CBSE Class 10 English The Sermon at Benares Worksheet Set B

Question. What did Buddha say about the mortals of the world?
Answer. The Buddha told 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.

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

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

Question. Who was Gautam Buddha? Write a few lines about his early life.
Answer. Gautam Buddha was a prince. He was named Siddhartha Gautam by his parents. He was born in 563 B.C. in North India. He was sent away for schooling when he was twelve years old but four years later, he got married to a princess. 

Question. When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house. What does she ask for? Does she get it? Why not?
Answer. Kisa Gotami’s only son dies. She almost becomes mad in grief. She goes from house to house asking for a medicine that can ‘cure’ her dead son. No, she doesn’t get such a medicine. No medicine can bring a dead person to life.

Question. Describe the early life of Gautama Buddha.
Answer. 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.

Question. What did Kisa Gotami do when her only son died? What did her neighbours think about her?
Answer. 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 medicine to cure her son. The neighbours thought she had lost her senses. A dead child could never be cured.

Question. What did Buddha say about the mortals of the world?
Answer. 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.

Question. How did Kisa Gotami realise that life and death is a normal process? 
Answer. Kisa found no house where some beloved had not died. She understood that death is common to all. So, she was being selfish in her grief.

Short Answer Type Questions-II 

Question. What does Kisa Gotami understand the second time that she failed to understand the first time? Was this what the Buddha wanted her to understand?
Answer. For the first time, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house asking for a medicine that can cure her dead son. She is told that no medicine can make a dead person alive. The second time she understands what the Buddha wanted her to understand. She understands that death is common to all, and no lamentation or grieving will make a dead person alive.

Question. How do you usually understand the idea of ‘selfishness’? Do you agree with Kisa Gotami that she was being ‘selfish in her grief’?
Answer. One is selfish when he or she thinks only for himself or herself. One becomes subjective forgetting the universal truth. Kisa Gotami was selfish in grief. She forgot that all mortals are destined to die. Weeping for her dead son would not bring him back to life. No medicine or lamentation would bring a dead person back to life.

Question. What were the sights that moved and shocked Gautama?
Answer. 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 solution of all these sufferings. He wanted to seek enlightenment.

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

Question. Elucidate any one quality that Siddhartha demonstrated when he gave up his status and family. Explain your choice.
Answer. By giving up his status and family. Siddhartha demonstrated a quality of selflessness He was bom as a prince into a royal family but he gave all that riches and worldly pleasures in order to seek enlightenment to understand the causes of sorrows and sufferings of human life.
 

Question. When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house. What was the result?
Answer. When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house asking for medicine to cure her son. She does not get any because there is no medicine to bring back a dead person to life.
 

Question. The Buddha renounced his worldly life to attain enlightenment. How might the sermon at Benares have helped Siddhartha Gautama’s wife if she had heard it?
Answer. If Siddhartha Gautama's wife had heard his sermon at Benares she might have too renounced her worldly life and joined her husband to attain enlightenment! She would have also understood that real peace comes when a person rises above the worldly pleasures of life.
 

Question. How can death be considered an equaliser?
Answer. Death is certainly- an equalizer as it creates a balance of life. New lives start on earth only after the old lives are gone. If mortals won't die, there will be no place far new lives. Moreover a person gets new Life after leaving the old one. So, death is required to keep the circle of life going.
 

Question. How did Kisa Gotami realize that Life and death is a normal process?
Answer. Kisa Gotami realized that life and death is a normal process after Buddha asked her to get a handful of mustard seeds from a house where no Loved one had ever died When she went to all the houses, she realized that there is no one in the world whose dear ones hadn't died. Death is common to all
 

Question. Who, according to Buddha, will obtain peace?
Answer. According to Buddha, one who seeks peace should draw out the arrows of Lamentation, complaint and grief from one’s heart He, who has become composed, will finally obtain peace of mind.
 

Question. Do you think being enlightened placed a far greater responsibility on the Buddha than being king would have? Justify your stance.
Answer. Yes. 1 think that being enlightened placed a far greater responsibility on the Buddha than being lang would have because after attaining enlightenment, it was Buddha's responsibility to guide people on the right path. He was supposed to teach people about the real aim of Life and death as a monk

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

Question. What did the Buddha want Kisa Gotami to understand?
Answer. 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 on the death of her son. Overcoming the sorrows makes a person free from sorrows.

Question. What did Kisa Gotami learn in the end ? 
Answer. In the end, Kisa Gotami realised and learnt that death is common to all and that no one could avoid dying.People weep over their dead ones but it is only the wise who do not grieve as they have accepted the truth. A person should only try to seek inner peace.

Question. What did the Buddha want Kisa Gotami to understand ? 
Answer. Buddha wanted Kisa Gotami to understand that death is common to all and no one could avoid dying, no one can save their relatives. So the wise do not grieve after accepting this truth of dead.

Question. What kind of suffering is reflected in the sermon?
Answer. Grief over the death of a loved one is the main theme of this sermon. People fail to understand that death is common to all. All mortals have to die one day. There is no use of lamenting. One does not get peace of mind unless one overcomes the sorrows.

Question. Who do not grieve as the world is afflicted with death and decay?
Answer. The world undergoes the cycle of life and death. Anything that is born has to die one day. It is afflicted with death and decay. No one can save the other from death. But the wise men do not grieve. They know the terms and nature of the world.

Question. Kisa Gotami again goes from house-to-house after she speaks with the Buddha. What does she ask for the second time ? Does she get ? Why not ? 
Answer. Kisa Gotami goes from house to house to bring some mustard seeds where no death had taken place as asked by Buddha to cure her son. But she was unable to find such a house where no death had taken place. It made her realise that death is inevitable and that no one can deny the nature’s cycle.

Question. When and where was Gautama Buddha born? Why did he decide to leave the palace?
Answer. Gautama Buddha was born in 563 B.C. in northern India. For some time, Buddha was kept away from all the sorrows of life. Once he saw a sick man, a beggar, an aged man and a funeral procession. He realised that the world was full of sorrow. He wanted to attain knowledge about the ways of life. So, he decided to leave the palace to get enlightened.

Question. Why was Kisa Gotami sad ? What did she do in her hour of grief ? 
Answer. Kisa Gotami was sad because her only son had died. In her hour of grief, she went from house to house in search of a medicine to cure him. She had become selfish in wanting her son back.

Question. What does the Buddha say about the world ?
Answer. The Buddha says that everything in this world is subject to death. He further says that the world is deeply affected by suffering, disease or pain. Inevitably there is death and decay.

Question. 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) Why did Buddha not teach this lesson to Kisa first and asked her to get the mustard seeds?
(b) What comparison does Buddha make between a human being and pottery?
Answer.. (a) Buddha wanted Kisa to make the realisation on her own. She was so beside herself with grief that she would not have heard any wise words of Buddha. Thus, she had to be taught the lesson practically.
(b) Buddha says that a potter moulds articles with clay and tries to make them as durable as possible but one day the clay pot will break, this way even human beings, though sturdily built will have to die one day.

Long Answer Questions :

Question. Describe the journey of Siddhartha Gautam becoming the Buddha.
Answer.Gautam 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.

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

Question. “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 values that Kisa Gotami learnt after the death of her child.
Answer. After the death of her only son, Kisa Gotami went to the Buddha. Firstly, she went to every neighbour, asking for medicine for her dead son. She had lost all her senses. She forgot that no medicine could bring back the dead. Then she went to Buddha for making her son alive. Buddha asked her to bring a handful of mustard seeds from a house where no death had occur. But she couldn’t find such a house. The Buddha made her realise that death is common to all. It also shows the detachment from mundane life. Only grieving cannot bring peace of mind.

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

Question. Life is full of trials and tribulations. Kisa Gotami also passes through a period of grief in her Life. How does she behave in those
circumstances? What Lesson does a reader learn from the story of her Life? Give any two points haw you would Like to act in the midst of adverse circumstances.
Answer. Kisa Gotamfs only son had died. Grief-stricken, she went about asking people for medicine to revive her dead son. At the behest of a man,
she went to the Buddha who said he would cure her son onLy if she could gather some mustard seeds from a house where no death had ever taken place
After knocking severaL doors and being unsuccessful she realised that death was common to all and it could not be avoided. No one can save anyone, so, weeping over a dead soul was fruitless. It was wise to stop grieving and accept the truth. Grieving over what is Lost would only cause more pain and suffering and even then, cannot bring one back to life. Accept Life as it comes, be grateful and Live rt to the fullest with peace of mind and good health.
 

Question. In the story "The Sermon at Benares*. Kisa Gotami runs from house to house in search of a medicine for her dead child.
Imagine yourself as the writer of the story and write an imaginary conversation Kisa Gotami had with a Lady of the house that Kisa went to ask for the medicine.
Answer. Kisa Gotami: (anxiously) Is anybody at home? 
Please help me!
Lady: Oh dead Who are you? And what do you need?
Kisa Gotami: My son is dead—.he is my onLy child. I need a medicine to cure him and bring him back to life. Please help me!
Lady: I am so sorry to hear about your loss.
Lady. I wish I could help you but alas! No one can help you in this. Your son is no more. Please accept this harsh reality and have patience. No
medicine can bring him back, dear.
Kisa Gotami: (crying) Nooooo—he will be alright if someone gives me the medicine to cure him. TelL me if you have else I may ask other people. I don’t have a Lot of time.
Lady: I am sorry. I can't help you. dear!
 

Question. In the story ‘The Sermon at Benares*, a man tells Kisa Gotami to go to Buddha for helping her bring her dead son back to life.
Imagine yourself as the writer of the story and write on imaginary conversation between Kisa Gotami and the man.
Answer. Kisa Gotami: (anxiously) Please help me. My son is not responding. People are saying that he is dead. I don't believe this.
That cannot happen. Give me a medicine to cure him.
Man: Oh dear Lady! ReLox. Calm down. People ore right Your son is really dead and now no medicine can cure him or bring him back to Life.
It is a harsh reality af Life.
Kisa Gotami: (s/ireifcing) Noodoo_.I can't accept it This is not true.
Man: In that cose, only one person can help you. Lord Buddha. He has a cure for everything.
Go to him He might help you, dear!
 

Question. "Buddha wandered aimlessly for seven years in search of enlightenment ’ Comment on how Buddha attained enlightenment. What did his first sermon reflect?
Answer. Siddhartha Gautama wandered oknlessiy for seven years in search of enlightenment Finally one day, he sat under a peepal tree and after meditating for seven days, he attained enlightenment The peepal tree come to known as "Bodhi Tree', the tree of wisdom After achieving enlightenment Siddhartha came to be known as 'Gautama Buddha'. He started giving sermons and spiritual wisdom to peopLe. He gave his first sermon in the city of Benares, to a lady named Kisa GotamL His sermon reflected his wisdom about Life and death.

Question. Describe the journey of Siddhartha Gautama becoming the Buddha.
Answer. 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.

Question. 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?
Answer. 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 Sakyamuni, 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.

Question. What lesson on death and suffering did Buddha teach Gotami in the chapter, ‘The Sermon at Benares’?
Answer. Kisa Gotami was devastated by the death of her only son and wandered door to door, seeking help. Someone directed her to Sakyamuni, the Buddha, who asked her to bring a handful of mustard seeds. This raised a hope in Gotami’s heart that her son could be revived. But the condition imposed by Sakyamuni was that the seeds should be from a house where people had not lost a loved one to death. Kisa Gotami’s futile search made her realize the bitter truth that sorrows are a part and parcel of life and one can attain peace only by acceptance. Buddha says that everything in this world is subject to death. He further says that the world is deeply affected by suffering, disease or pain. Inevitably there is 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.

Question. What does the Buddha make Gotami understand and how?
Answer. When Kisa Gotami came to him looking for a medicine to bring her dead son back to life, Buddha realised that she did not understand the truth about life and death. If he would have lectured her that time she must have not understand the philosophy of life. So, he wished to practically teach her the truth about life the way he himself had learnt it. He sent her looking for mustard seeds from a house where no one had died. On not finding such a house, Gotami realised what Buddha was trying to make her understand. She understood that death is common to all and in her grief she was being selfish in believing that only she had to face such grief. She understood that to obtain peace, one has to accept death as a part of our being.

Question. Life is full of trials and tribulations. Kisa Gotami also passes through a period of grief in her life. How does she behave in those circumstances? What lesson does a reader learn from the story of her life? Give any two points how you would like to act in the midst of adverse circumstances.
Answer. Kisa Gotami’s only son had died. Grief-stricken, she went about asking people for medicine to revive her dead son. At the behest of a man, she went to the Buddha who said he would cure her son only if she could gather some mustard seeds from a house where no death had ever occurred. After knocking several door and being unsuccessful, she realised that death was common to all and it could not be avoided. No one can save anyone, so, weeping over a dead soul was fruitless. It was wise to stop grieving and accept the truth. Grieving over what is lost would only cause pain and suffering and doing that too, cannot bring one back to life. Accept life as it comes, be grateful and live it to the fullest with peace of mind and good health.

Question. How did Buddha make Kisa Gotami realise about the reality of death ?
Answer. When Kisa’s only son had died, she went to Buddha. Being plunged into deep grief, first she went to every neighbour, asking for medicine for her dead son. She had lost all her senses and forgot that no medicine could bring back the dead. Then she went to Buddha for requesting to make his son alive. Buddha asked her to bring some mustard seeds from a house where no death had occurred. But she couldn’t find such a house. Buddha made her realise that death is common to all. So in the midst of adverse circumstances, we should not lament. 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 sorrows will become free from sorrows, and be blessed.

Question. “Not from weeping nor from grieving will any one obtain peace of mind; on the contrary, his pain will be greater and his body will suffer. He will make himself sick and pale, yet the dead are not saved by his lamentation.”
(a) How can one obtain peace at the death of a loved one according to Buddha?
(b) What is the meaning of the word: Lamentation?
Answer. (a) One can obtain peace at the death of a loved being by realising the ultimate truth, that death was inevitable. It will come in some form. Thus, we must make our peace with it and avoid constant weeping and suffering.
(b) Lamentation means to grieve for someone.

Question. 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.
(a) Why did Kisa Gotami become weary and hopeless?
(b) What did she realise at this point?
Answer. (a) Buddha has told Kisa to bring mustard seeds from a home where no death had occurred. She could not find any such household. Thus, by evening, she became hopeless and dejected, knowing that the quest was futile.
(b) Kisa was aggrieved at the loss of her son whose corpse she had taken to Buddha to revive. She realised finally that death was a natural progression of life and that it affects each human being.

Question. How can one attain peace? Does the lesson teach you something? Explain in your own words the theme of the lesson.
Answer. One can attain peace by renunciation, i.e., by giving up all material gains. Too much affinity to material gains brings grief, one cannot even sleep, pondering over how to attain one’s material gains like amassing one’s fortune, conquering countries, enriching one’s property. One who can overcome one’s greed, grief and lust can obtain peace of mind. This lesson, taught us Buddha’s Sermon. The sermon teaches us that we all are mortals, so we will die one day. We should not grieve, nor should we crave for material gains. Surrender of our selfishness, lust and grief leads us to the path of immortality. Life is short, men are mortal and everything is transitory. So, we should be free from sorrow. Path to enlightenment is to surrender all material gains and draw out the arrow of lamentation, complaints and grief from one’s chest.