NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Chapter 10 The Sermon at Benares

Short Note:

• Kisa Gotami, grief-stricken after the death of her only child, desperately searches for a medicine to bring him back to life and eventually approaches the Buddha for help.

• The Buddha instructs her to bring back a handful of mustard seeds, but only from a household that has never experienced the death of a family member, a condition that seems simple at first.

• As Kisa Gotami goes from house to house, she finds that every family has experienced loss in some form, and through this journey, she comes to understand and accept the universal truth of mortality, ultimately finding peace and becoming a follower of the Buddha.

Short Note:

• The Buddha's sermon teaches that death is an unavoidable and universal part of life that spares no one, regardless of wealth, status or personal grief.

• He explains that true peace comes not from denying or fighting against the reality of mortality, but from accepting it and recognising that all beings share this same fate.

• The chapter also emphasises compassion and gentle wisdom, as the Buddha helps Kisa Gotami come to this understanding through her own experience rather than direct argument.

Short Note:

• The central theme is the acceptance of the universality of death and suffering, urging readers to find peace through understanding rather than resistance to life's harsh realities.

• The chapter also reflects on the value of compassionate wisdom, showing how understanding can come through personal, lived experience guided by a wise teacher.