Character Sketch: The Sermon at Benares | English Class 10 PDF Download

Buddha

• Gautama Buddha was born to a North Indian royal family as a prince and was named Siddhartha Gautama. When he was twelve years old, he was sent to a far away place to study Hindu sacred scriptures and upon returning four years later, he got married to a princess. Soon, they both had a son and they continued to live the royal life for about ten years. The royals were shielded from all the unpleasant experiences of the world until one day, on his way to hunt, the Prince met a sick man, an aged man, a funeral procession and a monk begging for alms. These experiences acted as eye-openers for him and thus, he left all the royalty behind to seek a higher sense of spiritual knowledge. 
• Upon attaining salvation, he began preaching. He gave his first sermon in the city of Benares. There was a lady named Kisa Gotami whose son had died. Suffering with unending pain, she went from house to house looking for a medicine to bring her son back to life. People started thinking that the lady had lost her senses. One day, she met a man who directed her towards Lord Buddha who could possibly have a solution for her problem. Buddha asked her to look for mustard seeds and the seeds must be procured from a house that had seen no death. Reinstated with hope, Kisa Gotami once again went on a search from house to house but to her dismay, she could not find mustard seeds from a house that would fulfill Buddha’s condition.
  
  Question for Character Sketch: The Sermon at Benares

  Try yourself:

  What event led Prince Siddhartha Gautama to leave behind his royal life and seek spiritual knowledge?

  • A.

    Meeting a sick man, an aged man, a funeral procession, and a monk begging for alms
  • B.

    Attaining salvation and realizing the impermanence of life
  • C.

    Giving his first sermon in the city of Benares
  • D.

    Encountering a lady named Kisa Gotami who had lost her son

  Explanation

  - Prince Siddhartha Gautama's encounter with a sick man, an aged man, a funeral procession, and a monk begging for alms acted as eye-openers for him.
  - These experiences made him realize the suffering and impermanence of life.
  - This realization led him to leave behind his royal life and seek a higher sense of spiritual knowledge.
  - The events highlighted the universal nature of suffering and the need to find a solution to alleviate it.
  - Thus, Option A is the correct answer as it accurately describes the event that prompted Prince Siddhartha Gautama to embark on his spiritual journey.

  Report a problem

  Cancel Report

  View Solution
• Disheartened, she sat at the edge of the road thus realising how selfish she had been. She became conscious to the fact that men were mortal and no one could escape the cycle of life. This was exactly what Buddha wanted her to understand. According to Lord Buddha, feelings of grief and sorrow only increases man’s pain and suffering thus, deteriorating his health. Therefore, a wise person fully aware about nature’s functioning must not grieve at something bound to happen and only then he can be happy and blessed.