Gujarat Board GSEB Class 10 English Textbook Solutions First Flight Chapter 10 The Sermon at Benares Textbook Exercise Important Questions and Answers, Notes Pdf.

Gujarat Board Textbook Solutions Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 10 The Sermon at Benares

GSEB Class 10 English The Sermon at Benares Text Book Questions and Answers

Oral Comprehension Check (Textbook Page No. 106)
Thinking about the Ttext

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 was overcome with grief. She carried the dead body of her son in her arms and went from door to door asking for medicine to cure her child, but nobody could provide any medicine. For there is no such medicine available which can bring a dead person back to life.

Question 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 ?
Answer:
Gautama Buddha asks Kisa to bring a handful of mustard seeds from a house where death had never knocked at the door. Kisa Gotami went from door to door, but couldn’t find a single house where death had not taken a beloved away. She could not get it as death is inevitable and anyone who is born is bound to die one day.

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:
After failing to procure a handful of mustard seeds from a house where death had never knocked at the door, she sat down by the roadside feeling helpless. She saw the lights of the city that flickered and were extinguished. At last, it was darkness everywhere.

She realised that death was common to all and she was being selfish in her grief. Yes, this is what Buddha wanted her to understand, that, everyone who is born has to die one day.

Question 4.
Why do you think Kisa Gotami understood this only the second time ? In what way did the Buddha change her understanding ?
OR
How did Buddha convey to Kisa the truth of life and death ? (March 20)
Answer:
First time Kisa was full of grief that she could not get a handful of mustard seeds from any house where death had never taken place. But when she went from door to door the second time, she understood that everyone was dealing with the loss of a beloved one. There was not a single house in- -the town, where death had not taken a father, a mother, a sister, a brother, a son or a daughter. Everyone, at some point or the other, have experienced . the death of their loved ones. Gautama Buddha helped her to understand all this, as he told her to bring a handful of mustard seeds from a house where death had never knocked at the door. This way she got aware that death is common to all human beings.

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:
A selfish person is one who only thinks about himself or herself, and to some extent Kisa Gotami was being selfish because we are humans and it is natural for us to die. We do not easily accept the death of our loved ones. Same has happened with Kisa Gotami. As it was her only child, she did not want him to die and finally went to Buddha to ask for help.

Thinking about Language

Question 1.
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.
(1) Give thee medicine for thy child
(2) Pray tell me
(3) Kisa repaired to the Buddha
(4) There was no house but someone had died in it
(5) Kinsmen
(6) Mark!
Answer:
(1) Give you medicine for your child
(2 ) Please tell me
(3) Kisa went to the Buddha
(4) There was no house where no one had died
(5) Relatives
(6) Listen

Question 2.
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.
Answer:
The single sentence using semicolons has a better rhythm. This is because the three parts of the sentence are connected to each other in their meanings. The second clause gives further information on the ‘ first clause. The third clause is directly related to both the first and the second. Their meanings are better conveyed when they are joined by semicolons.

GSEB Class 10 English The Sermon at Benares Additional Important Questions and Answers

Read the following passages and select the most appropriate answers for the questions given below them:

Question 1.
At about the age of twenty-five, the Prince, heretofore shielded from the 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. These sights so moved him that he at once went out into the world to seek enlightenment concerning the sorrows he had witnessed. 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 s share his new understandings. At that point he became known as the Buddha (the Awakened ? or the Enlightened). The Buddha preached his first sermon at the city of Benares, most holy s of the dipping places on the River Ganges; that sermon has been preserved and is given here. It reflects the Buddha’s wisdom about one inscrutable kind of suffering.

1. The meaning of the word ‘heretofore’ in the extract means ……….. ?
A. ‘before’
B. ‘previously’
C. ‘earlier’
D. All these three
Answer:
D. All these three

2. Gautama Buddha became an ascetic ……………..
A. to show that he had lost his interest in his s royal life.
B. to seek enlightenment concerning the sorrows he had witnessed.
C. to know the secrets of the world.
D. to understand the reality of life.
Answer:
B. to seek enlightenment concerning the sorrows he had witnessed.

3. Gautama became Buddha when he ………………..
A. sat under the Bodhi Tree.
B. gave up all the luxuries of life.
C. was awakened to the reality of the world.
D. preached his first sermon at the city of Benares.
Answer:
D. preached his first sermon at the city of Benares.

4. ……………….. reflects the Buddha’s wisdom about one inscrutable kind of suffering.
A. Buddha’s ‘awakening’
B. Buddha’s first sermon at the city of Benares
C. Budddha’s renunciation of royal life
D. Buddha’s vow to stay under the Bodhi Tree until enlightenment
Answer:
B. Buddha’s first sermon at the city of Benares

Question 2.
Poor Kisa Gotami now went from house to house, and the people pitied her and said, “Here is mustard seed; take it!” But when she asked, “Did a son or daughter, a father or mother, die in your family ?” they answered her, “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.

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 agaifi. 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. 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.”

1. Kisa did not collect mustard seeds from any house because ………………..
A. they were broken.
B. people insulted her while giving.
C. no house was such where some beloved one had not died in it.
D. None of these three
Answer:
C. no house was such where some beloved one had not died in it.

2. Kisa became hopeless as ……………..
A. she could not collect the said mustard seeds.
B. she felt for sure that she would not be able to bring her dead child back to life.
C. Gautama Buddha ignored her.
D. All of these three
Answer:
A. she could not collect the said mustard seeds.

3. What are men’s lives compared to ?
A. Their fate
B. Lights of the city
C. Death
D. All of these three
Answer:
B. Lights of the city

4. For whom does a path lead to immortality?
A. One who never thinks of death.
B. One who never feels grief.
C. One who has surrendered all selfishness.
D. One who is used to live in the valley of desolation.
Answer:
C. One who has surrendered all selfishness.

Answer the following questions in three to four sentences each:

Question 1.
Why did Prince Siddhartha leave the palace and become an ascetic ?
Answer:
Once Prince, Siddhartha, while hunting saw a sick man, then an aged man, then a funeral procession and finally a monk begging for alms. Looking at this, he left the palace and became an ascetic to search for enlightenment.

Question 2.
What do you know about the early
life of Buddha ?
Answer:
Gautama Buddha was born in a royal family. His childhood name was Siddhartha. At the age of 12, he was sent away for schooling in Hindu sacred scriptures and four years later he got married to a princess.

Question 3.
Where did Buddha preach his first sermon ?
Answer:
Gautama Buddha preached his first sermon at the city of Benares, which is regarded as the holiest of the bathing places on the river Ganges.

Question 4.
How did Kisa Gotami realise that life and death is a process ?
Answer:
Kisa Gotami went from house to house but was unable to find one house where nobody had died. She was tired and hopeless and sat down at the wayside watching the lights of the city as they flickered up and were extinguished again. She realised that similar to the city lights human lives also flicker up for some time and are extinguished again.

Question 5.
What was the effect of the sufferings of the world on Buddha ?
Answer:
At the age of 25, while hunting, one day Buddha saw a sick man, then an aged man, then a funeral procession and finally a monk begging for alms. These moved him so much that he went out into the world to seek enlightenment.

Question 6.
According to Kisa Gotami what is the greatest grief of life ?
Answer:
According to Kisa Gotami, the greatest grief in life is the death of one’s loved ones and one’s inability to stop them from dying. Therefore, instead of lamenting on it, the wise should not grieve. Weeping will only increase the pain and disturb the peace of mind of a person.

Question 7.
Why was Kisa Gotami sad ? What did she do in her hour of grief?
Answer:
Kisa Gotami was sad over the death of her only son. In the hour of grief, she went from door to door in order to find medicine for her spn that could bring him to life.

Question 8.
What did the Buddha do after he had attained enlightenment ?
Answer:
When Buddha attained enlightenment, he started preaching and telling people about life and its meaning. He spread his preachings far and wide so that people could come to terms with the truth.

Answer the following question in five to six sentences each:

Question 1.
What did Buddha say about death and suffering ?
Answer:
After enlightenment, Buddha started to spread his teachings about life, truth and the likes of it. He told that death and suffering are the part and parcel of life. No one can avoid this truth. One has to meet one’s destined end one day. Whoever has come to the world, will die one day In the hour of grief, one must remain calm and composed so that grief doesn’t overcome one. People who are wise, never complain or lament over their loss. They accept the truth and be blessed with it. So, the wisdom lies in the fact that people should not get distressed with pain, suffering and death.

Grammar

Rectify the errors in each of the following lines as shown in the example:

(1)
Answer:
A twelve, he sent away for schooling in the Hindu sacred scriptures but four years latter he returned home to marry a princess. They have a son and lived for ten years as befitted royally.
Example:

(2)
Answer:
Not from weeping nor from grief will someone obtain peace of mind; on the contrast, his pain will be the greatest and his body will suffer. He will be made himself sick and pale.
Example:

Turn the following into Indirect speech:

Question 1.
Kisa Gotami met a man who replied to her request, “I cannot give thee medicine for thy child, but I know a physician who ? can.

And the girl said, “Pray tell me, sir; who is it ?” And the man replied, “Go s to Sakyamuni, the Buddha.”

Kisa Gotami repaired to the Buddha and l cried, “Lord and Master, give me the ? medicine that will cure my boy.”
Answer:
Kisa Gotami met a man who replied to her request that he could not give her medicine for-her child, and added that l he knew a physician who could help her. And the girl requested to tell her who he wife. And the man asked her 5 to go to Sakyamuni, the Buddha. Kisa Gotami repaired to the Buddha and cried ? addressing him ‘Lord and Master’ to give S her the medicine that would cure her boy.

Question 2.
She thought to herself, “How selfish am I in my grief!”
The Buddha said, “The life of mortals ? in this world is troubled and brief and 5 combined with pain.”
Answer:
She thought to herself that she was very selfish in her grief. The Buddha said that the life of mortals in this world was troubled and brief and combined with pain.

Question 3.
The people pitied her and said, “Here is mustard seed; take it!” But when she s asked, “Did a son or daughter, a father or mother, die in your family?”

They answered her, “Alas! the living ? are few, but the dead are many. Do not remind us of our deepest grief.”
Answer:
The people pitied her and offered her mustard seed. But when she asked if a son or daughter, a father or mother had died in her family. They answered her sorrowfully that the living were few, but the dead were many. Then they asked her not to remind them of their deepest grief.

Rewrite as directed:
(1) Gautama Buddha once went out into the world to seek enlightenment. (Use with a view to.)
(2) The sermon has been preserved. (Change the Voice.)
(3) And there was no house but some beloved one had died in it. (Turn into Affirmative.)
(4) How selfish am I in my grief! (Turn into Assertive.)
(5) Those that have been born cannot avoid dying. (Turn into a Question.)
(6) Both young and adult fall into power of death.(Use ‘not only…………..but also’.)
(7) Mortals when born are always in danger of death. (Turn into Simple.)
Answer:
(1) Gautama Buddha once went out into the world with a view to seeking enlightenment.
(2) They have preserved the sermon.
(3) Every house there had some beloved one had died in it.
(4) 1 am really greatly selfish in my grief.
(5) Can those that have been born avoid dying ?
(6) Not only young but also adult fall into power of death.
(7) Mortals at the time of their birth are always in danger of death.

Mijbil the Otter Summary in English

Mijbil the Otter Summary:

Sermon is a religious talk delivered by a prophet or saint. Here we have the journey of Gautama Buddha from princehood to his saintly life. He left the palace at the age of 25, after seeing the sufferings of the world, to seek enlightenment. He wandered for seven years, here and there, and under a peepal tree at Bodhigaya he got it. His first sermon was delivered at Benares as it was considered to be the holiest place because of the river Ganges.

He thinks that he who seeks peace should draw out the arrow of lamentation, complaint and grief. He who has drawn out the arrow has become composed, and will obtain peace of mind; he who has overcome all such circumstances will be free from sorrow and be blessed.

Kisa Gotami
Kisa Gotami was grieving over the death of her son. She moved from door to door and at last came to Buddha. She made him a humble request to make her son alive. Buddha said he would do but he asked a handful of mustard seeds. He further commanded it must be taken from a house where no one had lost a child, husband, parent or friend.

She went from house to house but was unable to find one where nobody had died. She was tired and hopeless and sat down at the wayside watching the light of the city as they flickered up. And she realised that these lives flicker up for some time and are extinguished again.

This way she was taught that the lives of mortals in this world are troubled and brief and there is no means by which one can avoid deaths. As all earthen vessels made by the potter are being broken, so is the life of mortals. Death is inevitable.