CBSE Class 10 English First Flight NCERT Solutions: The Sermon at Benares

Reviewed by · Updated on

NCERT Solutions PDF Class 10 PDF

This section provides detailed NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English (First Flight) Chapter 10, 'The Sermon at Benares'. The chapter recounts the story of Kisa Gotami, who, after the death of her son, seeks medicine to revive him. The Buddha guides her to understand the universal nature of death and grief. These solutions break down the text, explaining Kisa Gotami's journey from personal sorrow to a broader understanding of life's impermanence. They cover her interactions with villagers and the Buddha, her eventual realization about the commonality of death, and the concept of selfishness in grief. The solutions also delve into the archaic language used in the text, helping students grasp its meaning in modern terms. This resource is ideal for students preparing for their exams, offering clear explanations and insights into the chapter's profound themes.

Home

Quick info

BoardCBSE
ClassClass 10
SubjectFirst Flight
Session2026
LanguageEnglish
TypeNCERT Solutions
Chapter10. The Sermon at Benares

Chapter summary

NCERT Solutions for 'The Sermon at Benares' (Class 10 English, First Flight) focuses on the story of Kisa Gotami and the Buddha's teachings on life and death. The solutions explain Kisa's initial desperate search for a cure for her son, her encounter with the Buddha, and her subsequent quest for a house free from death. They highlight her eventual understanding of death's universality and the Buddha's lesson on overcoming grief by accepting life's impermanence. The exercises also address archaic language from the text.

Learning outcomes

  • Understand the story of Kisa Gotami and the Buddha's teachings.
  • Analyze the themes of grief, death, and impermanence in human life.
  • Explain the concept of universal suffering and acceptance.
  • Interpret the Buddha's message about overcoming personal sorrow.
  • Recognize and rephrase archaic language from the text into modern English.

Topics covered

Paper topics

  • The Story of Kisa Gotami
  • The Buddha's Teachings
  • Grief and Loss
  • Impermanence of Life
  • Universality of Death
  • Acceptance of Reality
  • Understanding Suffering
  • Archaic Language in Literature
  • Moral Lessons from Stories
  • Buddhist Philosophy

Important topics

  • The Buddha's message on the universality of death
  • Kisa Gotami's transformation from grief to acceptance
  • The meaning of 'selfishness in grief'
  • Interpreting archaic language
  • The theme of impermanence

PDF preview

Read page by page below. PDF is streamed from the official NCERT website — no download button on this page.

Loading document …
Page of
Loading page …

Questions and Solutions

Question 1

When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house. What does she ask for? Does she get it? Why not?
Solution: After her son's death, Kisa Gotami desperately went from one house to another seeking medicine or a potion that could revive her child. She did not get what she asked for because her son had passed away, and no earthly medicine could bring back a life that was lost.

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?
Solution: The second time Kisa Gotami went from house to house, she was following the Buddha's instructions. She asked for a handful of mustard seeds, but with a specific condition: they had to come from a house where no one had ever lost a child, husband, parent, or friend. She could not obtain the mustard seeds because there wasn't a single household in the village that had not experienced the death of a loved one.

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?
Solution: The second time, Kisa Gotami understood the profound truth that death is a universal and inevitable part of life, common to all beings. She realized that her intense grief had made her selfish, as she was focused only on her own loss and failed to see that everyone experiences such sorrow. Yes, this was precisely what the Buddha intended for her to understand. He used her personal tragedy to guide her towards a broader, more compassionate perspective on life and death.

Question 4

Why do you think Kisa Gotami understood this only the second time? In what way did the Buddha change her understanding?
Solution: Kisa Gotami understood the universality of death only the second time because her initial encounter with grief was overwhelming, making her solely focused on her own pain and the impossible task of reviving her son. The Buddha changed her understanding by giving her a task that, while seemingly simple, led her to confront the reality of loss in every home. By seeking the mustard seeds, she was forced to interact with others and witness their shared experiences of bereavement, which gradually shifted her perspective from personal tragedy to universal truth. This indirect method allowed her to realize that death is natural and common to all, helping her to move beyond her intense sorrow.

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'?
Solution: Generally, 'selfishness' refers to being excessively concerned with oneself and one's own needs or desires, often at the expense of others. In the context of Kisa Gotami's grief, one could argue she was being 'selfish' not in a malicious way, but because her profound sorrow completely consumed her. She was so fixated on her personal loss that she couldn't see or empathize with the fact that death is a universal experience affecting everyone. While it's natural to grieve deeply for a loved one, her inability to accept the finality of death and her relentless search for a cure, without considering the practicalities or the shared human condition, could be interpreted as a form of self-absorption in her pain. The Buddha's lesson aimed to help her move beyond this intense personal focus towards a broader understanding and acceptance.

Question 6

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!

Solution: Here are the phrases rephrased in more current language:
  1. give thee medicine for thy child: Give you medicine for your child
  2. Pray tell me: Please tell me
  3. Kisa repaired to the Buddha: Kisa went to the Buddha
  4. there was no house but someone had died in it: There was no house where someone had not died (or, In every house, someone had died)
  5. kinsmen: Relatives or family members
  6. Mark!: Pay attention! or Listen!

Common mistakes

  • Misinterpreting Kisa Gotami's initial actions as solely irrational rather than a product of deep grief.
  • Failing to grasp the Buddha's indirect method of teaching through Kisa's personal experience.
  • Struggling to understand the philosophical concept of impermanence and its relation to suffering.
  • Difficulty in translating old-fashioned English phrases into contemporary language.

Revision tips

  • Focus on Kisa Gotami's emotional journey from despair to acceptance.
  • Understand the Buddha's core message about the universality of death.
  • Pay attention to the symbolic meaning of the mustard seeds and the 'house where no one has died'.
  • Practice rephrasing the old-fashioned phrases to improve language comprehension.

Practice MCQs

Q1. What was Kisa Gotami desperately seeking after her son's death?

Q2. What condition did the Buddha set for Kisa Gotami to get the medicine?

Q3. What realization did Kisa Gotami have after visiting many houses?

Q4. The Buddha's sermon at Benares primarily teaches about:

Q5. The phrase 'selfish in her grief' suggests Kisa Gotami was:

Frequently asked questions

What is the main story in 'The Sermon at Benares'?

The chapter narrates the story of Kisa Gotami, a grieving mother who seeks a cure for her dead son, and how the Buddha guides her to understand the universal nature of death and impermanence.

What key lesson does the Buddha teach through Kisa Gotami's experience?

The Buddha teaches that death is an inevitable part of life, common to all beings, and that one must accept this reality to overcome personal grief.

Why did the Buddha ask Kisa Gotami to collect mustard seeds from a specific type of house?

He asked her to find a house where no one had died to make her realize that every family has experienced loss, thus demonstrating that death is universal and unavoidable.

How do these NCERT Solutions help Class 10 students?

These solutions provide clear, step-by-step explanations of the chapter's content, helping students understand the profound themes, analyze the characters' journeys, and grasp the meaning of archaic language for their exams.

What does 'selfish in her grief' mean in the context of Kisa Gotami?

It means that Kisa Gotami was so consumed by her personal sorrow that she failed to recognize the commonality of death and the suffering of others, making her focus solely on her own loss.

Are there any language-related questions in this chapter's solutions?

Yes, the solutions address the archaic language used in the text, helping students rephrase old-fashioned phrases into modern English.

Important links

Content reviewed by the NCERT Help team. Editorial Team and update policy

NCERT Solutions PDF PDF on NCERT Help. URL unchanged for search indexing.