‘रचना-प्रयोग’ का मुख्य उद्देश्य क्या है?

व्याकरण का व्यावहारिक प्रयोग सिखाना

‘द्वितीयः’ किस प्रकार की संख्या है?

क्रमवाचक (दूसरा)

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.

The Sermon at Benares

Class 10 English · First Flight · Chapter 8

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The story in short

Written by Betty Renshaw, this chapter retells the story of Gautama Buddha and one of his most profound teachings on death and suffering. Born a prince named Siddhartha Gautama, he was shielded from all sorrow, but the sight of a sick man, an old man, a funeral procession and a monk led him to leave his royal life in search of enlightenment, which he attained after years of seeking and meditation. The chapter focuses on the story of Kisa Gotami, a grief-stricken mother whose only son has died. She goes from house to house begging for medicine to revive him, until the Buddha asks her to bring a handful of mustard seed from a house where no one has ever died. She searches in vain, for death has visited every home, and slowly understands that death is common to all and that grief cannot be escaped. The sermon teaches that those who accept the inevitability of death overcome sorrow and find peace.

The story in 6 beats

1Gautama Buddha is born a prince, sees sickness, old age, and death, and leaves home to seek truth.
2After many years, he gains wisdom under a tree and begins teaching people about suffering and peace.
3At Benares, a woman named Kisa Gotami brings her dead son and begs the Buddha to save him.
4The Buddha asks her for a mustard seed from a house where no one has ever died.
5Kisa Gotami goes from house to house but finds that death has touched every family.
6She accepts the truth of death, leaves her son, and learns the Buddha's lesson about human sorrow.

The life of the BuddhaThe story of Kisa GotamiDeath as a universal truthOvercoming grief and sufferingWisdom and acceptance

Characters & key ideas

Gautama BuddhaThe prince Siddhartha who attained enlightenment and taught about suffering.

Kisa GotamiA grieving mother who learns that death comes to all.

Mustard seedThe symbol the Buddha uses to teach that death is universal.

SufferingThe central reality the Buddha sought to understand and ease.

EnlightenmentThe deep understanding the Buddha attained after long search.

ImpermanenceThe truth that life and all things must end.

Word meanings · शब्दार्थ

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 (board-style)

BEFORE YOU READ

Thinking about the Text

Thinking about Language

Speaking

Writing

For Anne Gregory

Thinking about the Poem

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What was the original name of Gautama Buddha?

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The Sermon at Benares

Visual story

158 members in the CBSE community

The story in short

The story in 6 beats

Characters & key ideas

Word meanings · शब्दार्थ

Extra questions & answers (board-style)

BEFORE YOU READ

Thinking about the Text

Thinking about Language

Speaking

Writing

For Anne Gregory

Thinking about the Poem

Practice quiz · The Sermon at Benares

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