Updated on 09/06/2026
*Ch.-8. The Sermon at Benares (Betty Renstaw)*
*1. Who is the writer of ‘The Sermon at Benares’?*
Ans. Betty Renstaw
*2. When was Siddhartha Gautama born?*
Ans. In 563 B.C.
* 3. When did Gautama die?*
Ans. In 483 B.C
*4. Which family did Gautama belong to?*
Ans. A royal family
*5. At what age was Gautama sent for schooling?*
Ans. At the age of twelve years
*6. When was he married?*
Ans. At the age of sixteen years
*7. At what age did Gautama leave home for enlightenment?*
Ans. At the age of twenty five
*8. How long did Gautama wander in search of wisdom?*
Ans. Seven years
*9. After how many days of meditation did he get enlightenment? *
Ans. After seven days
*10.Under which tree did Gautama get enlightenment?*
Ans. Under a fig tree
*11. Where did he give his first sermon?*
Ans. At Benares
*12. Why was Kisa Gotami in grief?*
Ans. Because her only son had died
*13. What is the meaning of Buddha?*
Ans. Awakened or Enlightenment
*14. What did Buddha ask Kisa Gotami to bring?*
Ans. A handful of mustard seeds
*15. What did Kisa Gotami realise in the end?*
Ans. That death is inevitable
Textual Questions
*1. Who was Gautama Buddha?*
Ans. Gautam Buddha was a Prince who was named Siddhartha Gautam by his parents. He was born in 563 B.C. in North India.
*2. How did Siddhartha Gautama get the name of Buddha?*
Ans. Siddhartha Gautama wandered for seven years and finally sat down under a Peepal tree till he got enlightenment. After seven days of enlightenment, he renamed the 'Bodhi Tree' and began to teach and to share his new understanding and came to be known as the Buddha.
*3. Where did Buddha preach his first sermon?*
Ans. After attainment of enlightenment. Buddha preached his first sermon at the holy city of Benares, which is situated on the sacred river Ganges.
*4. When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house. What does she ask for? Does she get it? Why not?*
Ans. When Kisa Gotami's son died, she went from house to house, asking for medicine that would cure her child. No, she didn't get it because her child was dead and no medicine could have brought him back to life.
*5. Who was Kisa Gotami? Why did she come to Gautama Buddha?*
Ans. Kisa Gotami was the wife of a wealthy man of Savatthi. Her story is one of the more famous ones in Buddhism. After losing her only child, Kisa Gotami became desperate and asked if anyone could help her. Her sorrow was so great that many thought she had lost her mind. In the end she went to Gautama Buddha with a request to revive his son.
*6. What does the Buddha ask Kisa Gotami to do?*
Ans. The Buddha wanted the grieving woman to learn a lesson. So, he asked her to bring a handful of mustard seeds from the family. The mustard-seed must be taken from the house where nobody had ever died.
*7. Do you think Kisa Gotami was ‘selfish in her grief’?*
Ans. Yes, it can be said that Kisa Gotami was being 'selfish in her grief'. In the light of her tragedy, she was unable to see that death is something that strikes all things living. In this sense, she was selfish.
Long Answers
*1. Who was Gautma Buddha? What made him renounce the world and his royal life and become a monk?*
Ans. Gautam Buddha was a Prince who was named Siddhartha Gautam by his parents. He was born in 563 B.C. in North India. At the age of twelve, he was sent away for schooling. He had a son. When he was going for hunting he saw a sick man, an aged man and a funeral procession. These sights made him so sad that he decided to leave the palace. He wandered for seven years and finally sat down under a Peepal tree till he got enlightenment. After seven days of enlightenment, he renamed the 'Bodhi Tree' and began to teach and to share his new understanding and came to be known as the Buddha. After attainment of enlightenment. Buddha preached his first sermon at the holy city of Benares, which is situated on the sacred river Ganges.
*2. How did the Buddha make Kisa Gotami realize that death is inevitable?*
Ans. Kisa Gotami was the wife of a wealthy man of Savatthi. Her story is one of the more famous ones in Buddhism. After losing her only child, Kisa Gotami became desperate and asked if anyone could help her. Her sorrow was so great that many thought she had lost her mind. In the end she went to Gautama Buddha with a request to revive his son. The Buddha wanted the grieving woman to learn a lesson. So, he asked her to bring a handful of mustard seeds from the family. The mustard-seed must be taken from the house where nobody had ever died. She could not find a house where nobody had ever died. Now she realised that death is inevitable, no one can escape it.