise do not grieve. No amount of lamenting or grieving can bring a dead man back to life. Weeping and grieving will never give anyone the peace of mind. On the other hand, they only compound miseries. He who has overcome all sorrows will become free from sorrows. He will become a blessed one.

Extra Questions, Notes, Assignment and study material for Class 10th as Per Latest CBSE Syllabus

Chapter- 10 Language and Literature- First Flight (Latest 2018-19)

The Sermon at Benares Extra Questions and Answers

By– Betty Crenshaw

Extract Based / comprehension test Questions and Answers of The Sermon at Benares

Extra Questions, Notes, Assignment and study material for Class 10^th as Per Latest CBSE Syllabus