NCERT Solutions Class 10 English First Flight The Sermon at Benares

Loss is perhaps the hardest human experience to process. For a young mother like Kisa Gotami, the death of her only son was an unbearable weight. Students studying Class 10 English First Flight chapter 8 often find this story deeply moving because it addresses a universal truth: everything that is born must eventually die. In this chapter, Gautama Buddha does not offer a miracle to bring a child back to life; instead, he offers a "sermon", a lesson that changes how we view mortality.

Understanding the Sermon at Benares questions and answers requires looking beyond the literal story. It is a study of how humans cling to the past and how wisdom only comes when we accept that grieving cannot change the laws of nature. Whether you are looking for a the sermon at Benares class 10 summary or preparing for board exams, this guide breaks down the philosophical depth of Buddha’s wisdom into simple, exam-ready points.

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Class 10 English The Sermon at Benares Summary 

This chapter tells the story of Kisa Gotami, a young mother shattered by the death of her only child. In desperation, she goes to the Buddha hoping for a cure. Instead of giving her a miracle, he gives her a task: bring mustard seeds from a home that has never seen death. As she visits house after house, she hears the same truth everywhere, every family has lost someone. By the end, Kisa Gotami understands that grief is not hers alone. The lesson of the chapter is simple but powerful: peace begins when we accept the natural law of life and death.

The Sermon at Benares Chapter: Overview

The Journey From Prince Siddhartha to Buddha

Before he was the "Enlightened One", Buddha was Prince Siddhartha Gautama. He lived a life of shielded luxury until four sights changed him: a sick man, an aged man, a funeral procession, and a monk begging for alms. These sightings made him realise that the world is full of suffering.

He left his palace, his wife, and his child to seek enlightenment. After seven years of wandering, he sat under a peepal tree and vowed to stay until he found the truth. This place is where he became the Buddha. He preached his first sermon in Benares, the holiest city on the Ganges. This background is a frequent subject in class 10 English First Flight chapter 8 question answer sets.

What is Kisa Gotami’s Grief and the Mustard Seed?

The heart of the story involves Kisa Gotami. Unable to accept her son's death, she carried his body to her neighbours and asked them for medicine. People thought she had lost her mind. Eventually, she was directed to the Buddha.

Buddha told her he could cure her son if she brought him a handful of mustard seeds. However, there was a condition: the seeds must come from a house where no one had ever lost a child, husband, parent, or friend.

The Realisation in the Dark

Kisa Gotami went from house to house. Everyone was willing to give her mustard seeds, but every house had a story of death. As the sun began to set, she sat by the roadside, observing the flickering and extinguishing city lights. She realised that her grief had made her selfish; death is common for all. This moment of clarity is a vital part of any The Sermon at Benares questions and answers regarding her character transformation.

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What are the Teachings of the Sermon?

In the Sermon at Benares questions and answers, the Buddha uses powerful metaphors to explain the nature of life:

• The Ripe Fruit: Just as ripe fruits are in danger of falling, all mortals are in danger of death from the moment they are born.

• The Earthen Vessel: Just as all earthen vessels crafted by a potter ultimately break, so too does the life of mortals.

• The Inevitable End: Neither fathers nor kinsmen can save their sons nor their relations. While relatives watch and mourn, mortals are destined to perish.

Difference Between Wisdom and Lamentation

Refer to the Sermon at Benares questions and answers to understand the difference between Wisdom and Lamentation.

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NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 8 

The Sermon at Benares Class 10 solutions help students understand the key message of life’s impermanence and Buddha’s teachings on suffering and detachment. These answers are written in simple language, making it easier to revise important themes and write clear, value-based responses in exams.

Class 10 The Sermon at Benares NCERT 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?

Answer:

Kisa Gotami was overwhelmed with grief and agony when her only son died. Desperate for a cure, she carried his lifeless body in her arms, going from house to house, asking for medicine to bring him back to life. However, no one could help her, as it was impossible to revive her dead son.

Read More: NCERT Solutions of Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 1

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:

After speaking with the Buddha, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house again, but this time she asks for mustard seeds from a house where no one has lost a loved one. She does not get the mustard seeds because she cannot find any house where death has not taken someone. This experience helps her realize that death is a universal part of life and that everyone faces the loss of loved ones.

Read More: NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 2

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:

When Kisa Gotami failed to find a house where no one had lost a loved one, she became weary and helpless and sat down by the roadside. As she sat, she observed the flickering and extinguishing of lights, leading to complete darkness. This made her realize that death is inevitable, and she recognized her own selfishness in her grief and agony. She understood that everyone must face loss, but there is a path to peace and immortality for those who let go of their selfish desires. This realization was exactly what Buddha wanted her to understand: that every mortal being born into this world is destined to die one day.

Read More: NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 3

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

Answer:

In the beginning, Kisa Gotami was overwhelmed by the grief of losing her young son. However, when she went from house to house the second time to find a handful of mustard seeds to revive her dead son, she realized that everyone had experienced the loss of a loved one. Not a single house was untouched by death; everyone had lost a son, husband, parent, or friend at some point. This made her understand that everyone faces the pain of death and loss. Feeling dejected, she sat down and realized that death is inevitable and that all mortal beings are destined to live and die someday. Through this experience, Gautama Buddha helped her understand that death is common to all mortal beings, and everyone is bound to die one day or another.

Read More: NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 4

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 someone who is extremely focused on their own needs and feelings. In the story, Kisa Gotami was also being selfish in her grief because she was only thinking about her own pain. When she lost her child, she was desperate to bring him back to life and went to Buddha for help. Buddha taught her an important lesson: humans are mortal, and everyone must die eventually. Although accepting the death of loved ones is hard, it is a natural and unavoidable part of life. This lesson helped Kisa Gotami understand that death is inevitable and happens to everyone.

Read More: NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 5

Thinking about Language (Page 136)

Question I: 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!

Answer:

• Give you medicine for your child
• Please tell me
• Kisa went to the Buddha
• There was not a single house where no one had died
• Relatives
• Listen

Read More: NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 6

Question II:

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:

A single sentence using semicolons has a better cadence and rhythm; this implies that the three parts of the sentence are connected to each other in their meanings. The second clause gives detailed information about the first clause; the third clause is, therefore, directly related to both the first and the second clauses. Their meanings are conveyed more effectively when they are joined by semicolons.

Read More: NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 7

Writing 

Question 1: Write a page (about three paragraphs) on one of the following topics. You can think about the ideas in the text that are relevant to these topics and add your own ideas and experiences to them.

1. Teaching someone to understand a new or difficult idea

2. Helping each other to get over difficult times

3. Thinking about oneself as unique, or as one among billions of others

Answer:

Activity to be done by yourself.

The Sermon at Benares FAQs

1. Why did the Buddha ask Kisa Gotami for mustard seeds?

The Buddha wanted Kisa Gotami to realise that death was universal. By asking for seeds from a house where no one had died, he led her to discover that every family has experienced the pain of loss, helping her move past her individual "selfish" grief.

2. What does "The Sermon at Benares" teach us about life?

The chapter teaches that human life is brief, painful, and combined with trouble. It emphasizes that since death is inevitable, the wise do not grieve. Peace of mind can only be achieved by overcoming sorrow, not by crying or mourning.

3. What is the significance of the city of Benares in the story?

Benares is considered the holiest of the landing places on the river Ganges. By choosing this location for his first sermon, the Buddha’s message of spiritual cleansing and enlightenment reached a wide and significant audience.

4. How does Kisa Gotami describe her state of mind?

In her moment of reflection, she says, "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."

5. Why are the "wise" referred to as those who do not grieve?

According to the the sermon at Benares question answer sets, the "wise" are those who understand the "terms of the world". They know that weeping only makes one sick and pale and that no amount of mourning can bring the departed back to life.