Access to the AP Board Solutions Class 10 English First Flight 8th Lesson The Sermon at Benares Questions and Answers are aligned with the curriculum standards.
The Sermon at Benares AP 10th Class English First Flight 8th Lesson Questions and Answers
Thinking about the Text
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 visited many houses carrying her dead child. She asked them medicines. She did not get any. There are no medicines to bring back the dead to life. People said that she had lost her senses.
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:
Kisa Gotami spoke to the Buddha. Then she visited all those houses again. On the advice of the Buddha she asked for a handful of mustard seeds. She did not get them too. For, there was an attached condition. Those mustard seeds must be from a house that has not seen death so far. Can there be a house that death has not visited ?
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:
Kisa Gotami understood that Death is common to all. She also realised that she had been very selfish and senseless in her grief. Yes, this was what the Buddha wanted her to understand.
Question 4.
Why do you think Kisa Gotami understood this only the second time? In what way did the Buddha change her understanding?
Answer:
Kisa Gotami was grief-stricken. In that intense sorrow, she lost her logical thinking power. She was blinded by her sadness. The Buddha first filled her mind with hope. Then he drove her to reason tactfully. He asked her to get a handful of mustard seeds from a home in which death has never put her foot. Yes, wisdom dawned on her as the Buddha wanted it to be.
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:
The idea of ‘selfishness’ can be interpreted in multiple ways. Normally, people relate to ‘material possessions’. Here it refers to ‘owning the other person for long’. It could also mean ‘remaining happy forever’. Yes, I do agree with Kisa Gotami being ‘selfish in her grief.
Thinking about Language
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:
a) give thee medicine for thy child = give you medicine for your child.
b) pray tell me = I request you to tell me.
c) Kisa repaired to the Buddha = Kisa went to the Buddha.
d) There was no house but someone had died in it = In every house someone had died. OR There was no house in which someone had not died.
e) kinsmen = relatives
f) Mark ! = notice; observe; see
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 0) or a dash (—) to combine two clauses.
She has no interest in music; 1 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:
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. (OR – Living beings are of such a nature.) The sentence with semicolons has better rhythm than the three simple sentences.
Speaking
The Buddha’s sermon is over 2500 years old. Given below are two recent texts on the topic of grief. Read the texts, comparing them with each other and with the Buddha’s sermon. Do you think the Buddha’s ideas and way of teaching continue to hold meaning for us? Or have we found better ways to deal with grief? Discuss this in groups or in class.
I. A Guide to Coping with the Death of a Loved One
Martha is having difficulty sleeping lately and no longer enjoys doing things with her friends. Martha lost her husband of 26 years to cancer a month ago. Anya, age 17, doesn’t feel like eating and spends the days in her room crying. Her grandmother recently died. Both of these individuals are experiencing grief.
Grief is an emotion natural to all types of loss or significant change.
Feelings of Grief
Although grief is unique and personal, a broad range of feelings and behaviours are commonly experienced after the death of a loved one.
- Sadness: This is the most common, and it is not necessarily manifested by crying.
- Anger: This is one of the most confusing feelings for a survivor. There may be frustration at not being able to prevent the death, and a sense of not being able to exist without the loved one.
- Guilt and Self-reproach: People may believe that they were not kind enough or caring enough to the person who died, or that the person should have seen the doctor sooner.
- Anxiety: An individual may fear that she/he won’t be able to care for herself/himself.
- Loneliness: There are reminders throughout the day that a partner, family member or friend is gone. For example, meals are no longer prepared the same way, phone calls to share a special moment don’t happen.
- Fatigue: There is an overall sense of feeling tired.
- Disbelief: This occurs particularly if it was a sudden death.
Helping Others Who Are Experiencing Grief
When a friend, loved one, or co-worker is experiencing grief—how can we help? It helps to understand that grief is expressed through a variety of behaviours. Reach out to others in their grief, but understand that some may not want to accept help and will not share their grief. Others will want to talk about their thoughts and feelings or reminisce. Be patient and let the grieving person know that you care and are there to support him or her.
II. Good Grief
Amitai Etzioni
Soon after my wife died her car slid off an icy road in 1985 a school psycholo-gist warned me that my children and I were not mourning in the right way. We felt angry; the proper first stage, he said, is denial. In late August this year, my 38-year-old son, Michael, died suddenly in his sleep, leaving behind a 2-year-old son and a wife expecting their next child.
There is no set form for grief, and no ‘right’ way to express it. There seems to be an expectation that, after a great loss, we will progress systematically through the well-known stages of grief. It is wrong, we are told, to jump to anger — or to wallow too long in this stage before moving towards acceptance.
But I was, and am, angry. To make parents bury their children is wrong; to have both my wife and son taken from me, for forever and a day, is cruel beyond words. A relative from Jerusalem, who is a psychiatrist, brought some solace by citing the maxim: ‘We are not to ask why, but what.’
The ‘what’ is that which survivors in grief are bound to do for one another. Following that advice, my family, close friends and I keep busy, calling each other and giving long answers to simple questions like, “How did your day go today?” We try to avoid thinking about either the immediate past or the bereft future.
We take turns playing with Max, Michael’s two-year-old son. Friends spend nights with the young widow, and will be among those holding her hand when the baby is born. Focusing on what we do for one another is the only consolation we can find.
Answer:
The Buddha’s ideas and way of teaching continue hold more meaning even today – after 2700 years. What the Buddha did was help the sufferer gain hope first and then lead the victim on to the path to victory over grief on his / her own. That method made miracles. The result was instant, effective and lasting.
There was no theorizing, analyses or pomposity of words. On the other hand, the modern efforts are different but definitely better. See the first text. It struggles to name the emotions and their order. Its efficacy is not evident. As to the second text, it offends the aggrieved. The Buddha’s method ensured comfort and consolation. The modern techniques complicate the issue in such a way that confusion gets confounded. Old is, here, certainly gold.
Writing
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.
Question 1.
Teaching someone to understand a new or difficult idea
Answer:
Teaching is both an art and science. It is the most enjoyable of all professions. When practised in the right earnest way it showers joy boundless on the taught and the teacher. ‘I touch their (learners’) hearts and therefore I am their teacher’. ‘I cannot teach anyone anything; I can only make them think’. These are the golden guidelines one needs to remember and cultivate to grow and glow gloriously as a teacher.
And teaching a difficult idea is a challenge that opens opportunities umpteen. One must remember the fundamental duty of a teacher – to facilitate learning; not to dump piles of information. Here, one must recollect the fact that each individual has divine spark within that awaits awakening. The teacher’s role is just to awaken the dormant potential.
Here, the Buddha offers an excellent model. He did not teach her anything. First he filled in her hope and thereby confidence. Then he directed her onto the path of discovery on her own. The method worked. The desired result was instant. Hence, the teacher needs to orient the learner from what is known to him/her to what is to be known. The result will amaze everyone.
Question 2.
Helping each other to get over difficult times
Answer:
Sharing is caring. Sharing begins the magical process of helping each other. Share sorrow, it gets divided. Share joy, it gets multiplied. How big a problem may look, collective and concerted efforts condense it to such a small level, that getting over it becomes cake walk.
Man is a social animal. Sociability encourages exchanging pleasures as well as pains. When multiple hands come together, ideas flood, ways crowd, energy levels expand and work to be done dwindles into a dwarf. As illustrated innumerable times, the value of helping each other to get over difficulties is immeasurable. Be it physical, intellectual, spiritual, psychological, emotional or economical idifficulty coming together builds confidence, promotes competence and ensures success !
Question 3.
Thinking about oneself as unique, or as one among billions of others
Answer:
Thinking oneself as unique has multiple advantages. It promotes confidence levels. It helps one dream high. It encourages one to tread the road not taken. It drives one into a leader’s role. The coin has the other side too !
Thinking oneself as unique may make one overconfident and arrogant.
Once the symptoms appear it is better to think oneself as one among billions of others. Such thinking puts one’s ego in limits and leads that person to cultivate humility, a noble trait one needs to cultivate consciously and consistently.
The golden rule, however, is that there is no golden rule.
Hence, either of the above two stands holds good in a relevant context. What successful people do is that they adopt the stand that suits the prevailing situation.
Activity
Use a dictionary or ask for your teacher’s help as you discuss the following questions in groups.
Question 1.
What is a sermon? Is it different from a lecture or a talk? Can this word also be used in a negative way or as a joke (as in “my mother’s sermon about getting my work done on time…”)?
Answer:
A ‘sermon’ is a lecture on religious or moral topics. It is more profound in its content than a normal lecture or topic. Yes. The word ‘sermon’ is used in a negative sense as shown in the example.
Question 2.
Find out the meanings of the words and phrases given in the box.
Answer:
afflicted with : subjected to suffering, pain, sorrow
be composed : stay cool and balanced even in tough times
desolation : intense sorrow
lamentation : expression of sorrow
procure : get; collect; gather
be subject to : get exposed to
Question 3.
Have you heard of the Sermon on the Mount? Who delivered it? Who do you think delivered a sermon at Benares ?
Answer:
Yes. I heard of it. The sermon on the Mount was delivered by Jesus of Nazarath. The sermon at Benares was delivered by the Buddha (Goutama Buddha).
Additional Questions :
I. Read the following passage carefully.
GAUTAMA Bfddha (563 B.C. – 483 B.C.) began life as a prince named Siddhartha Gautama, in northern India. At twelve, he was sent away for schooling in the Hindu sacred scriptures and four years later he returned home to marry a princess. They had a son and lived for ten years as befitted royalty.
At about the age of twenty-five, the Prince, heretofore shielded from the sufferings of the world, while out hunting chanced upon a sick man, then an aged man, then a funeral procession, and finally a monk begging for alms. These sights so moved him that he at once went out into the world to seek enlightenment concerning the sorrows he had witnessed.
He wandered for seven years and finally sat down under a peepal tree, where he vowed to stay until enlightenment came. Enlightened after seven days, he renamed the tree the Bodhi Tree (Tree of Wisdom) and began to teach and to share his new understandings. At that point he became known as the Buddha (the Awakened or the Enlightened).
The Buddha preached his first sermon at the city of Benares, most holy of the dipping places on the River Ganges; that sermon has been preserved and is given here. It reflects the Buddha’s wisdom about one inscrutable kind of suffering.
Now, answer the following questions. 5 × 2=10
Question 1.
What was Siddhartha Gautama’s initial name before he became known as the Buddha?
Answer:
Siddhartha
Question 2.
What event prompted Siddhartha Gautama to leave his royal life and seek enlightenment?
Answer:
Witnessing a monk begging for alms
Question 3.
Where did Siddhartha Gautama vow to stay until he attained enlightenment?
A) Under a mango tree
B) Under a peepal tree
C) Under a palm tree
Answer:
B) Under a peepal tree
Question 4.
What did Siddhartha Gautama rename the tree under which he attained enlightenment?
A) Wisdom Tree
B) Enlightenment Tree
C) Bodhi Tree
Answer:
C) Bodhi Tree
Question 5.
Where did the Buddha preach his first sermon?
A) Kolkata
B) Varanasi (Benares)
C) Delhi
Answer:
B) Varanasi (Benares)
II. Read the following passage carefully.
Kisa Gotami repaired to the Buddha and cried, “Lord and Master, give me the medicine that will cure my boy.” The Buddha answered, “I want a handful of mustardseed.” And when the girl in her joy promised to procure it, the Buddha added, “The mustard-seed must be taken from a house where no one has lost a child, husband, parent or friend.”
Poor Kisa Gotami now went from house to house, and the people pitied her and said, “Here is mustard- seed; take it!” 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.” And there was no house but some beloved one had died in it.
Now, answer the following questions. 5 × 2=10
Question 1.
What did Kisa Gotami ask the Buddha for?
Answer:
Medicine for her boy
Question 2.
What condition did the Buddha set for the mustard seed that Kisa Gotami needed?
Answer:
It had to be taken from a house where no one had experienced loss.
Question 3.
Why did peoplp offer mustard seed to Kisa Gotami ?
A) Because they wanted to help her
B) Because they had an abundance of mustard seed
C) Because they were following the Buddha’s orders
Answer:
A) Because they wanted to help her
Question 4.
Why were people unable to provide Kisa Gotami with the mustard seed she sought?
A) Because they didn’t have mustard seed
B) Because they were unwilling to help her
C) Because they had experienced loss in their families
Answer:
C) Because they had experienced loss in their families
Question 5.
What did Kisa Gotaml realize as she went from house to house seeking mustard seed?
A) That mustard seed was hard to find
B) That people were unkind
C) That death is a common human experience
Answer:
C) That death is a common human experience
III. Read the following passage carefully.
Kisa Gotami became weary and hopeless, and sat down at the wayside watching the lights of the city, as they flickered up and were extinguished again. At last the darkness of the night reigned everywhere. And she considered the fate of men, that their lives flicker up and are extinguished again.
And she thought to herself, “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.”
The Buddha said, “The life of mortals in this world is troubled and brief and combined with pain. For there is not any means by which those that have been born can avoid dying; after reaching old age there is death; of such a nature are living beings.
As ripe fruits are early in danger of falling, so mortals when born are always in danger of death. As all earthen vessels made by the potter end in being broken, so is the life of mortals. Both young and adult, both those who are fools and those who are wise, all fall into the power of death; all are subject to death.
Now, answer the following questions. 5 × 2 = 10
Question 1.
What realization did Kisa Gotami come to as she sat by the wayside?
Answer:
That death is inevitable for everyone
Question 2.
What did Kisa Gotami understand about death and selfishness?
Answer:
That everyone experiences death
Question 3.
According to the Buddha, what is the nature of mortal life in this world?
A) Joyful and eternal
B) Troubled, brief, and combined with pain
C) Free from suffering and pain
Answer:
B) Troubled, brief, and combined with pain
Question 4.
How does the Buddia illustrate the inevitability of death?
A) By comparing it to the end of a day
B) By comparing it to the breaking of earthen vessels
C) By comparing it to the extinguishing of lights
Answer:
B) By comparing it to the breaking of earthen vessels
Question 5.
Who does the Buddha suggest are subject to death?
A) Only the fools
B) Only the wise
C) Both the young and the old, fools and wise
Answer:
C) Both the young and the old, fools and wise
IV. Read the following passage carefully.
Poor Kisa Gotami now went from house to house, and the people pitied her and said, “Here is mustardseed; take it!” 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.” And there was no house but some beloved one had died in it.
Kisa Gotami became weary and hopeless, and sat down at the wayside watching the lights of the city, as they flickered up and were extinguished again. At last the darkness of the night reigned everywhere. And she considered the fate of men, that their lives flicker up and are extinguished again.
And she thought to herself, “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.”
Now, answer the following questions. 5 × 2 = 10
Question 1.
What did the people say when Gotami asked them whether a son or daughter a father or mother had not died in their house?
Answer:
All the people told Gotami that the living were few and the dead were more in their families. Moreover they requested her not to remind them of their deepest grief.
Question 2.
What realisation did Kisa Gotami arrive at eventually ?
Answer:
Kisa Gotami eventually realised that death is common to all. On this mortal and miserable earth only those who can sacrifice his selfishness completely can attain immortality.
Question 3.
Why did Kisa Gotami become weary and hopeless ?
A) because she was unable to find a house in which some beloved one had not died
B) because she found many houses in which no one beloved had died
C) because she was unable to find a house which could give mustard-seed though many people had died in their family
Answer:
A) because she was unable to find a house in which some beloved one had not died
Question 4.
What did Kisa Gotami understand from the flickering and extinguishing lights of the city ?
A) Unlike the lights the lives of the people ceaselessly live on this earth.
B) Like the lights of the city the lives of the people flicker up and are extinguished again.
C) Like the lights of the city the lives of the people of the city are never extinguished.
Answer:
B) Like the lights of the city the lives of the people flicker up and are extinguished again.
Question 5.
In accordance with her realisation who could attain ‘immortality’?
A) one who always worships God
B) one who is always selfish
C) one who has surrendered all selfishness
Answer:
C) one who has surrendered all selfishness
V. Read the following passage carefully.
The Buddha said, “The life of mortals in this world is troubled and brief and combined with pain. For there is not any means by which those that have been born can avoid dying; after reaching old age there is death; of such a nature are living beings.
As ripe fruits are early in danger of falling, so mortals when born are always in danger of death. As all earthen vessels made by the potter end in being broken, so is the life of mortals. Both young and adult, both those who are fools and those who are wise, all fall into the power of death; all are subject to death.
Now, answer the following questions. 5 × 2 = 10
Question 1.
According to the Buddha, how is the life of mortals in this world?
Answer:
According to the Buddha, the life of mortals in this world is troubled, brief and combined with pain.
Question 2.
Why are all the people in this world destined to die according to the Buddha ?
Answer:
because there is no means by which one can avoid dying
Question 3.
“…. of such a nature are living beings.” What is the nature of living beings ? ( )
A) All are subject to death.
B) Only those who are old are destined to die
C) All the living beings are immortal.
Answer:
A) All are subject to death.
Question 4.
The life of mortals is compared to – $\qquad$
A) the ripe fruits
B) the pots
C) both A & B
Answer:
C) both A & B
Question 5.
If God is supposed to be the creator of all this universe, nature and human beings, then God is compared to …. in this passage.
A) The Buddha
B) The potter
C) The earthen vessels
Answer:
B) The potter
VI. Read the following passage carefully.
“Of those who, overcome by death, depart from life, a father cannot save his son, nor kinsmen their relations. Mark! while relatives are looking on and lamenting deeply, 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.
“Not from weeping nor from grieving will anyone obtain peace of mind; on the contrary, his pain will be the greater and his body will suffer. He will make himself sick and pale, yet the dead are not saved by his lamentation.
He who seeks peace should draw out the arrow of lamentation, and complaint, and grief. He who has drawn out the arrow and has become composed will obtain peace of mind; he who has overcome all sorrow will become free from sorrow, and be blessed.”
Now, answer the following questions. 5 × 2 = 10
Question 1.
What advice does the passage offer regarding grief and lamentation?
Answer:
It suggests that grieving intensifies pain and suffering.
Question 2.
Why do the wise not grieve?
Answer:
The wise do not grieve because they know the terms of the world that everyone must die one day. They neither weep nor grieve.
Question 3.
How does the passage describe the process of death in relation to loved ones?
A) It compares it to an ox being slaughtered.
B) It compares it to a peaceful transition.
C) It compares it to a joyful reunion.
Answer:
A) It compares it to an ox being slaughtered.
Question 4.
What does the passage suggest about seeking peace of mind?
A) It implies that peace can only be found through constant lamentation.
B) It suggests that peace is unattainable for those who grieve.
C) It advises removing the sources of grief and complaint.
Answer:
C) It advises removing the sources of grief and complaint.
Question 5.
How does the passage characterize the process of overcoming sorrow?
A) As a temporary state of mind
B) As a journey fowards inner peace
C) As an inevitable part of life
Answer:
B) As a journey fowards inner peace
The Sermon at Benares Summary in English
Man is mortal. This is an age-old adage. Accept this fact and peace is thine. If not, suffering and sorrow stay with you. This is the essence of ‘The Sermon at Benares’, delivered by the Buddha to Kisa Gotami. Gautama Buddha ( 563 B.C – 483 B.C), born as a prince in northern India as Siddhartha Goutama, led a royal life until he was twenty five.
He learnt scriptures, married a princess and had a son. Then he went out hunting. Then he saw a sick man, an old man and a funeral procession – all for the first time in his life. Till then he was shielded from all sorrow. He was moved and shocked. He wanted to know more about human suffering. He wandered for seven years.
Then he sat down under a peepal tree. He took an oath to sit there till awakening dawned on him. And enlightenment did descend on him after seven days. He named that tree Bodhi Tree (Tree of Wisdom) and he became popular as the Buddha. He began sharing his wisdom through his sermons. And the first sermon, given here, was believed to have been delivered at Benares, on the banks of the holy Ganges.
Kisa Gotami’s only son died. She was grieved. In that deep shock and sorrow, the girl carried the body of her son to every home and begged for some medicine to cure him. Someone directed her to the Buddha. The monk readily agreed to give her a medicine. He asked her to get a handful of mustard seeds from a home that saw no death.
She tried hard but could not find a home that saw no death. But she then saw the truth. Everyone must meet death sooner or later as ripe fruits fall and earthen pots break into pieces. One who realises this fact enjoys the peace of mind. Neither kings nor warriors can save one from death. Weeping or lamenting can never bring life back. With this, Kisa Gotami was enlightened.
The Sermon at Benares Summary in Telugu
మనిషి అశాశ్వతము. ఇది తరాల నుండి వచ్చే జ్ఞాన గుళిక. ఈ సత్యాన్ని స్వీకరించండి శాంతి (ప్రశాంతత) మీ స్వంతం. కాదంటే బాధ, దుఃఖము నిరంతరం మీ వెంటే ! ఇది గౌతమ బుద్ధుడు బెనారస్లో కీసా గోతమికి అందించిన ప్రబోధ సారం. గౌతమ బుద్ధుడు (563 క్రీ.పూ – 483 క్రీ.పూ) ఉత్తర భారతంలో రాజకుటుంబంలో జన్మించారు. చిన్ననాటి పేరు సిద్ధార్థ గౌతము. గడిపింది రాజ భోగాలతో. ఇరవై అయిదు సంవత్సరాల వరకు రాజభవనంలో సిరిసంపదల మధ్య అందమైన జీవనం. వేదాలు నేర్చుకున్నాడు. ఒక రాకుమారిని పెళ్ళాడాడు.
ఒక బాబుకు తండ్రి అయ్యాడు. అప్పుడు ఒకసారి వేటకు వెళ్ళాడు. దారిలో ఒక రోగిని, ఒక పండు ముదుసలిని, ఒక అంత్యక్రియల ఊరేగింపును చూశాడు – అన్నింటిని తన జీవితంలో తొలిసారి. అప్పటి వరకు అతని కళ్ళల్లో కష్టం, దుఃఖం పడకుండా కాపాడబడ్డాడు. అతను ఆందోళన చెందాడు. కదిలిపోయాడు. మనిషి బాధల గురించి చాలా తెలుసుకోవాలనుకున్నాడు. ఏడు సుదీర్ఘ సంవత్సరాల పాటు సంచార జీవితం గడిపాడు. అప్పుడు ఒక రావిచెట్టు క్రింద కూర్చున్నాడు.
జ్ఞానోదయం అయ్యేంతవరకు అక్కడే, అలానే కూర్చుంటానని ప్రతిన పూనాడు. ఏడు రోజులలో అతను ఆశించిన జ్ఞానోదయం అయింది. ఆ చెట్టుకు అతను ‘బోధి వృక్షము’ (జ్ఞాన వృక్షము) అని నామకరణము చేశాడు. ఇక బుద్ధునిగా అతను పాచుర్యం పొందాడు. తన జ్ఞాన సంపదను ప్రబోధాల రూపంలో పంచసాగాడు. ఇక్కడ ఇవ్వబడిన తొలి ప్రబోధము పవిత్ర గంగానది ఒడ్డున బెనారస్లో ఇవ్వబడిందిగా నమ్ముతారు. కీసా గోతమి ఏకైక కుమారుడు మరణించాడు. చాలా తీవ్ర విచారానికి లోనయింది.
ఆ దిగ్భ్రాంతి, దుఃఖంలో ఆ అమ్మాయి తన పుత్రుడి శవాన్ని మోసుకుంటూ ప్రతి ఇంటికి వెళ్ళి తన కుమారుడికి ఆరోగ్యాన్నందించే మందు ఇవ్వమని అడుగుతుంది. అది విన్న ఒక వ్యక్తి ఆమెను బుద్ధుని వద్దకు వెళ్ళమని తెలుపుతాడు. బుద్ధుడు ఆమె అడిగిన మందు ఇస్తాను అంటాడు. ఒక పిడికెడు ఆవగింజలు తెమ్మంటాడు. మరణం అనేది చూడని ఇంటి నుండి ఆ ఆవగింజలు తెమ్మంటాడు. ఆమె చాలా ప్రయత్నించింది. కానీ మరణం సంభవించని ఇల్లు పట్టుకోలేకపోయింది. కానీ, తద్వారా ఆమె గొప్ప సత్యాన్ని కనుగొన్నది.
ప్రతి ఒక్కరూ ముందో, వెనకో చనిపోవల్సిందే. ఇది పండిన పళ్ళు రాలినంత, చేసిన మట్టికుండలు ముక్కలు అయినంత సహజం. ఇట్టి విషయాన్ని గ్రహించి ఆమోదించగలిగినవారికి మానసిక ప్రశాంతత లభ్యం. రాజులైనా, యుద్ధవీరులైనా ఎవ్వరినీ చావు నుండి తప్పించలేరు. ఏడుపు కాని, విచారం కానీ పోయిన ప్రాణాన్ని తిరిగి తేలేవు. ఈ విషయాలతో కీసా గోతమికి జ్ఞానోదయం అయింది. (విన్న అందరికీ కూడా !)
Glossary
- sermon (n) : religious or moral talk; మత, నైతిక సందేశము; ప్రబోధము
- sacred (adj) : holy, pious; పవిత్ర; religious; మత, దైవ సంబంధ
- scriptures (n-pl) : sacred books, holy works, religious writings; మత పర, పవిత్ర గ్రంథములు
- befitted (adj) : suited; సరిపోయేంతగా; జత కుదిరినట్లు
- royalty (n) : the status of kings; రాజుల హోదా; స్థాయి
- heretofore (adv) : till that point of time; అప్పటివరకు
- shielded (adj) : protected; kept away from; కాపాడబడిన; దూరంగా ఉంచణడిన
- chanced upon : happened to see; చూడటం తటస్థించెను
- funeral (adj) : of or related to death; మృతువుకు సంఙంధించిన
- alms (noun-pl) (ఆమెజ్) : things (food, clothing, money) given as charity; టిక్షము
- enlightenment (n) : a state of high spiritual knowledge; ఆధ్యాత్మికంగా పరిణతి చెందిన స్థితి
- witnessed (v-pt) : saw; చూసెను
- wandered (v-pt) : roamed around; సంచరించెను
- vowed (v-pt) : took an oath; pledged; ప్రతిన పూనెను
- dipping (v+ing) : going into, putting into (water); మునుగుతూ
- inscrutable (adj) : that which is not easy to understand; తేలికగా అర్థం కాని
- thee (pronoun) : you; నీకు [thy (adjective) = your; నీ యొక్క]
- physician (n) : doctor; వైద్యుడు
- epaired (v-pt) : (here) went to; వెళ్ళెను
- but (conjunction) : without; లేకుండా
- weary (adj) : very tired; బాగా అలసిపోయిన
- flickered (v-pt) : shone unsteadily; turned on and off; ఊగిసలాడుతూ వెలిగెను; మలుగుతూ, వెలుగుతూ ఉండెను
- extinguished (v-pt) : lost light; turned off; మలిగెను, కాంతి పోమెను
- reigned (v-pt) ruled; spread; పాలించెను; వ్యాపించెను
- desolation (n) : deep sorrow; తీవ్ర విచారము
- immortality (n) : deathlessness; అమరత్వము, మరణ రాహాత్యము
- surrendered (v-pt) : gave away; ఇచ్చివేసెను; అప్పగించెను; వదులుకొనెను
- mortals (n-pl) : those who would certainly die; మరణము తప్పనివారు
- slaughter (n) : a place where animals are killed; వధశాల
- afflicted with : subjected to suffering; బాధలకు గురియగు
- lamentation (n) : expression of sorrow; crying; దుఃఖము, విచారము
- arrow (n) a projectile; బాణము
- composed (adj) staying calm; నిణ్పరంగా, నిగ్రహంతో ఉన్న