CBSE Class 10 English The Sermon at Benares Worksheet Set C

Reference to Context

“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.

Question. Who is the speaker in the above lines?
(a) Buddha
(b) Kisa Gotami
(c) one of the people from whom Kisa asked for mustard seeds
(d) none of these
Answer: (c)

Question. Choose the option that lists the set of statements that are NOT TRUE according to the given extract.
1. The living population is very few.
2. The living population has increased manifold.
3. The dead should be remembered often.
4. The dead are less in number.
5. There was no house where no one had died.
6. The dead should not be reminded of.
7. Many people keep dying and returning back to life.
(a) 2, 3, 4
(b) 5, 6, 7
(c) 3, 5, 7
(d) 1, 5, 6
Answer: (a)

Question. Pick the option that correctly classifies fact/s(F) and myth/s (M) of the students below.
Student 1: The living people are more in number.
Student 2: The dead people are more in number.
Student 3: Beloved people who had died should be remembered often.
Student 4: There cannot be a house where no one had died.
(a) F – 1, 4 and M – 2, 3
(b) F – 3, 4 and M – 1, 2
(c) F – 1, 3 and M – 2, 4
(d) F – 1 and M – 3
Answer: (c)

Question. Buddha said that _________ leads to more pain and sickness.
(a) speaking
(b) reminding
(c) lamentation
(d) anger
Answer: (c)

Question. What is the ‘deepest grief’?
(a) a lost thing
(b) a dead person
(c) a lost house
(d) a lost jewellery
Answer: (b)

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.” 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.

Question. Why was Kisa Gotami sad?
(a) Because she had nowhere to live
(b) Because her only son had died
(c) Because she had nothing to eat
(d) Because her son was sick
Answer: (b)

Question. What did she realize after going house-to-house asking for mustard seeds?
(a) she realized death is common to all and she shouldn’t be selfish
(b) she realized no one wants to save her son
(c) she learnt that no one liked her
(d) None of these
Answer: (a)

Question. What did Buddha want Kisa Gotami to understand?
(a) That her son is still alive and she doesn’t need to grieve
(b) That everyone else is selfish and does not want to help her
(c) That no one can avoid death and the wise accept this truth of life
(d) Anyone can overcome death by fighting for it
Answer: (c)

Question. Which word from the extract means the same as ‘bleakness’?
(a) immortality
(b) desolation
(c) surrendered
(d) selfishness
Answer: (b)

Question. What effect does the weeping or grieving have on us?
(a) It makes us feel better about it later
(b) It makes us believe in immortality
(c) It makes our pain greater than before
(d) None of these
Answer: (c)

He wandered for seven years and finally sat down under a peepal tree, where he vowed to stay until enlightenment came. Enlightened after seven days, he renamed the tree the Bodhi Tree (Tree of Wisdom) and began to teach and to share his new understandings.

Question. Who is ‘He’ here? Why did ‘he’ wander for seven years?
Answer: He is Siddhartha Gautama, a prince of a large kingdom in North India. Once on a hunt, he came across the harsher truths of life, sickness, old age and death. Disillusioned with his luxurious life, he left his kingdom and wandered for seven years to find the meaning of life.

Question. After the enlightenment, what did he come to be known as?
Answer: Once he sat under the Bodhi tree, he remained there till he found enlightenment. Once he understood the true meaning of life, he began preaching to people and came to be called Buddha.

Question. Why did Kisa Gotami become weary and hopeless?
Answer: 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.

Question. What did she realise at this point?
Answer: 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. Why did Buddha not teach this lesson to Kisa first and asked her to get the mustard seeds?
Answer: 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.

Question. What comparison does Buddha make between a human being and pottery?
Answer: 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.

Question. How can one obtain peace at the death of a loved one according to Buddha?
Answer: 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.

Question. What is the meaning of the word: Lamentation?
Answer: Lamentation means to grieve for someone.

Short Answers Type Questions (30-40 words)

Question. What was Gautam Buddha’s life before he became Buddha?
Answer: Buddha was a prince named Siddhartha Gautama, in northern India. At the age of twelve, he was sent away for being schooled 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.

Question. Who according to Buddha will obtain peace?
Answer: According to Buddha, he who seeks peace should draw out the arrow of lamentation, complaint and grief from his chest. He, who has drawn out the arrow and has become composed, will obtain peace of mind.

Question. How does Kisa compare the city lights to the fate of men?
Answer: Kisa considered the fate of men like the city lights that flicker up in the evening and are extinguished again. Similarly, the lives of men also flicker and then are extinguished.

Question. Why did the Buddha choose Benares to preach his first sermon?
Answer: Benares is the most holy destination along the River Ganges, which is usually crowded with pilgrims who come to get a dip, thus, getting rid of their sorrows and sufferings. Buddha’s aim was to lessen the suffering of human so, he chose Benares to preach his first sermon.

Question. What made Gautama Buddha seek enlightenment?
Answer: At the age of twenty-five, Gautama Buddha went out for hunting. Till then he had been shielded from the sufferings of the world. While out for hunt, he saw a sick man, an aged man and a funeral procession. Finally, he saw a monk begging for alms. The suffering of these people made him seek enlightenment in the outer world.

Question. What did Gautama Buddha do after he became a beggar?
Answer: He felt sick and worthless due to the suffering the world was going through. He went out into the world to seek enlightenment which was concerned with the sorrows of the world. He wandered for seven years. Finally, he sat down under a fig tree. He vowed to stay under the tree until enlightenment came. He got it after seven days. He renamed it the Bodhi Tree (Tree of Wisdom).

Question. Why did Kisa Gotami come to Gautama Buddha?
Answer: Kisa Gotami’s only son had died. She was a simple-hearted woman. She didn’t understand anything about life and death. So she took her dead child to her neighbours for medicines to bring him back from death. A man told her to go to Gautama the Buddha. He said that Buddha would do something to revive her dead child.

Question. What is the fate of living beings as per Gautama Buddha?
Answer: The fate of living beings as per Gautama Buddha is pre-decided and inevitable. It is that the living beings are to die after reaching a certain age. In fact, everyone has to die some day or the other. This is the real life cycle. Those who are born have to die one day. As all earthen vessels made by the potter break, so does the life of mortals end when they reach a certain age and fulfill their purpose of life.

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. 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. 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. How did Kisa Gotami realise that life and death is a normal process? (2019 Delhi)
Answer: Kisa Gotami was devastated by the death of her only son. When, Buddha asked her to bring a handful of mustard seeds from a house where people had not lost aloved one to death, her futile search for such a house made her realise the bitter truth that everything in this world is subject to death. She eventually realised that life and death is a normal process and is common to all.

Long Answers Type Questions 

Question. What lesson did Kisa Gotami learn the second time that she had failed to learn the first time? [CBSE OD, Set 1, 2020]
Answer: The poet wants to regain the qualities of animals as in, animals are natural and do not adapt to material goods like human beings do. This natural aspect of animals has helped them maintain their values. Humans, in order to possess more and more, have forgotten their kindness and innocence.
Animals do not complain about their situation, they are considered to be happier than humans. Animals live in natural surroundings, they accept their natural lives. Humans, on the other hand, have never accepted nature, i.e., they complain about it and try to change it, leading to an unhappy life.
Animals are free from any possession and are also free from sins, worries and complaints.
The poet desires to imbibe these selfless and natural qualities of animals.

Question. “Personal losses are a part of life. Instead of wailing on them, we should move on in life.” This message of Gautama Buddha has become more relevant in modern times. What do you think? Comment.
Answer: Every one of us has had our fair share of personal loses in our lives. But like Gautama Buddha said, ‘Instead of wailing on them, we should move on in life’ It is such a good advice that we must all learn to abide by it. It is always hard when you lose your loved ones but there’s nothing we can do. Humans are mortal and we have to face this reality sooner or later. Most people cling on to their dearly beloved of the past, even long after they are gone. This is more common nowadays and it leads to depression which is a serious mental health issue. This may lead to the worst as well i.e., death. Though it is easier said than done, we all must move on in life. I think the advice is appropriate.

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. What lesson on death and suffering did the Buddha teach Gotami in the chapter, “The Sermon at Benares’? (2018)
Answer: In his Sermon at Benares, Buddha taught Gotami that the life of mortals is brief, troubled and combined with pain. Death is common for all, it cannot be avoided. He compares human life to ripe fruits that eventually decay or as earthen vessels that breaks someday. Neither a father nor his kinsmen can save anyone. Weeping or grieving cannot bring back the dead to life nor bring peace of mind but can only cause pain and suffering to the grieving body. One should accept death without lamentation, complaint and overcome sorrow and grief thus bringing peace of mind, which is a blessing.

Question. Through ‘The Sermon at Benares’, the Buddha preached that death is inevitable and we need to overcome the suffering and pain that follows. Based on your reading of the lesson, write how one should cope with the death of a loved one.
Answer: Everything we need to achieve has to undergo pain and suffering. We must let go of grief, sorrow and even the fear of death to step out into the world to achieve something. World is afflicted with death and decay, nothing is spared and no one can avoid it. If we fear or grieve over the death of our loved one, it will not lessen our sorrow nor will the person come back to life, in fact, we will end up spoiling our own health and losing our peace of mind. Surrendering selfishness and leading a virtuous life is the safest option.

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 value that Kisa Gotami learnt after the death of her child.
Answer: Kisa Gotami learnt that death and suffering are the part and parcel of life. Nothing is everlasting and one has to accept this truth in the hour of grief. In order to detach themselves from the worldly life and the farsightedness to gain peace of mind, one must remain calm and composed. Weeping and grieving does not bring peace of mind but only pain, which affects the body. People who are wise, never complaint or lament over their loss. They accept the truth and are blessed with it. So, the wisdom lies in the fact that people should not get distressed with pain, suffering or death.

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. The sight of a sick man, an aged man, a funeral procession and a monk made Siddhartha leave his home and go out in search of enlightenment. What lesson about life do you learn from this episode?
Answer: Siddhartha lived a life full of luxuries till the age of twenty-five. Once when he went outside to hunt, he saw a sick man, an aged man, a funeral procession and finally, a monk begging for alms. The sight moved Siddhartha so much that he left the home and went in search of enlightenment. The incident revealed an inevitable truth i.e., life is short. Beauty, riches, comforts, etc., are all transitory and will vanish one day. If we all understand this fact and work towards making our life valuable for others, there would be no fight, grudges and pain. When somebody does wrong, he/she forgets that one day they are going to be punished for their wrong deeds. In our trouble, we should have faith in God to struggle in life and wait for good times to come.

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.

Question. What truth of life does Gautama, the Buddha give out in his first sermon? What moral teaching does he preach about the truths or sufferings of life?
Answer: Buddha said in his first sermon that human life is brief. It is troubled and painful. There is no means by which one can avoid dying. Both young and adult, fools or wise fall prey to death.
One will not be able to obtain peace of mind from weeping or grieving. On the contrary, his pain will increase and his body will suffer. One who seeks peace of mind shall find it only if he overcomes all sorrows. The wise know the truth of life which says that those who are born are to die one day. So one shouldn’t grieve on deaths.

Question. Why did Gotami go to the Buddha? What lesson did he teach her? 
Answer: Kisa Gotami was a young woman who belonged to a wealthy family. She was married to a merchant. When her one-year old child fell ill and died, she was grief-stricken and couldn’t bear his death. She took her dead child in her arms and went door to door begging everyone to tell the way to get her child back to life. Nobody helped her and instead thought her to be crazy but she didn’t give up. Then she came across a Buddhist who suggested her to meet Buddha as only he could help him. That’s why Gotami went to Buddha.
Buddha taught her the lesson of life and truth. When she told Buddha the whole story, he listened to it with patience and asked her to collect mustard seeds from house where no one had ever died. She went from house to house but she couldn’t find a signle house where no one had ever died. Ultimately, she understood what Buddha had been trying to explain her that suffering is inevitable and in this way, she realised that death is the ultimate truth and one has to meet his destined end one day, no one can avoid it. So, she took her child away and became Buddha’s follower.

Archive Questions

Question. Why did Kisa Gotami go from house to house?
Answer: Kisa Gotami went from house to house to collect mustard seeds from a home where no one had ever died, as per the Buddha's condition to revive her dead son.

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 grief, she took the dead child to all her neighbors, asking them for medicine to bring him back to life.

Question. What did the Buddha want Kisa Gotami to understand?
Answer: The Buddha wanted Kisa Gotami to understand that death is inevitable and universal. By sending her to find mustard seeds from a house where no one had died, he led her to the realization that everyone has lost loved ones and death is common to all mortals.

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 man, then a funeral procession and finally a monk begging for alms.

Question. Name the Prince.
Answer: Siddhartha Gautama

Question. What are the sights of sufferings that the Prince saw?
Answer: A sick man, an aged man, a funeral procession, and a monk begging for alms.

Question. Give the meaning of the word ‘shielded’.
Answer: Protected or kept safe from something.

Mark ! while relatives are looking on and lamenting deeply, one by one mortals 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.

Question. What is the fate of mortals?
Answer: To die and be carried off one by one, as death is inevitable for all living beings.

Question. Why do the wise not grieve?
Answer: The wise do not grieve because they understand the nature of the world and that death and decay are unavoidable.

Question. Write the meaning of the word, ‘lamenting’.
Answer: Expressing deep grief or sorrow.

Question. Through ‘The Sermon at Benaras’, the Buddha preached that death is inevitable and we need to overcome the suffering and pain that follows. Based on your reading of the lession, write how one should cope with the death of a loved one.
Answer: One should cope with the death of a loved one by accepting the reality that death is a natural part of life. Buddha teaches that grieving and weeping only increase pain and affect physical health without saving the dead. One must strive to overcome selfishness and lamentation to achieve peace of mind and serenity.