The Sermon at Benares Class 10 Questions and Answers
Textbook Questions
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?
जब उसका बेटा मर जाता है, किसा गौतमी एक घर से दूसरे घर जाती है ? वह क्या मांगती है ? क्या उसे मिलता है? क्यों नहीं?
Answer:
When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house in order to ask for medicine for her son. She does not get it as everyone says that she is out of her senses and that her son is dead.
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?
किसा गौतमी फिर से, बुद्धा से बात करने के बाद, घर-घर जाती है। दूसरी बार वह क्या माँगती है ? क्या उसे वह मिलता ?
Answer:
Kisa Gotami again goes from house to house after she speaks with the Buddha in order to get a handful of mustard seeds but this time also she does not get it because the condition for taking the seeds is to get them from that house where nobody had died ever before. She does not get such type of place Everyone tells her that the number of lives are less than the member of deaths.
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 ?
किसा गौतमी ने दूसरी बार क्या समझा जो उसे पहली बार समझ नहीं आया था? क्या बुद्ध उसे यही समझाना चाहते थे?
Answer:
The second time Kisa Gotami understood which she failed to understand the first time that death is common to all and the fate of men is that their lives flicker up and are extinguished. Yes, this was the fact of life which Buddha wanted her to understand and that in this valley of desolation there is a path that leads man to immortality who has surrendered all selfishness.
Question 4.
Why do you think Kisa Gotami understood this only the second time? In what way did the Buddha change her understanding, even while she repeated her earlier activity of asking her neighbours for medicines, by changing the questions that she asked them ?
किसा गौतमी केवल दूसरी बारी में वह क्यों समझ पाई? किस प्रकार बुद्ध ने उसकी समझ बदल दी, जबकि उसने अपनी पहले वाली गतिविधि, दवा माँगने की बजाय अपना प्रश्न बदल कर, पड़ोसियों से दोहराई?
Answer:
Kisa Gotami went to all the neighbours seeking for mustard seeds but she didn’t succeed. Weary and hopeless, she sat down at the wayside watching the lights of city, as they flickered up and were extinguished again. She considered the fate of men with it and understood the reality the second time that death is common to all.
Even though she repeated her earlier activity of asking her neighbours for medicine, by changing the questions asking to give her some mustard seeds but only if no death had taken place before in their family, She did not find a single house where death had not occurred before.
So, she could not get any mustard seeds for her son, Sad and depressed she sat the wayside watching the lights of the city. They flickered up and then extinguished. She got the message. What the Buddha wanted her to understand that our lives also flicker up and are extinguished. Death is common to all. One who is born will die too.
Death is imminent (certain the life of mortals in this world is troubled and brief and combined with pain. For these is not any means by which these who are born can avoid dying and such is the nature of all living beings.
Question 5.
How do you usually understand the idea of selfishness? Do you agree with Kisa Gotami that she is being ‘selfish in her grief?
क्या आप ‘स्वार्थी’ होने का अभिप्राय समझते हैं? क्या आप मानते हैं कि किसा गौतमी अपने दुख और दर्द में स्वार्थी हो गई थी?
Answer:
The idea of selfishness usually means when one thinks about one self only and does not try to understand the reality or think about the interests of others. Kisa Gotami said that she is being selfish in her grief. She was so disturbed and moved by the death of her son that she forgot the actual fact of life that death is common to all and that there is no place or house in this world where there had been no death ever.
Additional questions extract based questions
Answer the questions that follow the extracts in 30-40 words :
1. At about the age of twenty five, the prince, heretofore shielded from the sufferings of the world, while out hunting 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 became a beggar and 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 fig tree, where he vowed to stay until enlightenment came. Enlightened after sever 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).
Question i.
From the given lines what do you understand about the early life of Buddha?
Answer:
Buddha was born as a prince. He was shielded from the sufferings of the world. It was only at the age of twenty five that he learned the realities of life.
Question ii.
How did the prince came to be known as the Buddha?
Answer:
Moved by these sights of a sick man, an aged man, a funeral procession and a begging monk, Prince Siddhartha, went out into the world to seek enlightenment. After seven years of wandering, he sat under a fig tree and got enlightened. Thus he came to be called the Buddha or the Enlightened.
2. 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 mustard seeds.”
Question i.
Why did Kisa Gotami go to the Buddha?
Answer:
Kisa Gotami had an only son, who died. In her grief, she carried the child to all her neighbours asking them for medicine and bring him back to life. Finally a man told her to go to the Buddha.
Question ii.
Why did the Buddha ask Kisa Gotami to bring a handful of mustard seeds?
Answer:
The Buddha asked Kisa Gotami to bring a handful of mustard seeds to enlighten her about the truth of life. He added that she should get the mustard from a house where no death had occurred.
3. The Buddha answered, “I want a handful of mustard seed.” 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.”
Question i.
Why was the girl rejoiced at what Buddha asked her to bring?
Answer:
The girl, Kisa Gotami, had an only son who had died. Desperate to bring him back to life, she sought medicines to all, and finally to the Buddha. When the Buddha told her to bring some mustard seeds, she felt very happy that finally there was some medicine that could cure her son.
Question ii.
What made the Buddha ask Kisa Gotami to bring mustard from a house where no one had died?
Answer:
Kisa Gotami had gone to the Buddha desperately to seek some medicine to cure her son who had died. To teach her the truth of life that humans are mortal, the Buddha told her to bring mustard seeds from a house where no death had occurred.
4. “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.”
Question i.
Why did Kisa Gotami become hopeless?
Answer:
When Kisa Gotami went to the Buddha and sought a medicine to bring back her dead son, the Buddha told her to bring some mustard seeds from a house where no death had occurred. Kisa Gotami went from one house to another seeking mustard. But there was no house where some beloved or other had not died. This made Kisa Gotami hopeless.
Question ii.
What did Kisa Gotami understand as she sat down weary and hopeless?
Answer:
Kisa Gotami considered the fate of men as she sat down weary and hopeless. She understood how selfish she had been in grieving over the death of her son. She realized the truth that death is common to all humans, but there is a path that leads to immortality when they surrender their selfishness.
5. 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.”
Question i.
What did the Buddha teach her when Kisa Gotami went to him the second time?
Answer:
When Kisa Gotami could not get find a house where no one had died, she went back to the Buddha. He taught her the truth of life that all humans are mortal and their life is brief and troubled.
Question ii.
Why did the Budda quote the examples of ripe fruits and earthen vessels?
Answer:
The Buddha wanted to teach Kisa Gotami about the truth of life. He therefore said that just as ripe fruits have the danger of falling, so also humans are in danger of death. Also, he says that humans are like earthen vessels. Just as the vessels break, so also is the life of mortals that end with death.
6. How 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.
Question i.
How can we seek peace, according to the Buddha?
Answer:
We can seek peace by drawing ourselves away from lamentation, complaint and grief. We should be composed and come to overcome our sorrows.
Question ii.
What imagery does the Buddha use to explain man’s overcoming of grief?
Answer:
The Buddha uses the imagery of an arrow, which is like a grief. He explains that the one who draws out the arrow and becomes calm and composed with easily overcome his sorrow.
6. And she thought to herself: “How selfish am I in my grief! Death is common to all; yet in the valley of desolation there is a path that leads him to immortality who has surrendered all selfishness.”
Question i.
Whose thoughts were these? What made her think so?
Answer:
These were the thoughts of Kisa Gotami. She lost her only son and went to the Buddha to seek a medicine to cure her son. The Buddha told her to get a handful of mustard seed from a house where death had not occurred. Gotami could not get such a house. Then she considered the life of humans.
Question ii.
In what way was Gotami selfish?
Answer:
Kisa Gotami had an only son. When he died, she could not contain her grief. She went from one person to another seeking medicine to revive her son. Then she was directed to the Buddha, who told her to bring a handful of mustard seed from a house where no death had occurred. Then she realized that there was no one who had not lost his beloved, that she had been selfish to bring back her dead son.
Short answer type questions
Answer the following questions in about 30-40 words.
Question 1.
What happened to Kisa Gotami’s son ? What did she ask her neighbours to give her ?
Answer:
Kisa Gotami’s only son died but she did not believe it. She thought, he was sick. So, she went to her neighbours to ask for a medicine that would cure her son.
Question 2.
When and where did Gautam Buddha get enlightenment ?
Answer:
He wandered for seven years and finally sat down under a fig tree, where he vowed to stay till he got enlightenment. After seven days, he got enlightenment. He renamed the tree – a ‘Bo tree’ which means a tree of wisdom.
Question 3.
After her son’s death why does Gotami go from house to house?
Answer:
When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house in order to ask for medicine for her son. She does not get it as everyone says that she is out of her senses and that her son is dead.
Question 4.
Which people are referred to as “wise” by the Buddha in his sermons ?
Answer:
Buddha preached in his sermons that everything that is born will come to its end. Death is inevitable: both young and adult or fools and wise are subject to death. But the people who do not grieve knowing the terms of the world are called wise people. Wise people neither weep nor grieve.
Question 5.
Mention the incidents which prompted Prince Siddhartha to become a beggar.
Answer:
Siddhartha while going for hunting saw a sick man, an old man, a funeral procession and a monk begging. This was his first encounter with suffering and grief. It made him sad and he immediately renounced everything.
Question 6.
What sights moved Siddhartha Gautama to seek the path of enlightenment ?
Answer:
While going for hunting Gautam saw a sick man, an old man, a funeral procession and a monk begging. This encounter with the sufferings and grief moved him and he left to seek the path of enlightenment.
Question 7.
To seek peace one has to draw out the arrow of lamentation. State two values projected through the statement.
Answer:
No lamenting can bring someone’s dear and near ones back to life. Neither can they stop one’s death. Lamenting tells upon one’s health. He becomes sick and pale. He loses appetite and interest in life. One has to learn that death is inevitable.
Question 8.
Describe the life of Gautama Buddha before enlightenment.
Answer:
Buddha was earlier a prince and lived in luxury. When he encountered suffering and grief, it made him sad and sorrowful. He, renounced everything and went in search of riddance from suffering. He wandered for seven years. Then, one day, he sat under a fig tree and vowed not to leave till he was enlightened.
Question 9.
Why was Kisa Gotami sad ?
Answer:
Kisa Gotami’s only son had died. She was grief-stricken. Carrying the dead son, she went to all her neighbours to get some medicine that would cure her son. A man sent her to the Buddha who asked her to procure a handful of mustard seeds from a house where no one had died, but she couldn’t find such a house and was thus sad.
Question 10.
Kisa compared human life to an inanimate object. What is it and why does she do so ?
Answer:
Kisa compared human life with the lights of the city which flickered up and then extinguished again and the darkness of the night spreads everywhere. Similarly human life takes birth, flickers up and then extinguished and the darkness of sadness spreads in the life of the remains. She compared so because she was in great grief of the death of his son.
Question 11.
Why was Gautama known as the Buddha ?
Answer:
Gautama sat under a peepal tree until he attained enlightenment. After seven days he got enlightenment and began to teach and share his new understandings. So he came to be known as the Buddha (the Awakened or the Enlightened).
Question 12.
What did Kisa Gotami learn in the end ?
Answer:
Kisa Gotami wandered from house to house to get a handful of mustard seeds but could not find it. She realised that death is common to all. All living beings have to die. She had been selfish in her grief.
Long answer type questions
Answer the following questions in about 100-150 words:
Question 1.
Life is full of trials and tribulations which can be overcome by a human being through his own efforts. Explain with reference to Kisa Gotami’s life. (100-150 words)
Answer:
Distraught at the death of her only son, Kisa Gotami went from one house to another asking desperately for medicine to bring back her son to life. Finally she was sent to the Buddha, who told her to get some mustard from a house where no one had died. As she went from one house to another, she found that there was no house where no one had died.
Then she realized that she had been selfish in her grief and that death is inevitable. When she went back to the Buddha, he preached that humans are mortal; that they face pain and suffering. Just as fruits when ripe, are in danger of falling, so are mortals when born, in danger of death.
Just as all earthen pots get broken, so is the life of mortals. Both young and adult, wise and fool, all fall into the grip of death. A father cannot save his son, nor kinsmen their relations, from death. Thus, there is no use of grieving or lamenting over the death of the near and dear ones.
Question 2.
“The life of mortals in this world is troubled and brief and combined with pain..
“The life of mortals in this world is troubled and brief and combined with pain..With this statement of the Buddha find out the moral value that Kisa Gotami learnt after the death of her child.
Answer:
Kisa Gotami lost her only son. In her grief she carried the dead child to all her neighbours, asking them to provide medicine for her son. A man suggested her to go to Buddha. Buddha asked her to bring a handful of mustard seeds but she should get it from a house where no one had lost any near and dear one. But she could not get any house such as this and hence, was unable to get the mustard seeds.”
Only then Buddha made her understand that life of mortals in this world is troubled and full of grief, and combined with pain. Now, Kisa understood the reality of death. She understood that death is common to all of us. Then she realised the fate of men that their lives flicker up and are extinguished again.
Question 3.
“The world is afflicted with death and decay, therefore the wise do not grieve…” said the Buddha. Expand this thought revising Kisa Gotami’s experience when she asked the Buddha for a solution.
Answer:
When Kisa Gotami went to the Buddha for the medicine to revive her boy, the Buddha told her to procure a handful of mustard seeds from a house where no one had died. Kisa Gotami went from door to door requesting mustard seeds. People pitied her and gave her the seeds.
She then asked them if anyone in the family had died, and they answered that many were dead in the house and it aggrieved them to remember those dead people. She became weary and hopeless after going to several houses, and getting the same response. As she sat wearily she saw the city lights go out, and darkness reigned everywhere.
She finally grasped the Buddha’s underlying meaning. She returned to the Buddha and narrated her experience. Thereafter the Buddha sermonised her that the life of mortals in this world is troubled and painful, and that the world is afflicted with death and decay, and so there is no point in grieving over something which is inescapable.
Question 4.
The Buddha said, “The world is affected with death and decay, therefore, the wise men do not grieve, knowing the terms of the world.”
Do you think the statement is appropriate even for today’s life ? Write your views in the context of the above statement.
Answer:
The above said statement holds true concerning today’s life as well. Buddha said that death is common to all mortals. Those who are born must die one day, Death being certain, can’t be avoided. As ripe fruits fall off the trees, so is the life of mortals. Life of a man is like an earthen pot that breaks and meets its end.
No amount of weeping and lamenting can bring the dead back to life. So, wise men don’t grieve. They understand that it is the law of the world. Weeping and lamenting produce no gains. It rather spoils one’s health and gives more pain. If only you take out the arrow of lamentation and get composed, you will get peace of mind.
To overcome sorrow, become free from sorrow. But in today’s world man has forgotten this. He makes all kinds of efforts to provide himself with the comforts and earns money by all means whether wrong or right. He forgets that one day he has to die and everything will be left here only.
Question 5.
How did Buddha make Kisa Gotami realise about the reality of death ?
Or
How did Gautama Buddha teach Gotami that life is full of pains and sorrows and death comes to all ?
Or
Why does Kisa feel disappointed after going from door to door?
Answer:
Kisa Gotami had only one son and he had died. In her grief she carried her dead son to all her neighbours asking them for medicine. She was thought to be out of her senses. One man suggested her to go to the Buddha. Kisa Gotami went to the Buddha and prayed him to revive her son. The Buddha told her to procure a handful of mustard seeds from a house where no one had lost a child, husband, parent or friend.
Kisa Gotami went from door to door. People pitied her and offered her the seeds. But when she asked them if any one had died in the family they could only answer that they had lost many and they did not want to be reminded of their deepest grief. Kisa Gotami became weary and hopeless and realised that death is common to all.
Question 6.
How did Buddha seek and achieve enlightenment ?
Answer:
Once Gautama went for hunting. On the way he saw a sick man, an old man, a funeral procession and a begging monk. He was filled with sorrow. He renounced everything and went out into the world to seek enlightenment concerning the sorrows he had witnessed. After having wandered for seven years, Buddha sat under a fig tree with a vow not to move from there till he was enlightened. After being enlightened, that took a week’s time, he renamed the tree as Bodhi Tree and began to preach.
Question 7.
Through the story of Kisa Gotami, what did the Buddha try to preach to the common man ?
Answer:
Buddha said that death is common to all mortals. Those who are born must die one day. You cannot avoid it. Death is certain. He taught this, through the story of Kisa Gotami. Kisa was a common woman whose son had died. She could not believe it and carried her son to neighbours requesting them to give her a medicine to cure him.
People thought that she was not in her senses. She approached Buddha. He asked her to procure a handful of mustard seeds and he put a condition that they should be procured from a house where no death has ever taken place. Kisa could not find such a house. She, sad and depressed, sat on the sideways and watched city lights that flickered and extinguished.
It made her realise that human lives flicker and extinguish as well and that death is an unavoidable phenomenon. She thought herself to be selfish for thinking only about her grief.
Question 8.
“As ripe fruits are early in danger of falling, so mortals when born are always in danger of death. 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.”
What did Buddha say about death and suffering ? Explain by giving examples from the text.
Or
“To seek peace one should draw out the arrow of lamentation.”
What do you infer from the Buddha’s statement ?
Answer:
Buddha said that death is common to all mortals. Those who are born must die one day. You cannot avoid it. Death is certain. As ripe fruits fall off the trees and meet an end so do the lives of the mortals. Life of a man is like an earthen pot that breaks and meets its end.
No amount of weeping and lamenting can bring a dead back to life. So, wise men don’t grieve. They understand that it is the law of nature. Also, weeping and lamenting bring no gains. It rather spoils one’s health and gives more pain. If only you take out the arrow of lamentation and get composed you will get peace of mind. To overcome sorrow, become free from sorrow.
Question 9.
What impression do you form of Lord Buddha after reading the lesson, “The Sermon at Benares” ?
Answer:
Buddha was born in North India as a prince and was named Siddhartha. Once he went out for hunting. On the way he saw a sick man, an old man, a funeral procession and a begging monk. He was overcome with grief. He renounced all the pleasures and luxuries offered by royalty and went out into the world to seek enlightenment concerning the sorrows he had witnessed.
After attaining enlightenment, he gave his first sermon at Benares. It reflects his wisdom of suffering. He said life of man is short, full of troubles and pain. Man is like a ripe fruit, the fruit falls and man dies. To get peace of mind, one must overcome sorrow of death and pain and draw out the arrow of lamentation. Buddha was a wise man who tried to make people understand the difficult concept of suffering and death.
Question 10.
What lesson on death and suffering did the Buddha teach Gotami in the chapter. ‘The Sermon at Benaras’?
Answer:
On being asked by Kisa Gotami to save her son from death, the Buddha preached that death and sufferings are integral part of life. Those who have been born, are bound to die one day. Any attempt to avoid this has, since time immemorial, proved futile. Illustrating the ripe fruits and an earthen pot, he proved that everything in this world is to perish one day.
Yet in this valley of desolation, there is a ray of hope that leads to immortality, and that is surrendering all selfishness. Lamenting for the death of some near and dear ones does no good. On the contrary, it spoils your health and adds to your misery. He further says the wise do not grieve over death. Instead, they seek peace of mind through absolute surrender to the almighty.
They practise activities that help them overcome sorrows; and once the sorrow is overcome, they feel blessed in any and every circumstance.
Introduction :
“The Sermon at Benares’ is the first sermon préached by Buddha after becoming enlightened. It is the translation of his original sermon. The sermon reflects Buddha’s wisdom on one of the most difficult subjects – the death’, It tells that death is certain for all. One who is born must die one day. No lamentation can bring him back. Those who overcome sorrow and become composed can get peace of mind.
‘बनारस का उपदेश’ बुद्ध का ज्ञान प्राप्त करने के बाद पहला उपदेश था। यह उनके मूल उपदेश का अनुवाद है। उपदेश सबसे कठिन विषयों में से एक ‘मृत्यु’ पर बुद्ध का ज्ञान प्रदर्शित करता है। यह बताता है कि मृत्यु निश्चित है। जो पैदा होता है वह एक दिन अवश्य मरता है। कोई शोक उसे वापस नहीं ला सकता। जो दुःख पर विजय प्राप्त कर लेते हैं और शान्त हो जाते हैं, उन्हें मानसिक शान्ति प्राप्त हो सकती है।
Complete text with hindi translation :
Text (Pages 133-134):Gautama Buddha (563 BC.483 BC.) 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 age of twenty-five, the Prince, heretofore shielded from the suffering 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 became a beggar and 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 fig tree, where he vowed to stay until enlightenment came. Enlightened after seven days, he renamed the tree the Bo 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 printed here. It reflects the Buddha’s wisdom about one inscrutable kind of suffering.
Vocabulary :
- Sacred scriptures (से क रे ड स्क्रिपचर्स) – Holy, religious writings/books पवित्र किताबें/लेख
- Chanced upon (चान्स्ड अपॉन) – came across by chance अचानक या भाग्यवश सामने आना
- Sermon (सरमन) – religious or moral talk प्रवचन, धर्म-उपदे
- Dipping places (डिपिंग प्लेस) – river ghats where people bathe पवित्र तट जहाँ लोग स्नान करते हैं
अनुवाद : गौतम बुद्ध (563 बी.सी.-483 बी.सी.) ने उत्तरी भारत में एक राजकुमार सिद्धार्थ के रूप में अपना जीवन प्रारम्भ किया। बारह साल की उम्र में, उन्हें हिन्दू धर्म के पवित्र ग्रन्थों की ज्ञान प्राप्ति के लिए भेजा गया और चार वर्षों बाद एक राजकुमारी से विवाह करने घर लौटे। उनका एक पुत्र हुआ और वह दस वर्षों तक राजसी ठाठ से रहे। पच्चीस वर्ष की आयु में, राजकुमार ने, जो कि संसार के दुखों से बचाकर रखे गए थे, एक बार शिकार करने के दौरान एक बीमार व्यक्ति, फिर एक बूढ़े व्यक्ति और फिर एक अतिम यात्रा और अंततः एक भिक्षु को भिक्षा मांगते हुए देखा।
इन दृश्यों से इतने प्रभावित हुए कि वे उसी समय एक भिक्षु बनकर संसार में उन पीड़ायों जिन्हें उन्होंने देखा था के निवारण के हेतु ज्ञान प्राप्ति के लिए निकल पड़े। वे सात वर्षों तक भटकते रहे और अंत में एक गूलर के वृक्ष के नीचे बैठ गए, जहाँ उन्होंने व्रत लिया कि वह तब तक बैठे रहेंगे जब तक उनका ज्ञानादोय नहीं हो जाता। ज्ञानोदय सात दिन पश्चात् हुआ। उन्होंने उस वृक्ष का नाम बो वृक्ष अर्थात् ज्ञान का वृक्ष रखा और शिक्षा और अपनी नई प्राप्तियाँ बाँटनी प्रारम्भ कर दी। उस समय वह बुद्ध के नाम से जाने गए।
बुद्ध ने अपना प्रथम धर्मोपदेश बनारस नगरी जो कि गंगा नदी का सबसे पवित्र तट है, में दिया। उस धर्मोपदेश को सरक्षित रखा गया है और यहाँ पर छापा गया है। एक अबोधगम्य प्रकार के दुख/उत्पीड़न/तकलीफ के बारे में बुद्ध के ज्ञान को दर्शाती है।
Text (Page 134) : Kisa Gotami had an only son, and he died. In her grief she carried the dead child to all her neighbours, asking them for medicine, and the people said: “She has lost her senses. The boy is dead.” At length, Kisa Gotami met a man who
replied to her request: “I cannot give thee medicine for thy child, but I know a physician who can.”
And the girl said: “Pray tell me, sir; who is it?” And the man replied, “Go to Salyamuni, the Buddha.”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 mustard seed.” And when the girl in her joy promised to procure it, the Buddha added: “The mustard seeds must be taken from a house where no one has lost a child, husband, parent or friend.”
Vocabulary :
- Physician (फिजिशियन) – Medical consultant, Doctor डॉक्टर
- Repaired (रिपेयर्ड) – Went to को गया
- Procure (प्रोक्योर) – Acquire प्राप्त करना
अनुवाद : किसा गौतमी का केवल एक बेटा था और वह मर गया। अपने दुख में वह अपने मृत बेटे को सभी पड़ोसियों के पास ले गई और उनसे दवा माँगी और लोगों ने कहा, “यह अपनी सुद्ध-बुद्ध खो चुकी है। लड़का मर गया है।”
लंबे समय बाद, किसा गौतमी को एक व्यक्ति भी मिला जिसने उसकी प्रार्थना का जवाब दियाः “मैं तुम्हें तुम्हारे बालक को दवा नहीं दे सकता परंतु मैं एक वैद्य को जानता हूँ जो ऐसा कर सकता है।” और उस लड़की ने कहा: “प्रार्थना करती हूँ, मुझे बताइए, श्रीमान : वह कौन है?” और वह व्यक्ति बोला, “साल्यमुनी बुद्ध के पास जाओ।” किसा गौतमी बुद्ध के पास गई और रोईं, “भगवान् और मालिक, मुझे ऐसी दवा दो जो मेरे पुत्र को ठीक कर दे।”
बुद्ध ने उत्तर दिया: “मुझे एक मुट्ठी सरसों के बीज चाहिए।” और तब लड़की ने खुशी के मारे उन्हें लाने का वचन दिया तो बुद्ध ने आगे कहा, “सरसों के बीज ऐसे घर से आए होने चाहिए जहाँ किसी का बच्चा, पति, माता-पिता या मित्रगण नहीं मरा हो।”
Text (Page 134) : 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: “Alast 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.”
Vocabulary :
- Weary (वियरी) – tired थकी – माँदी
- Flickered up (फ्लीकर्ड अप) – lightening टिमटिमाना
- Reigned (रीन्ड) – dominance शासनकाल
- Valley of desolation (वैली आफ डिसोलेशन) – an area which is filled with deep sorrow दु:ख का स्थान
- Immortality (इम्मोरटेलिटी) – which never dies अनश्वर
अनुवाद : गरीब किसा गौतमी अब एक घर से दूसरे घर गई और लोगों ने उस पर दया दिखाई और कहा: “ये रहे सरसों के बीज ले लो!” परन्तु जब उसने पूछा, “क्या तुम्हारे परिवार में कोई बेटा या बेटी, पिता या माता कोई कभी मरा था?” वे उसको जवाब देते: “ओह! जिंदा कम हैं, परन्तु मृतक कई हैं। हमें हमारे गहरे दुखों की याद मत दिलवाओ।’ और वहाँ कोई ऐसा घर नहीं था जहाँ कोई प्रिय व्यक्ति न मरा हो।
किसा गौतमी थक गई और निराश हो गई और रास्ते के किनारे पर बैठकर शहर की बत्तियों को देखने लगी, जो टिमटिमाती थीं और फिर बुझ जाती थीं। अंत में रात के अंधकार ने चारों तरफ अपना साम्राज्य फैला दिया। और तब उसने मनुष्य की नियती/किस्मत के बारे में विचार किया कि उनका जीवन भी झिलमिलाता है और फिर बुझ जाता है। और फिर उसने अपने आप में सोचा; “मैं अपने दुख में कितनी स्वार्थी हो गई हूँ। मृत्यु सबके लिए समान है; फिर भी इस दुखमय संसार में एक पथ ऐसा है जो उसे सभी स्वार्थों का त्याग करके अनश्वर बनाता है।”
Text (Pages 134-135): The Buddha said: “The life of mortals in this world is troubled and brief and combined with pain. For there is not only 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 “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.”
Vocabulary :
- Mortals (मोरटल्स) – Bound to die नश्वर (मनुष्यों)
- Kinsmen (किन्समन) – Relatives रिश्तेदार
- Lamenting (लेमेटिंग) – expression of sorrow विलाप
- Afflicted with (अपलिक्टेड विद) – affected by sufferings or in pain दुखग्रस्त, पीड़ाग्रस्त
- Slaughter (स्लाटर) – killings वध, हत्या
- Seek (सीक) – find ढूँढते/खोज करते हैं
- Composed (कम्पोज्ड) – calm शांत
अनुवाद : बुद्ध ने कहा : “इस संसार में नश्वरों का जीवन परेशानियों भरा छोटा और पीडा से परिपूर्ण है। क्योंकि कोई भी ऐसा रास्ता नहीं है जिससे कि वो जो पैदा हुआ है वह मरने से बच सके। वृद्धा अवस्था में पहुंचने के पश्चात् मृत्यु है; ऐसी ही जीवों की प्रकृति है। जिस प्रकार पके हुए फलों को हमेशा गिरने का भय रहता है उसी प्रकार नश्वर जो जब पैदा होते हैं उन्हें मृत्यु का भय रहता है। जिस प्रकार कुम्हार द्वारा बनाए गए सभी मिट्टी के पात्रों का अंत टूटने पर ही होता है उसी प्रकार नश्वरों का जीवन है।
दोनों युवा और वयस्क, दोनों वो जो बेवकूफ हैं और वो जो बुद्धिमान हैं, सभी मृत्यु की शक्ति में घिर जाते हैं। सभी मृत्यु के पात्र हैं। वे, जिन पर मृत्यु विजय प्राप्त करती है, जीवन से अलग हो जाते हैं, एक पिता अपने पुत्र को नहीं बचा सकता, ना ही रिश्तेदार अपने रिश्तेदारों को बचा पाते हैं। याद रखो! जब रिश्तेदार देख रहे हैं और जोर से विलाप करते हैं. तब एक के बाद एक नश्वरों को इस प्रकार ले जाया जाता है जिस प्रकार एक बैल को बलि के लिए, ले जाया जाता है।
इस प्रकार यह संसार मृत्यु और सड़न के दुखों से प्रभावित है, इसलिए समझदार कभी भी शोक नहीं मनाते क्योंकि वे संसार की प्रक्रिया जानते हैं। न तो रोने से और न ही दुख मनाने से कोई भी मन की शान्ति प्राप्त कर सकता है। उसके विपरीत, उसका दर्द और ज़्यादा बढ़ेगा और उसका
शरीर भी दुख भोगेगा। वह अपने आप को बीमार और कमजोर कर लेगा, इसके बावजूद उसके विलाप द्वारा मृतक को नहीं बचाया जा सकता। वे जो शान्ति की खोज करते हैं उन्हें विलाप, शिकायत और दुख का तीर छोड़ना होगा। वह जिसने यह तीर छोड़ दिया, और जो शांत हो गया है, वह मन की शान्ति प्राप्त कर लेगा; वह जिसने सारे दुखों पर विजय पा ली है वह तकलीफों से मुक्त हो जाएगा और आशीर्वाद पाएगा।