The Sermon at Benares English class 10 in English Medium ncert book solutions NCERT Textbook Questions & Answers

Chapter 8. The Sermon at Benares

This section contains the NCERT textbook questions and answers based on The Sermon at Benares. The answers are written in simple, accurate, and exam-oriented language according to the latest CBSE syllabus.

NCERT Textbook Questions & Answers

The following questions are based on The Sermon at Benares. Read them carefully to understand the teachings of Gautama Buddha and the important lesson about life and death. 

Thinking About the Text

Question 1. When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house. What does she ask for? Does she get it? Why not?

Answer:

After the death of her only son, Kisa Gotami goes from one house to another asking for medicine that could bring her son back to life. She does not get such a medicine because no medicine can restore a dead person to life. People realise that she is overwhelmed with grief and cannot accept the reality of death. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

Question 2. Kisa Gotami again goes from house to house after she speaks with the Buddha. What does she ask for this time? Does she get it? Why not?

Answer:

This time, Kisa Gotami asks for a handful of mustard seeds from a house where no one has ever died. Although every family is willing to give her mustard seeds, she cannot find a single house untouched by death. She finally understands that death is a universal truth and every family experiences loss. 

Question 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?

Answer:

The second time, Kisa Gotami understands that death is inevitable and no family can escape it. She realises that grief and attachment cannot change the truth of life. Yes, this is exactly what Gautama Buddha wanted her to understand. He wanted her to accept reality instead of remaining trapped in sorrow. 

Question 4. Why do you think Kisa Gotami understood this only the second time? In what way did the Buddha change her understanding?

Answer:

At first, Kisa Gotami was blinded by the sorrow of losing her only son. Her grief prevented her from thinking calmly. Instead of directly advising her, the Buddha gave her a practical task of finding mustard seeds from a house where no one had died. As she visited many homes, she realised that every family had experienced death. This personal experience helped her accept the truth more deeply than any simple explanation could have done. 

Question 5. How do you usually understand the idea of 'selfishness'? Do you agree with Kisa Gotami that she was being 'selfish in her grief'?

Answer:

Selfishness means thinking only about one's own feelings or interests without considering others. Yes, Kisa Gotami was selfish in her grief because she believed that only she had suffered such a great loss. After meeting many families, she realised that every person experiences sorrow and death. This understanding made her accept reality with wisdom and compassion. 

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