NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 8 The Sermon of Benares

Kisa Gotami’s had only one son and he died. In her grief she went from house to house carrying her dead child asking if she could get some medicine that would cure her child. No, she did not get it because her child was dead and no medicine could bring him back to life.

Someone told her about a person who could her the medicine. He asked her to go to Sakyamuni. There she met the Budha. When she met the Buddha, he asked her to get a handful of mustard seeds from a house where no one had lost a child, husband, parent, or friend. She immediately agreed to his demand. She went from house to house. People were ready to help her by giving mustard seeds but she could not get the mustard seeds because there was not a single house where no one had died in the family.

After listening to everybody’s grief Kisa Gotami realised and understood that death is common to all and she was being selfish in her grief. There was no house where some beloved had not died. Yes, this was what the Buddha wanted her to understand.

Kisa Gotami understood that death is common to all and that she was being selfish in her grief. She understood this only the second time because it was then that she found that there was not a single house where some beloved had not died. Initially she went from house to house in her neighbourhood asking them for help. She was only thinking about her grief and asking for a medicine that would cure her dead son. When she met the Buddha, he asked her to get a handful of mustard seeds from a house where no one had died. He did this purposely to make her realize that there was not a single house where no beloved had died, and that death is natural. When she went to all the houses the second time, she realised that she could not gather the mustard seeds because there was no house where a beloved had not died. Then, when she sat and thought about it, she realized that the fate of men is such that they live and die. Death is common to all. This was what the Buddha had intended her to understand.

Selfishness is preoccupation with I, me and myself. Kisa Gotami was not in a position to think about other people’s grief. It is natural to feel sad over death of near and dear ones. But most people carry on their next responsibility of performing proper last rites of the dead. People seldom carry a dead body in the hope of some miracle happening to that. The family and the society always comes to be with those in hours of grief. But later on the life goes on. But Kisa Gotami was so engrossed in her sorrow that she forgot to think about live members of her family and society.

The “great honey-coloured/Ramparts at your ear” refers to the beautiful yellow coloured hair that falls at the woman’s ear and cover it like a fence around a fort. He says that the young men are “thrown into despair” by them because they look so gorgeous on the woman that her beauty gets methodically improved. The young men fall in love with her and feel despair. He says that it is impossible that someone would love her and not her yellow hair.

The young woman’s hair is of yellow colour. She could have got her hair dyed to brown, black or carrot colour. She would change the colour of her hair so that the young men in gloom would love her only and not her yellow hair. She wanted them to love her for what she was and not for her looks such as her hair colour.

There is no doubt about the qualities of objects. All objects have certain qualities that make them desirable. Some of the objects can be a sofa, a car, a train, etc. one object becomes more desirable because of its worth, utility and stability, cost and durability, helpfulness to life, etc. if we are trying to sell any object, like a mobile, we will keep in mind the above qualities. In addition to this, we can emphasise its condition, colour and battery backup, cost, etc.

It is true that people are not objects. They are living beings with feelings. They have power to think and act. They have wisdom to do what they want. They have life since objects are deprived of such qualities. We should value a man for his self only keeping in view his qualities as well. The poet wants to express here that we cannot separate a man from his characteristics. He explain this with an example that a dancer cannot be separated from dance. But it is possible since time and circumstances have their own role to play in this world. His relations with other living beings, looks, sounds, walks and the other factors also work. Circumstances and luck can make or mar the destiny of a person. Here are many cases where we can see them in a great change. Within years they become so prosperous that none can believe. But a real person maintain his relationship in the most appropriate and desirable way. He never expresses his pride in any case.