The Sermon at Benares — Class 10 English
First Flight · Chapter 8
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Chapter summary
The story in steps
- Gautama Buddha is born a prince, sees sickness, old age, and death, and leaves home to seek truth.
- After many years, he gains wisdom under a tree and begins teaching people about suffering and peace.
- At Benares, a woman named Kisa Gotami brings her dead son and begs the Buddha to save him.
- The Buddha asks her for a mustard seed from a house where no one has ever died.
- Kisa Gotami goes from house to house but finds that death has touched every family.
- She accepts the truth of death, leaves her son, and learns the Buddha's lesson about human sorrow.
Key ideas & terms
- Gautama Buddha
- The prince Siddhartha who attained enlightenment and taught about suffering.
- Kisa Gotami
- A grieving mother who learns that death comes to all.
- Mustard seed
- The symbol the Buddha uses to teach that death is universal.
- Suffering
- The central reality the Buddha sought to understand and ease.
- Enlightenment
- The deep understanding the Buddha attained after long search.
- Impermanence
- The truth that life and all things must end.
शब्दार्थ · Word meanings
- hermit
- a person living alone for prayer
- grief
- deep sorrow
- sorrowing
- feeling great sadness
- Mustard-seed
- a small seed used as spice
- mortal
- human being who must die
- lamentation
- loud expression of grief
- unfaltering
- steady and not weakening
- transient
- lasting for a short time
- inevitable
- certain to happen
- aright
- correctly
Extra questions & answers
Why did Kisa Gotami go from house to house?
Her only son had died, and in her grief she sought medicine to bring him back to life, going door to door for help.
What did the Buddha ask Kisa Gotami to bring, and why?
A handful of mustard seed from a house where no one had ever died, to make her realise through her own search that death is common to all.
What did Kisa Gotami learn from her search?
She found that death had touched every household, and she understood that death is inevitable and that grief cannot be escaped by anyone.
What is the main teaching of the sermon at Benares?
That death and suffering are universal and inevitable, and that those who accept this truth overcome sorrow and attain peace.
What four sights led Siddhartha to renounce his royal life?
A sick man, an aged man, a dead body being carried for cremation, and a wandering monk; these sights of suffering moved him to seek the cause and end of sorrow.
How did Kisa Gotami react to her son’s death at first?
Maddened by grief, she refused to accept that he was dead and carried him from house to house, begging for medicine to bring him back to life.
Where was Kisa Gotami sent for help, and what was she asked to do?
She was sent to the Buddha, who asked her to bring a handful of mustard seed from a house where no one had ever died.
What did Kisa Gotami realise during her search?
She found that every household had lost someone to death; she understood that death is common to all and that she was not alone in her sorrow.
What truth about mortal life does the Buddha teach?
That all living beings must die; the life of mortals is troubled, brief and bound up with pain, and weeping cannot bring back the dead.
According to the sermon, how does one overcome sorrow?
By understanding and accepting the inevitability of death, one draws out the “arrow” of grief and lamentation and attains calm and peace of mind.
BEFORE YOU READ
1. What is a sermon? Is it different from a lecture or a talk? Can this word also be used in a negative way or as a joke (as in “my mother’s sermon about getting my work done on time…”)?
A sermon is a speech that gives religious or moral instruction. Unlike an ordinary lecture or talk, it usually aims to guide people’s beliefs or conduct. The word can also be used humorously or negatively for a long, unwanted piece of advice or criticism.
2. Find out the meanings of the words and phrases given in the box.
afflicted with be composed desolation
lamentation procure be subject to
“Afflicted with” means suffering from something painful; “be composed” means remain calm and self-controlled; “desolation” means a state of deep sorrow, loneliness or ruin; “lamentation” means an expression of grief; “procure” means obtain; and “be subject to” means be likely or required to experience something.
3. Have you heard of the Sermon on the Mount? Who delivered it? Who do you think delivered a sermon at Benares?
The Sermon on the Mount is a well-known collection of teachings delivered by Jesus Christ. The sermon at Benares was delivered by Gautama Buddha.
Thinking about the Text
1. When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house. What does she ask for? Does she get it? Why not?
Kisa Gotami asks her neighbours for medicine that can bring her dead son back to life. She does not get such medicine because her son is dead and no medicine can restore him to life. Her neighbours realise this, although she is too overcome by grief to accept it.
2. Kisa Gotami again goes from house to house after she speaks with the Buddha. What does she ask for, the second time around? Does she get it? Why not?
The second time, Kisa Gotami asks for a handful of mustard-seed from a household in which no child, husband, parent or friend has ever died. Although people readily offer mustard-seed, she cannot obtain seed that meets the Buddha’s condition because every household has experienced the death of someone dear.
3. 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?
She understands that death is universal and that her suffering is not hers alone. Every family loses loved ones, and no living person can escape death. This is exactly what the Buddha wanted her to discover through her own experience.
4. Why do you think Kisa Gotami understood this only the second time? In what way did the Buddha change her understanding?
At first, grief had overwhelmed Kisa Gotami, so she could think only about saving her own child. The Buddha did not simply lecture her. He gave her a task that made her visit many homes and hear about other people’s losses. This direct experience changed her private grief into an understanding of the common fate of all human beings.
5. How do you usually understand the idea of ‘selfishness’? Do you agree with Kisa Gotami that she was being ‘selfish in her grief ’?
Selfishness usually means caring only about one’s own needs or suffering while ignoring others. Kisa Gotami was not selfish in a cruel or deliberate way; she was a grieving mother whose pain prevented her from seeing that death affects everyone. Her description of herself as selfish shows that she has moved beyond her personal sorrow and recognised the shared suffering of humanity.
Thinking about Language
I. This text is written in an old-fashioned style, for it reports an incident more than two millennia old. Look for the following words and phrases in the text, and try to rephrase them in more current language, based on how you understand them.
• give thee medicine for thy child
• Pray tell me
• Kisa repaired to the Buddha
• there was no house but someone had died in it
• kinsmen
• Mark!
• give you medicine for your child
• Please tell me
• Kisa went to the Buddha
• there was no house in which someone had not died
• relatives or family members
• Notice! or Pay attention!
II. You know that we can combine sentences using words like and, or, but, yet and then. But sometimes no such word seems appropriate. In such a case we can use a semicolon (;) or a dash (—) to combine two clauses.
She has no interest in music; I doubt she will become a singer like her mother.
The second clause here gives the speaker’s opinion on the first clause.
Here is a sentence from the text that uses semicolons to combine clauses. Break up the sentence into three simple sentences. Can you then say which has a better rhythm when you read it, the single sentence using semicolons, or the three simple sentences?
For there is not any means by which those who have been born can avoid dying; after reaching old age there is death; of such a nature are living beings.
There is no means by which those who have been born can avoid dying. After reaching old age, there is death. Living beings are of such a nature. The original single sentence has a better rhythm because the semicolons connect the related thoughts into one steady and solemn statement. The three simple sentences are clearer individually, but they sound more broken and less flowing.
Speaking
The Buddha’s sermon is over 2500 years old. Given below are two recent texts on the topic of grief. Read the texts, comparing them with each other and with the Buddha’s sermon. Do you think the Buddha’s ideas and way of teaching continue to hold meaning for us? Or have we found better ways to deal with grief? Discuss this in groups or in class.
The Buddha’s teaching remains meaningful because it helps people recognise that death and loss are universal and that endless lamentation cannot restore the dead. His method is especially powerful because Kisa Gotami discovers the truth through experience rather than being forced to accept a lecture. The first recent text adds practical guidance by explaining that grief may appear as sadness, anger, guilt, anxiety, loneliness, fatigue or disbelief, and that grieving people need patience and support. “Good Grief” stresses that there is no single correct order or form of mourning and that people may find consolation by caring for one another. Modern approaches therefore do not replace the Buddha’s wisdom; they extend it by recognising different emotional responses and offering companionship and practical help. Together, the texts suggest that acceptance, patience, mutual care and freedom from rigid expectations can help people live through grief.
Writing
Write a page (about three paragraphs) on one of the following topics. You can think about the ideas in the text that are relevant to these topics, and add your own ideas and experiences to them.
The following responses develop each of the three suggested topics in about three short paragraphs.
1. Teaching someone to understand a new or difficult idea
A difficult idea is not always understood when it is explained directly. A learner may hear the correct words but still fail to connect them with real life. A good teacher therefore begins with what the learner already knows and uses clear examples, questions and activities.
The Buddha teaches Kisa Gotami in this way. Instead of simply telling her that death is universal, he asks her to bring mustard-seed from a home untouched by death. As she visits house after house, she discovers that every family has lost someone. The task turns an abstract truth into a personal understanding.
Teaching difficult ideas requires patience and sympathy. The teacher should not humiliate the learner for being confused. By giving suitable examples, allowing questions and encouraging discovery, a teacher can help knowledge become meaningful and lasting.
2. Helping each other to get over difficult times
Difficult times can make a person feel lonely, helpless and separated from ordinary life. Friends and family may not be able to remove the problem, but their presence can make the burden easier to bear. Listening patiently is often more helpful than giving quick advice.
The texts about grief show that people react to loss in different ways. Some wish to talk, while others need silence or time. We should respect these differences, remain available and help with practical needs. A call, a visit, a shared meal or assistance with daily work can show genuine care.
Supporting one another also gives suffering a sense of human connection. We cannot always answer why a painful event occurred, but we can decide what we will do for those affected. Kindness, patience and steady companionship help people regain courage and gradually return to life.
3. Thinking about oneself as unique, or as one among billions of others
Every person is unique. Each of us has a particular appearance, personality, set of memories and way of thinking. Recognising this uniqueness gives us self-respect and encourages us to develop our abilities rather than imitate everyone else.
At the same time, each person is one among billions of human beings. We share basic needs, emotions and experiences such as love, hope, fear, illness, ageing and loss. Kisa Gotami’s journey teaches her that her grief, although deeply personal, is part of the suffering known by countless families.
A balanced view is therefore necessary. We should value our individuality without imagining that the world revolves around us. Seeing ourselves as both unique and connected to humanity can make us confident, humble and compassionate toward others.
For Anne Gregory
This poem is a conversation between a young man and a young woman. What are they arguing about?
They are arguing about whether a person can be loved for who they truly are rather than for physical beauty. The young man claims that young men are attracted to Anne’s yellow hair, while Anne believes that changing its colour could make them love her inner self. He finally says that, according to an old religious man, only God can love a person completely for the self alone.
Thinking about the Poem
1. What does the young man mean by “great honey-coloured /Ramparts at your ear?” Why does he say that young men are “thrown into despair” by them?
The “great honey-coloured /Ramparts” are Anne Gregory’s thick yellow hair surrounding her ears like the high walls of a fort. The young man says that her beautiful hair strongly attracts young men. They are “thrown into despair” because they become helplessly fascinated by her outward beauty and cannot look beyond it to love her inner self alone.
2. What colour is the young woman’s hair? What does she say she can change it to? Why would she want to do so?
The young woman’s hair is yellow or honey-coloured. She says that she can dye it brown, black or carrot-coloured. She wants to change it to test whether young men can stop being attracted merely by her yellow hair and love her for her true self.
3. Objects have qualities which make them desirable to others. Can you think of some objects (a car, a phone, a dress…) and say what qualities make one object more desirable than another? Imagine you were trying to sell an object: what qualities would you emphasise?
A phone may be more desirable because it has a reliable battery, a clear camera, enough storage, strong construction and useful software. A car may be valued for safety, fuel efficiency, comfort and dependable performance, while a dress may be chosen for its fit, fabric, durability and design. If I were selling a phone, I would emphasise its long battery life, ease of use, good camera, dependable performance, warranty and value for money rather than praising only its appearance.
4. What about people? Do we love others because we like their qualities, whether physical or mental? Or is it possible to love someone “for themselves alone”? Are some people ‘more lovable’ than others? Discuss this question in pairs or in groups, considering points like the following.
(i) a parent or caregiver’s love for a newborn baby, for a mentally or physically challenged child, for a clever child or a prodigy
(ii) the public’s love for a film star, a sportsperson, a politician, or a social worker
(iii) your love for a friend, or brother or sister
(iv) your love for a pet, and the pet’s love for you.
People are often first drawn to qualities such as kindness, intelligence, courage, humour or physical appearance, but deep love is not merely a reward for possessing desirable traits. A parent or caregiver may love children equally despite great differences in health or ability. Public admiration for a celebrity or leader, however, is often based mainly on talent, achievement, image or service and may change when those qualities or reputations change. Love between friends or siblings usually grows from shared experiences, trust and acceptance, while affection between people and pets is expressed through care, loyalty and companionship. Some people may seem easier to like because of their behaviour, but every person deserves dignity and care. Loving someone “for themselves alone” means accepting the whole person rather than valuing them only for beauty, success, wealth or usefulness.
5. You have perhaps concluded that people are not objects to be valued for their qualities or riches rather than for themselves. But elsewhere Yeats asks the question: How can we separate the dancer from the dance? Is it possible to separate ‘the person himself or herself’ from how the person looks, sounds, walks, and so on? Think of how you or a friend or member of your family has changed over the years. Has your relationship also changed? In what way?
A person cannot be separated completely from appearance, voice, movement, habits and actions because these are ways in which personality is expressed. Yet none of these features alone represents the whole person. Appearance and behaviour may change with age and experience, while memories, values and relationships create a deeper sense of identity. For example, as a younger family member grows older, becomes more independent and develops new opinions, the relationship may change from one based mainly on protection to one based on conversation, trust and mutual respect. The form of the relationship changes, but affection may remain and even deepen because it adapts to the person’s growth.