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EnglishCBSE Class 10 · Chapter 8

The Sermon at Benares Class 10: Summary, Themes and Questions

Updated 14 October 2026 · Fact-checked

The Sermon at Benares is a prose lesson in First Flight. It tells how the Buddha helped Kisa Gotami, grieving for her dead son, realise that death comes to everyone, and gives his sermon on overcoming grief. The board asks extract questions, 40-50 word short answers and 100-120 word long answers on it.

What The Sermon at Benares is about

The Sermon at Benares is a prose lesson in First Flight, your Class 10 NCERT textbook. It opens with a short account of the life of Gautama Buddha and then gives his first sermon, preserved from long ago. No single author is named. The text is taken from Betty Renshaw's Values and Voices: A College Reader (1975). In one line: through the story of Kisa Gotami, a mother who has lost her only son, the Buddha teaches that death comes to all, and that peace comes from accepting it, not from endless grief.

In the board paper the lesson is tested in Section C. You may get it as a prose extract in Q6, with MCQ, very short and 30-40 word questions; the 2-mark part asks for inference or analysis. You may get a 3-mark short answer in Q8 (40-50 words) or a 6-mark long answer in Q10 (about 100-120 words). The long answer can ask you to go beyond the text, for example by applying the Buddha's message to a new situation.

In real board papers: asked in 4 of the 21 board papers we hold (2023 to 2026), on average 1.7 marks per paper. See the questions

The Sermon at Benares: summary

In our own words, in the order of the text. Read the NCERT text itself too: the board quotes from it.

The lesson begins with the Buddha's life. He was born Siddhartha Gautama, a prince in northern India. At twelve he was sent away to study the Hindu sacred scriptures. Four years later he came home and married a princess. They had a son and lived for ten years as royalty, shielded from the world's suffering. At about twenty-five, while out hunting, he came across a sick man, an aged man, a funeral procession and a monk begging for alms. These sights moved him so much that he left at once to seek enlightenment about the sorrows he had seen.

He wandered for seven years. Then he sat under a peepal tree and vowed to stay until enlightenment came. After seven days he was enlightened. He renamed the tree the Bodhi Tree (Tree of Wisdom), began to teach, and became known as the Buddha, the Awakened or Enlightened One. He preached his first sermon at Benares, the holiest bathing place on the Ganges. It deals with one kind of suffering that is hard to understand: grief over death.

Kisa Gotami had an only son, and he died. In her grief she carried the dead child to all her neighbours, asking for medicine. They said she had lost her senses, because the boy was dead. At last a man told her he had no medicine but knew a physician who could help, and sent her to Sakyamuni, the Buddha.

She begged the Buddha for medicine to cure her boy. He asked for a handful of mustard-seed. When she happily promised to get it, he added a condition: the seed must come from a house where no one had lost a child, husband, parent or friend.

She went from house to house. People pitied her and offered the seed at once. But when she asked whether anyone in the family had died, they said the living are few and the dead are many, and begged her not to remind them of their deepest grief. There was no house where some loved one had not died.

Tired and hopeless, she sat by the wayside and watched the city lights flicker up and go out, until darkness covered everything. She saw that human lives also flicker up and are extinguished. She realised she had been selfish in her grief, because death is common to all. Yet there is a path to immortality for the one who gives up all selfishness.

The Buddha then explained his teaching. Human life is troubled, brief and full of pain, and no one who is born can escape death. Mortals are like ripe fruits in danger of falling, and like the potter's earthen vessels that all end up broken. Young and old, foolish and wise, all are subject to death. A father cannot save his son. While relatives watch and weep, people are carried off one by one, like an ox led to slaughter. So the wise do not grieve; they know the terms of the world.

Weeping brings no peace. It only increases pain, makes a person sick and pale, and does not save the dead. One who seeks peace must pull out the arrow of lamentation, complaint and grief. The one who becomes composed finds peace of mind, and the one who overcomes sorrow becomes free from sorrow and blessed.

Themes and message

Death is universal and cannot be escaped

The central message is that everyone who is born must die. Kisa Gotami first believes her son's death is a problem that medicine can fix. Her search for mustard-seed shows her that every family has lost someone. The Buddha then states the truth plainly: young or old, wise or foolish, all are subject to death, and no one can save another from it. Once you accept that death is part of life, a personal loss stops looking like a cruel exception made only for you.

From the text: The households tell her, "Alas! the living are few, but the dead are many." The Buddha says, "all fall into the power of death; all are subject to death."

Grief, selfishness and self-realisation

Kisa Gotami calls herself selfish in her grief. She does not mean she did not love her son. We can infer that she means she was so lost in her own pain that she forgot everyone else carries the same sorrow. Seeing the grief in every home pulls her out of her private suffering. The text links giving up selfishness with a path to immortality, a higher peace. Realisation, not instruction alone, changes her.

From the text: Sitting by the wayside she thinks, "How selfish am I in my grief! Death is common to all".

Peace of mind comes through acceptance, not lamentation

The Buddha argues that weeping and grieving do not bring peace. They make the pain greater, harm the body and cannot bring back the dead. He compares grief to an arrow stuck in the body: you must draw it out to heal. The wise do not grieve because they understand how the world works. This does not mean you stop caring. It suggests you should accept loss calmly so that you can be composed and free from sorrow.

From the text: "He who seeks peace should draw out the arrow of lamentation, and complaint, and grief."

Wisdom learnt through experience

The Buddha does not simply tell Kisa Gotami that death is common. He gives her a task that lets her discover the truth for herself. The impossible condition attached to the mustard-seed is a teaching method. Had he only told her, she might not have believed him in her grief. By meeting grieving family after grieving family, she reaches the truth on her own. This suggests that lessons we discover ourselves stay with us more deeply than lessons we are told.

From the text: "The mustard-seed must be taken from a house where no one has lost a child", followed by: "there was no house but some beloved one had died in it."

Compassion and shared suffering

The lesson shows kindness at every stage. The man who cannot help sends Kisa Gotami to someone who can. The people pity her and offer the seed at once. The Buddha treats her desperate request seriously instead of sending her away. Her own sorrow, once shared with others, becomes a bond rather than a burden. The Buddha's own journey also began with compassion, when the sight of suffering moved him to seek enlightenment.

From the text: "the people pitied her and said, 'Here is mustard-seed; take it!'" The sights of suffering "so moved him that he at once went out into the world".

Characters

Kisa Gotami

The grieving young mother whose only son dies; her journey from denial to understanding is the heart of the lesson.

  • Loving and devoted mother: she cannot accept that her only son is dead.
  • Desperate and in denial at first: she carries the dead child around asking for medicine.
  • Trusting and hopeful: she promises the Buddha the mustard-seed "in her joy".
  • Persistent: she goes from house to house twice.
  • Reflective and wise in the end: she sees her own selfishness and the universal truth of death.

Her neighbours say, "She has lost her senses. The boy is dead." Later, watching the lights, she thinks, "How selfish am I in my grief!"

The Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama)

The enlightened teacher who guides Kisa Gotami to the truth and then delivers the sermon on death and grief.

  • Compassionate: he was moved to leave royal life by the sight of suffering, and he takes Kisa Gotami's plea seriously.
  • Wise: he understands the nature of life and death after enlightenment.
  • A skilful, practical teacher: he lets her discover the truth through the mustard-seed task instead of lecturing her.
  • Calm and clear: his sermon uses simple images like fruit, pots and an arrow.

He sets the condition that the seed must come from a house where no one has died. In the sermon he says, "the wise do not grieve, knowing the terms of the world."

The townspeople and the man who guides her

The neighbours and householders Kisa Gotami meets; they show both pity and their own grief.

  • Sympathetic: they pity her and readily offer mustard-seed.
  • Realistic: her neighbours see at once that the boy is dead.
  • Themselves grieving: every family has lost a loved one.
  • Helpful: one man directs her to the Buddha.

"Do not remind us of our deepest grief." The man says, "I know a physician who can."

How it is written

DeviceExampleEffect
Simile"As ripe fruits are early in danger of falling"; "As all earthen vessels made by the potter end in being broken"; mortals carried off "like an ox that is led to the slaughter."Everyday images make a hard idea easy to grasp. Fruit and clay pots show that whatever is born or made must end. The ox shows how helpless humans are before death.
Metaphor"the arrow of lamentation, and complaint, and grief"; "this valley of desolation".Grief becomes an arrow lodged in the body, so pulling it out means healing. The world becomes a valley of sorrow, showing that suffering is everywhere.
SymbolismThe city lights that "flickered up and were extinguished again"; the mustard-seed.The flickering lights stand for human lives that begin and end. The mustard-seed, a common household item, stands for the search that shows death is common to all.
Parable or story followed by sermon (narrative technique)Kisa Gotami's search comes first; then "The Buddha said..." and the sermon follows.The story lets you feel the truth before you hear it explained. The sermon then states as a general lesson what Kisa Gotami has already learnt.
Old-fashioned (archaic) style"I cannot give thee medicine for thy child"; "Pray tell me, sir"; "Kisa Gotami repaired to the Buddha".The language suits an incident over two thousand years old and gives the sermon a solemn, scriptural tone.

Key quotations

Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.

  • She has lost her senses. The boy is dead.

    Kisa Gotami's neighbours: When she carries her dead son around asking for medicine.

    Shows how deeply grief has blinded her. Others can see the truth that she refuses to accept.

  • The mustard-seed must be taken from a house where no one has lost a child

    The Buddha: His condition after Kisa Gotami promises to bring mustard-seed.

    The key to his teaching method. The condition cannot be met, so her search will show her that death touches every home.

  • Alas! the living are few, but the dead are many.

    The householders: Their reply when Kisa Gotami asks if anyone in the family has died.

    States plainly that death is universal, and that every family carries grief.

  • How selfish am I in my grief! Death is common to all

    Kisa Gotami: Her thought as she sits by the wayside watching the city lights go out.

    Her moment of self-realisation: she moves from private sorrow to understanding a universal truth.

  • As ripe fruits are early in danger of falling

    The Buddha: In the sermon, describing how mortals are always in danger of death.

    A simile showing that death is natural and always near, like ripe fruit ready to drop.

  • the wise do not grieve, knowing the terms of the world.

    The Buddha: After saying that no father can save his son from death.

    The wise accept death as part of how the world works, so they are not crushed by it.

  • He who seeks peace should draw out the arrow of lamentation

    The Buddha: Near the end of the sermon, after saying that weeping brings no peace.

    Gives the way out of sorrow: remove grief like an arrow in order to heal and become composed.

The Sermon at Benares in real life

Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Compassion and shared suffering

Imagine your classmate's grandmother passes away two months before the board exams. She stops talking at lunch and sits alone. You want to help but do not know what to say.

How could Kisa Gotami's discovery at the houses guide the way you comfort your classmate? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Avoid lecturing, just as the Buddha did not lecture Kisa Gotami.
  2. Recognise she may feel her loss is hers alone.
  3. Listen and gently share that other families, including yours, have also lost loved ones.
  4. Feeling less alone can help her find calm.

Answer: I would not lecture her. Like Kisa Gotami, she may feel her loss is hers alone. I would listen, share that our own family too has lost loved ones, and gently show that sorrow is shared. Feeling less alone, she may slowly find calm.

Memory hook: Every house had a loss; no one grieves alone.

Wisdom learnt through experience

Suppose your cricket coach notices your bat grip is wrong. Instead of telling you, he asks you to face twenty balls in the nets, and you keep edging them. Afterwards he simply asks what went wrong.

Compare your coach's method with the Buddha's way of teaching Kisa Gotami. Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Both let the learner discover the truth personally.
  2. Kisa Gotami learnt death is universal by visiting houses, not from a lecture.
  3. Repeated failure in the nets reveals the fault clearly.
  4. Self-discovered lessons are understood more deeply.

Answer: Like the Buddha, the coach lets me discover the truth myself. Kisa Gotami learnt that death is universal by visiting house after house, not from a lecture. After edging ball after ball, I understand my grip's fault far better than if I had only been told.

Memory hook: The mustard-seed task and the net session: both teach by doing.

Grief, selfishness and self-realisation

Imagine your school loses the inter-school football final. For three days you sulk, snap at your family and ignore your teammates' messages, though they lost the same match.

How do Kisa Gotami's words about her grief apply to your behaviour? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Like Kisa Gotami, you saw only your own sorrow.
  2. Others, your teammates, shared the same loss.
  3. Her line about selfishness in grief fits you.
  4. Seeing shared pain should lead to support, not sulking.

Answer: Like Kisa Gotami, I was so lost in my own sorrow that I forgot others were hurting too. My teammates lost the same match. Her words, “How selfish am I in my grief!” fit me. Seeing shared pain should make me support them, not sulk.

Memory hook: When you sulk alone, remember: your teammates lost too.

Peace of mind through acceptance, not lamentation

Suppose you score badly in a pre-board maths paper. Every night you replay your mistakes, cannot sleep and feel too low to revise.

The Buddha's advice is about death. Can his idea of drawing out the arrow of lamentation help with a smaller loss like this? Explain in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. The Buddha: weeping brings no peace and makes the mourner sick and pale.
  2. Replaying the failure keeps the 'arrow' in the wound.
  3. Accepting what happened and becoming composed brings peace.
  4. Calm can then be used to prepare better.

Answer: The Buddha says weeping brings no peace and only makes the mourner sick and pale. Replaying the failure is like keeping the arrow in the wound. I should accept what happened, become composed, and use the calm to prepare better for the board exam.

Memory hook: Pull out the arrow, then pick up the pen.

Topics in this chapter

  • Kisa Gotami Character SketchComing soon
  • The Sermon at Benares Question AnswersComing soon
  • Message and Theme of The Sermon at BenaresComing soon
  • Buddha's Sermon Explained: Similes and LinesComing soon
  • Why the Buddha Asked for Mustard Seed

How the board asks The Sermon at Benares

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Question typeHow it is askedMethod
Extract-based (Q6)A 50-85 word passage, often Kisa Gotami's search or a part of the sermon, followed by an MCQ on meaning or tone, a fill-in or one-word answer, a word meaning (like "repaired" or "desolation"), and a 2-mark inference question in 30-40 words.Read the questions first, then the extract. For MCQs, eliminate options the extract does not support. For the 2-mark part, give the inference plus one detail from the extract, and stay within 40 words.
Short answer on events (Q8, 3 marks)Direct questions such as what Kisa Gotami did after her son died, why the Buddha asked for mustard-seed, or what she realised at the wayside.Write 40-50 words covering two or three value points in order: what happened, why, and what it led to. Use the names Kisa Gotami and the Buddha, and end with the lesson if the question allows.
Validate or comment on a line (Q8, 3 marks)A line from the sermon is quoted, for example about weeping bringing no peace, and you are asked to validate, justify or explain it.Explain the line's meaning in your own words, connect it to Kisa Gotami's experience, and add a short reason why it still holds true. Keep it to 40-50 words.
Long answer on the message (Q10, 6 marks)What the Buddha taught the common man through Kisa Gotami's story, or why Kisa Gotami met the Buddha and how he changed her life.In about 100-120 words: open with the situation (her son's death), explain the mustard-seed task, show her realisation, then state the Buddha's message (death is universal, grief brings no peace, accept and be composed). Close with why the message matters. Use paragraphs and linking words for the expression marks.
Analysis of method, images or characterWhy the Buddha taught through a task instead of telling her directly; what the flickering lights or a simile suggest; a character sketch of Kisa Gotami.Name the device or trait, quote or point to the exact detail, and explain its effect or what it reveals. Each trait needs evidence from the text.
HOTS and extrapolationA 'Suppose...' situation, such as a friend grieving a loss or a disappointment, asking how the Buddha's teaching could help, or whether you agree that Kisa Gotami was selfish in her grief.Link the situation clearly to one or two ideas from the sermon, give your own reasoned view, and support it with an event from the text. Show balance: acceptance does not mean you stop caring.

Tricks to remember The Sermon at Benares

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

  • Eight S's for the story order

    Son dies, Seeks medicine, Sent to the Buddha, Seed task, Searches houses, Sits by the lights, Sees the truth, Sermon.

    Use it when: Use it to keep events in the right order in a long answer or a character sketch.

  • FPO: the three images of death

    Fruit falls, Pot breaks, Ox is led. Ripe fruits fall early, earthen vessels all break, mortals are led off like an ox to the slaughter.

    Use it when: Recall the sermon's similes quickly for questions on the Buddha's method or images.

  • Arrow equals grief

    Picture an arrow in your arm: leave it and it hurts more; pull it out and you can heal. Arrow = lamentation; pulling it out = peace of mind.

    Use it when: Explain the metaphor in the sermon's last part.

  • Themes: Don't Sulk, Accept Wisely, Care

    D = Death is universal, S = Selfishness in grief realised, A = Acceptance brings peace, W = Wisdom through experience, C = Compassion and shared suffering.

    Use it when: List themes in a long answer on the message of the chapter.

  • SOFM: the four sights

    Sick man, Old (aged) man, Funeral procession, Monk begging for alms, in that order.

    Use it when: Answer questions on the Buddha's life from the introduction.

The Sermon at Benares: extract-based questions

Read the extract, answer every part on paper, then open the answers.

Extract 1: House after house: no family untouched by death

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.”

  1. (1) · 1 mark · MCQ

    The people's reply, “Alas! the living are few, but the dead are many”, suggests that:
    (a) a plague had recently struck the city
    (b) every family had lost someone dear at some time
    (c) the people did not want to help Kisa Gotami
    (d) Kisa Gotami had truly lost her senses

  2. (2) · 1 mark · Very short answer

    The people pitied Kisa Gotami. What did they readily offer her?

  3. (3) · 1 mark · Very short answer

    Why could Kisa Gotami not accept the mustard-seed the people offered?

  4. (4) · 2 marks · Short answer

    How does this repeated failure prepare Kisa Gotami for the truth the Buddha wanted her to learn? Answer in 30-40 words.

Show the answersAnswers
  1. (b) every family had lost someone dear at some time
  2. Mustard-seed.
  3. The Buddha had said it must come from a house where no one had lost a child, husband, parent or friend.
  4. Each house gave her seed willingly but had lost someone dear. House after house, she saw that death spares no family. This slowly showed her that her loss was not unique, which was the Buddha's lesson, learnt through her own experience.

Extract 2: The sermon: helpless before death

one by one mortals are carried off, like an ox that is led to the slaughter. So the world is afflicted with death and decay, therefore the wise do not grieve, knowing the terms of the world.

  1. (1) · 1 mark · MCQ

    The phrase 'afflicted with' in the extract means:
    (a) protected from
    (b) affected by suffering, disease or pain
    (c) surprised by
    (d) cured of

  2. (2) · 1 mark · MCQ

    The comparison of mortals to 'an ox that is led to the slaughter' shows that human beings are:
    (a) strong enough to resist death
    (b) helpless when death comes
    (c) cruel to one another
    (d) foolish in their daily lives

  3. (3) · 1 mark · Very short answer

    Which phrase in the extract gives the reason why the wise do not grieve?

  4. (4) · 2 marks · Short answer

    Just before this the Buddha says that 'a father cannot save his son'. What does this line imply about Kisa Gotami's search for medicine? Answer in 30-40 words.

Show the answersAnswers
  1. (b) affected by suffering, disease or pain
  2. (b) helpless when death comes
  3. “knowing the terms of the world”
  4. The line implies that no love or effort can hold back death. Just as a father cannot save his son, Kisa Gotami could never have saved her child, so her search for medicine was always in vain.

The Sermon at Benares: board-level solved questions

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Example 1: Why the Buddha asked for mustard-seed · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

Why did the Buddha ask Kisa Gotami for mustard-seed only from a house where no one had lost a loved one? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. A grieving mother would not have accepted a plain statement that death is universal.
  2. Mustard-seed was common and easy to find; a house untouched by death was not.
  3. The condition made her search every house herself.
  4. She would discover through experience that every family had lost someone.

Answer: A grieving mother would not have accepted a mere statement that death is universal. Mustard-seed was easy to find, but a house untouched by death was not. By searching, Kisa Gotami would discover for herself that every family had lost someone. The task was a lesson through experience.

Example 2: The similes of fruit and pots · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Explain the similes of ripe fruits and earthen vessels in the Buddha's sermon. Why are they effective? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Mortals are like ripe fruits, always in danger of falling.
  2. All earthen vessels made by the potter end up broken; so does human life.
  3. Both show that death is certain and can come at any time.
  4. Familiar, everyday objects make a difficult truth easy for ordinary people to grasp.

Answer: The Buddha compares mortals to ripe fruits, which are always in danger of falling, and to earthen vessels, which all end up broken. Both images show that death is certain and can come at any time. Everyday objects make the truth easy to grasp for ordinary listeners.

Example 3: Why she calls her grief selfish · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

“How selfish am I in my grief!” Why does Kisa Gotami call her own grief selfish? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Earlier she saw only her own loss and wanted a cure for her dead son.
  2. At every house she met families who had also lost loved ones.
  3. She realised that death is common to all.
  4. Dwelling only on her own pain, while everyone suffers loss, now seemed selfish.

Answer: Kisa Gotami had treated her loss as the only sorrow in the world and demanded a cure. Meeting families who had all lost loved ones, she saw that death is common to all. Dwelling only on her own pain now seemed selfish to her.

Example 4: Character sketch: Kisa Gotami's journey · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Trace how Kisa Gotami changes from a grief-stricken mother to a woman who understands life. Answer in 100-120 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Beginning: crushed by the death of her only son; carries the dead child to neighbours asking for medicine.
  2. People say she has lost her senses: grief has blinded her.
  3. Hopeful and determined: joyfully promises to procure mustard-seed and goes from house to house.
  4. Thoughtful: by the wayside, she links the flickering city lights to human lives.
  5. Honest self-judgement: admits she has been selfish in her grief.
  6. Growth: from refusing the truth to accepting that death is common to all, learnt through experience.

Answer: Kisa Gotami begins as a mother crushed by the death of her only son. Her grief is so blind that she carries the dead child to her neighbours asking for medicine, and they say she has lost her senses. She is hopeful and determined: when the Buddha asks for mustard-seed, she promises joyfully to procure it and goes from house to house. Yet she is honest and thoughtful. Sitting weary by the wayside, she watches the city lights flicker and die and links them to human lives. She judges herself, admitting she has been selfish in her grief. Her journey shows how a person can grow from denial to acceptance, learning through experience that death is common to all.

Example 5: What if the Buddha had just told her? · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

Suppose the Buddha had simply told Kisa Gotami, 'Death is common to all.' Do you think she would have accepted it? Justify your answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Give a clear opinion: probably not.
  2. Evidence: she did not accept it when neighbours said the boy was dead.
  3. A spoken statement would likely have been ignored in the same way.
  4. Truth discovered personally, house after house, is accepted more deeply.

Answer: Probably not. She was so lost in grief that she did not accept it when her neighbours said the boy was dead. A lecture would have met the same fate. Only by discovering the truth herself, house after house, could she accept it.

Example 6: Is it right never to grieve? · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

The Buddha says the wise do not grieve. Is it possible, or even right, to stop grieving completely? Discuss with reference to Kisa Gotami's experience and your own views. Answer in 100-120 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. The Buddha's view: weeping brings no peace, cannot save the dead, makes the mourner sick and pale.
  2. His aim: freedom from endless lamentation, not cruelty.
  3. Kisa Gotami's experience: clinging to grief led to a hopeless search; acceptance brought understanding.
  4. Own view: grief is natural at first and cannot be switched off.
  5. Balance: we should not let grief rule our lives; sharing sorrow helps healing.
  6. Conclusion: the advice is wise as a goal to work towards.

Answer: The Buddha says weeping cannot bring peace or save the dead, and only makes the mourner sick and pale. His aim is to free us from endless lamentation. Kisa Gotami's experience supports this. When she clung to her grief, she ran from door to door seeking an impossible cure. Once she accepted that death is common to all, she saw her grief as selfish. In my view, grief is natural at first; no one can switch it off. But we should not let it rule our lives. Sharing sorrow with others who have also lost loved ones helps us heal. So the Buddha's advice is wise if we see it as a goal, not a command.

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.

Why does Kisa Gotami say, “How selfish am I in my grief!”? Answer in 40-50 words. (3 marks)

StepMarks
Content: she had seen only her own loss and wanted her dead son cured1
Content: every house had lost someone, so she realised death is common to all and saw her grief as selfish1
Expression: clear, connected sentences within 40-50 words (up to 1 mark deducted for spelling and grammar errors)1

Through Kisa Gotami's story, explain the Buddha's message about death and grief. Answer in 100-120 words. (6 marks)

StepMarks
Content: death is universal, shown by the mustard-seed task and the houses1
Content: Kisa Gotami's realisation by the city lights and her admission of selfishness1
Content: the sermon: similes of fruit, pots and ox; weeping brings no peace; draw out the arrow of lamentation1
Expression: organised, coherent answer with a clear opening and conclusion, in about 100-120 words2
Accuracy: correct spelling, grammar and punctuation1

Where students lose marks in The Sermon at Benares

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

  • Mistake: Saying the people refused to give her mustard-seed

    Students remember she failed and assume the people said no.

    Wrong working

    Kisa Gotami went to every house but nobody gave her mustard-seed.

    Right working

    The people pitied her and offered mustard-seed, but every house had lost a loved one, so it did not meet the Buddha's condition.

    Do this: Separate the two facts: seed was available; a house free of death was not.

    Usually costs: 1-2 marks in a 3-mark answer, as the main content point is wrong.

  • Mistake: Placing the first sermon at the Bodhi Tree

    The introduction mentions both the peepal tree and Benares close together.

    Wrong working

    The Buddha gave his first sermon under the Bodhi Tree.

    Right working

    He gained enlightenment under the peepal tree he renamed the Bodhi Tree, and preached his first sermon at Benares.

    Do this: Tree = enlightenment; Benares = first sermon.

    Usually costs: 1 mark in an MCQ or very short part.

  • Mistake: Retelling the story when the question asks for the message

    Students write the events they know instead of answering 'what did the Buddha teach'.

    Wrong working

    Kisa Gotami's son died, she went to neighbours, then a man sent her to the Buddha, then she went to houses...

    Right working

    The Buddha taught that death is common to all, grief brings no peace, and acceptance brings calm; Kisa Gotami's search is the proof.

    Do this: Lead with the message, then use only the events that support it.

    Usually costs: 2-3 marks of the 3 content marks in a 6-mark answer.

  • Mistake: Writing far beyond the word limit

    Students add the whole sermon to a 3-mark answer.

    Wrong working

    A 90-word answer to a 40-50 word question, repeating every simile.

    Right working

    Three focused points in about 45 words.

    Do this: Plan three value points and stop when they are made.

    Usually costs: Up to 1 mark for expression.

  • Mistake: Inventing a happy ending

    Students assume the Buddha used a miracle.

    Wrong working

    The Buddha brought her son back to life with the mustard-seed.

    Right working

    The son is never revived; Kisa Gotami comes to accept that death is common to all.

    Do this: Stick to the text: the cure is understanding, not medicine.

    Usually costs: Most of the content marks, as the central idea is lost.

  • Mistake: Misquoting the people's reply

    Quoting from memory reverses the words.

    Wrong working

    The people said, 'the dead are few but the living are many.'

    Right working

    “Alas! the living are few, but the dead are many.”

    Do this: Learn short quotations exactly or paraphrase instead.

    Usually costs: Up to 1 mark for accuracy.

The Sermon at Benares: previous year questions

  • Asked in 4 of the 21 board papers we hold (2023 to 2026), on average 1.7 marks per paper; 4 questions in all, counting OR alternatives. In 0 of 4 sample papers.

Counted from the real papers on our previous year papers page, not estimated. Average marks are over every board paper we hold, with an OR pair counted once. Chapter tags are ours.

Solved board questions from The Sermon at Benares

Real questions from recent papers. Try each one first, then open our step-by-step solution with marks per step.

2025, set 2/6/1, Q8 · 12 marks · Long answer

Answer any four of the following five questions in about 40-50 words.

  1. (i)

    "Not from weeping or from grieving will anyone obtain peace of mind; on the contrary his pain will be greater and his body will suffer."
    Validate this preaching of Buddha with reference to the story 'A Sermon at Benares'. (A Sermon at Benaras)

    3 marks
  2. (ii)

    'The Ball Poem' deals with the undertones of loss and responsibility. How is the poem very relatable to our lives and what important message/s do we learn from it? (The Ball Poem)

    3 marks
  3. (iii)

    The story, 'Mijbil the Otter', has it all - emotions, humour, certain surprising incidents and the freshness of a new and unique type of story. Explain how Maxwell has highlighted these in his story. (Mijbil - The Otter)

    3 marks
  4. (iv)

    "He was not falling headlong now. He was soaring gradually downwards and outwards, he was no longer afraid." Describe the young seagull's feelings, emotions and experiences, just before this moment. (Two Stories about Flying)

    3 marks
  5. (v)

    The idea of beauty is a one-dimensional cultural conception or one that has been created by human beings themselves. Comment on the statement with reference to the conventional ideas of beauty in the poem 'For Anne Gregory'. (For Anne Gregory)

    3 marks
Try it first, then show our solutionSolution

  1. (i) Buddha says that grief and weeping bring no peace. They only increase pain and make a person sick and pale. In the sermon, Kisa Gotami learns that death comes to every house, so one who seeks peace should pull out the arrow of lamentation and accept the truth.

    3 marks

  2. (ii) The poem shows a boy's grief at losing his ball. It teaches him his first lesson in responsibility. Everyone suffers losses, and we learn that nothing material is permanent. Money cannot replace the feeling of loss, but one must accept it and move on.

    3 marks

  3. (iii) Maxwell writes with emotion about his bond with Mijbil, who slept entangled with him, and his sadness at seeing him bleeding in the cage. There is humour in Mijbil splashing in the bathroom and causing chaos on the plane. People mistook him for a walrus or a squirrel. Mijbil also invented his own games, which keeps the story fresh.

    3 marks

  4. (iv) The young seagull was terrified of his first flight and of the vast sea below. He doubted that his wings would hold him. His family had left him alone. He stayed staring, hungry, because he could not fly to get food. Then, pushed by his mother's food and his own hunger, he leapt and found he could glide.

    3 marks

Answer: Any four sub-parts answered; (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) are shown above.

Where the marks are

  • Each sub-part: two relevant value points (2 marks) and expression (1 mark), 3 marks each for any four

See it in the full 2025 board paper, set 2/6/1

2023, set 2/1/1, Q10(b) · 6 marks · Long answer

Answer any one of the following questions in 100-120 words : Through the story of Kisa Gotami, what did the Buddha try to preach to the common man ?

Try it first, then show our solutionSolution

  1. Kisa Gotami's only son died. She could not accept it and went from door to door asking for medicine to revive him.

    1 mark

  2. She approached the Buddha, who asked her to bring a handful of mustard seeds from a house where no one had ever died.

    1 mark

  3. She found no such house, as every family had lost someone. She was disappointed, and as she watched the city lights flicker she realised that death is inevitable.

    1 mark

  4. The Buddha thus taught the common man that death comes to all and must be accepted. Grief should give way to understanding.

    1 mark

  5. The answer is well structured and fluent.

    1 mark

  6. The grammar and spelling are accurate.

    1 mark

Answer: The Buddha taught that death is universal and inevitable, and one must accept it.

Where the marks are

  • Content: Kisa's grief, mustard seed condition, no such house, realisation of death's inevitability (3 marks)
  • Expression (2 marks)
  • Accuracy (1 mark)

See it in the full 2023 board paper, set 2/1/1

Every The Sermon at Benares question, by year

2025

Set 2/6/1: Q8 (12 marks, solved)

2023

Set 2/1/1: Q10(b) (6 marks, solved)

Set 2/5/1: Q10(b) (6 marks, solved)

Set 2/6/1: Q8 (12 marks, solved)

Practice questions on The Sermon at Benares

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

  1. Q1 · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

    Who directed Kisa Gotami to the Buddha, and what did she ask the Buddha for? Answer in 40-50 words.

    Hint

    Think of the man who could not give medicine himself but knew someone who could.

    Answer

    Value points:

    • A man said he could not give medicine but knew a physician who could.
    • He sent her to Sakyamuni, the Buddha.
    • She called the Buddha Lord and Master and begged for medicine to cure her boy.

    Model answer: After her neighbours failed her, a man said he could not give medicine for her child but knew a physician who could. He sent her to Sakyamuni, the Buddha. She cried to the Buddha, calling him Lord and Master, and begged for medicine to cure her boy.

  2. Q2 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

    After his enlightenment, Siddhartha renamed the peepal tree the Bodhi Tree, which means:
    (a) Tree of Life
    (b) Tree of Wisdom
    (c) Tree of Peace
    (d) Tree of Benares

    Hint

    Bodhi is linked to the word 'Buddha', the Awakened or Enlightened.

    Answer

    (b) Tree of Wisdom

  3. Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    How does the Buddha's own life story, given at the start of the chapter, prepare us for the way he teaches Kisa Gotami? Answer in 40-50 words.

    Hint

    How did the prince himself first learn about suffering: by being told, or by seeing?

    Answer

    Value points:

    • Prince Siddhartha was shielded from suffering.
    • He was moved by a sick man, an aged man, a funeral procession and a monk.
    • He then sought enlightenment about sorrow.
    • Inference: Kisa Gotami too learns by witnessing others' suffering, so his method echoes his own awakening.

    Model answer: Siddhartha, once shielded from suffering, was moved when he saw a sick man, an aged man, a funeral procession and a monk. He then sought enlightenment about sorrow. Like him, Kisa Gotami learns by witnessing others' suffering, so his method echoes his own awakening.

  4. Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Explain the image of the city lights that Kisa Gotami watches by the wayside. How does it change her thinking? Answer in 40-50 words.

    Hint

    Lights flicker up and are extinguished; what else does the text say flickers up and goes out?

    Answer

    Value points:

    • Weary and hopeless, she watches lights flicker up and go out until darkness reigns.
    • She sees that human lives too flicker up and are extinguished.
    • Her personal sorrow becomes an understanding of the fate of all.

    Model answer: Sitting weary by the wayside, Kisa Gotami watched city lights flicker up and go out until darkness reigned. She saw that human lives too flicker up and are extinguished. This image turned her personal sorrow into an understanding of the fate of all people.

  5. Q5 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level

    Assertion (A): Kisa Gotami could not bring the Buddha the handful of mustard-seed he asked for.
    Reason (R): The people she visited refused to give her any mustard-seed.
    (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
    (b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
    (c) A is true but R is false.
    (d) A is false but R is true.

    Hint

    What did the people actually say when she asked for seed?

    Answer

    (c) A is true but R is false. The people pitied her and offered the seed, but every house had lost a loved one, so it did not meet the Buddha's condition.

  6. Q6 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    What does the Buddha mean by 'draw out the arrow of lamentation'? Answer in 40-50 words.

    Hint

    An arrow left in the body keeps hurting. What is the arrow here?

    Answer

    Value points:

    • Grief is compared to an arrow stuck in the body that keeps hurting.
    • Lamentation and complaint only make the mourner sick and pale.
    • Drawing it out means letting go of sorrow, becoming composed and finding peace of mind.

    Model answer: The Buddha compares grief to an arrow stuck in the body: it keeps hurting while it remains. Lamentation and complaint only make the mourner sick and pale. Pulling the arrow out means letting go of sorrow, becoming composed and finding peace of mind.

  7. Q7 · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

    The Buddha teaches Kisa Gotami not by preaching but by making her discover the truth. Discuss the Buddha as a teacher and say what teachers today can learn from him. Answer in 100-120 words.

    Hint

    Look at what he does not do when she begs for medicine, and at the task he sets instead.

    Answer

    Value points:

    • Patient and wise: does not scold her or argue that her son is dead.
    • Sets a simple-looking task: mustard-seed from a house with no death.
    • She accepts in joy; house after house teaches her that death is common to all.
    • Truth found for oneself lasts.
    • The sermon then explains with similes why the wise do not grieve.
    • Lesson for teachers: discovery through activity, respect for feelings, explanation after understanding begins.

    Model answer: The Buddha is a patient and wise teacher. When Kisa Gotami begs for medicine, he neither scolds her nor argues that her son is dead. Instead he gives her a simple task: bring mustard-seed from a house where no one has lost a loved one. The task looks easy, so she accepts it in joy. But house after house teaches her that death is common to all. She reaches the truth herself, which makes it lasting. The sermon that follows explains, through similes of ripe fruits and earthen vessels, why the wise do not grieve. Modern teachers can learn from this: let students discover ideas through activity, respect their feelings, and explain after understanding begins.

  8. Q8 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

    Suppose, years later, Kisa Gotami meets a friend who has just lost her father. What might she tell her friend from her own experience? Answer in 40-50 words.

    Hint

    Use both her discovery at the houses and the Buddha's words on weeping.

    Answer

    Value points:

    • Weeping will not bring the dead back and only harms the mourner.
    • She once thought her grief was hers alone.
    • Every house showed her that death is common to all, so no one grieves alone.

    Model answer: She might say that weeping will not bring the dead back and only harms the mourner. She might also share that she once thought her grief was hers alone, until every house showed her that death is common to all, so no one grieves alone.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

  1. 1.What did Kisa Gotami's neighbours say when she asked for medicine?Show answer

    “She has lost her senses. The boy is dead.”

  2. 2.What name did the man use for the Buddha when he guided her?Show answer

    Sakyamuni, the Buddha.

  3. 3.What exactly did the Buddha ask her to bring?Show answer

    A handful of mustard-seed from a house where no one had lost a child, husband, parent or friend.

  4. 4.Where did the Buddha preach his first sermon?Show answer

    At Benares, most holy of the dipping places on the River Ganges.

  5. 5.What did Kisa Gotami watch when she sat by the wayside?Show answer

    The lights of the city flickering up and being extinguished again.

  6. 6.Name the three comparisons the Buddha uses for mortals.Show answer

    Ripe fruits in danger of falling, earthen vessels that end in being broken, and an ox led to the slaughter.

  7. 7.Why do the wise not grieve?Show answer

    Because they know the terms of the world: it is afflicted with death and decay.

  8. 8.What does weeping do to the mourner, according to the Buddha?Show answer

    His pain becomes greater, his body suffers and he grows sick and pale, yet the dead are not saved.

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

  • Can you list the four sights that moved Prince Siddhartha, in order?
  • Can you explain why the Buddha asked for mustard-seed instead of giving a lecture?
  • Can you say what the people offered Kisa Gotami and why it was not enough?
  • Can you explain the city lights image and what she realised from it?
  • Can you explain why she called herself selfish in her grief?
  • Can you name the sermon's three similes and what they show?
  • Can you explain 'draw out the arrow of lamentation' in one sentence?
  • Can you list the five themes: universal death, selfishness, acceptance, experience, compassion?

The Sermon at Benares: frequently asked questions

Why did the Buddha ask Kisa Gotami for mustard-seed?

Mustard-seed was easy to find in any home, but he added that it must come from a house where no one had lost a loved one. No such house existed. We can infer that he wanted her to discover for herself, by meeting grieving families, that death comes to everyone.

Who wrote The Sermon at Benares?

No single author is named in the textbook. The lesson gives a short account of the Buddha's life and his first sermon, which has been preserved. The source is given as Betty Renshaw's Values and Voices: A College Reader (1975).

Why did Kisa Gotami call herself selfish in her grief?

She realised that death is common to all and that every family had lost someone. She had been so lost in her own sorrow that she saw it as hers alone. Recognising the shared nature of grief made her see her own selfishness.

What does 'the arrow of lamentation' mean?

The Buddha compares grief, complaint and weeping to an arrow stuck in the body. As long as it stays in, it keeps hurting. Drawing it out means letting go of lamentation so that the person becomes composed and finds peace of mind.

What similes does the Buddha use in the sermon?

He compares mortals to ripe fruits in danger of falling and to the potter's earthen vessels that all end up broken. He also says people are carried off by death like an ox led to the slaughter. All three show that death is natural, certain and beyond human control.

Where did the Buddha preach his first sermon?

He preached it at Benares, described as the most holy of the dipping (bathing) places on the River Ganges. This was after he gained enlightenment under the peepal tree, which he renamed the Bodhi Tree.

Based on: CBSE English Language and Literature syllabus 2026-27; NCERT First Flight (Reprint 2026-27), The Sermon at Benares