Upagupta
I Answer the following:-
1.Look at the picture given here. What comes to your mind when you see this
picture?
Answer:We see Lord Buddha and Angulimala coming face to face. The divine light
of Buddha is seen Angulimala feels blessed and happy because Buddha brought
transformation in his life.
2.Write briefly
your thoughts and feelings in these lines.
Answer:One should not be cruel. One should be merciful. Love should be our
motto. Loving of mankind is most important. We should not attach to wordly
affairs. We should think of good and helping others. That is real salvation.
II.. Write them in the space given. One is done
for you.
Answer:
|
dark gloomy sky |
The murky sky |
|
ornamental chain is worn around the ankle of a lady |
Those tinkling with anklets |
|
a religious person who leads |
religious leader |
|
a simple and strict life |
austerely beautiful |
|
at an appropriate time |
when the time is ripe. |
|
flashes of lightning |
black night’s teeth showed in a flash of high tending |
|
roadside |
wayside |
|
fort like structure |
rampart |
|
made slightly wet |
moistened |
III . The important signposts of the poem are given in the box. Fill in the flowchart in the order in which the incidents occur.
IV. Some qualities of Upagupta are
given, guote the appropriate lines from the poem to justify them.
Answer:
|
simplicity |
sleeping on the dusty ground. |
|
merciful |
moitening her lips with water and smeared he body with sandal balm. |
|
forgiving |
stumbling over the body of Upagupta – Vasavadatta asking him to forgive her. |
|
young and attractive |
lowering her lamp she saw young face austerely beautiful |
|
be true to his words |
Upagupta says The time, at last, has come to visit you and, I am here” |
V Work in a small groups. Complete the summary of the poem with suitable words given in the bubbles.
Answer:
Upagupta a disciple of Buddha, goes from one place to another. Once,
while he is sleeping in a small town called Mathura, a dancing girl
wakes him up and invites to her home.
Upagupta refuses but tells her, “I will visit you when the time is ripe.’’ A year later, Upagupta finds the dancing girl lying on the ground outside the town, having sores all over the body. She is driven away from the town. He gives her water and applies balm on her body. The woman asks who he is Upagupta replies, “Now the time has come to visit you and I am here.”
Vi. Read the questions and discuss ‘ with your partner.
1.Why did Upagupta
wake up started?
Answer:Upagupta woke up, because Vasavadatta, a dancing girl stumbled over his
body.
2.“The dancing
girl was rich.” Do you agree with this opinion? Justify your answer by quoting
the text.
Answer:“The dancing girl was rich.” We agree with this opinion because she was proud
of her beauty and wealth. Her feet were those thinking with anklets. This means
her chains around the anklets were making a pleasant metallic sound. She was
starred with jewels. This means precious ornaments were on her body. They were
shining like stars.
3.“Why do you
think the ascetic did not accept the invitation of the dancing girl?
Answer:‘The ascetic was the disciple of Buddha. His name was Upagupta.
According to Buddhist principles, he was leading simple and strict ways of
living. He had sacrificed the material world. On the other hand the dancing
girl was proud of her youth and wealth. She was to lead her life splendidly.
But the ascetic did not want such a life. Therefore he did not accept the
invitation of the dancing girl.
4.How is the
spring season described in the poem?
Answer:The spring was warm. The branches of the trees on the wayside were full
of beautiful flowers. Gay notes (light heartening notes) of the flute carhe
floating in the warm spring of air from far away distance. Thus the spring is
described in the poem.
5.“The time, at
last, has come to visit you” What do you understand by this?
Answer:“These are the words of Upagupta. He told these words to the dancing
girl who he had promised her that he would visit her when the time was ripe.
She was lying on the ground. Her body was spotted with sores of smallpox.
Upagupta sat by her side and took her head on his knees. He gave her water and
made her lips wet. He applied her body with sandal balm. The dancing girl asked
who he was, the merciful one. He replied The time, at last, has come to visit
you, I am here”. This means he was true to his words.
6.Read the lines
last stanza Does the description suggest anything about the ascetic?
Answer:The lines 38 to 41 are the description of Upagupta, the ascetic. The
disruption suggests that how he nursed the dancing girl who was struck with
black deadly epidemic disease. He sat by her side and took her head on his
knees. He gave her water and made her lips wet. He applied her body with sandal
balm.
7.Who is the
author of the poem ‘Upagupta’?
Answer:Rabindranath Tagore is the author of the poem Upagupta.
8.Why was the
dancing girl driven out of the town?
Answer:She was struck with smallpox. It was deadly epidemic disease. To avoid
getting infected by that poisonous contagious, disease, she was driven out of
the town.
9.How did
Upagupta treat the suffering dancing girl?
Answer:He sat by side, took her head on his knees, and gave her water and
applied Sandal balm on her body.
VII . Imagery is the use of language to evoke
pictures in the minds of the readers or listeners. Sit in pairs, identify the
images used in the poem and write them down.
Answer:
e.g. 1:Upagupta sleeping on the dusty ground. He was an ascetic and a follower
of the Buddha. Usually, Buddhist monks lead a simple and strict way of life.
They do not lead a luxurious life. They need a simple way of living. So
Upagupta was a monk. He slept on the dusty ground. When he was sleeping it was
a dark night. A dancing girl holding a lamp in her hand was walking on the
road, without noting Upagupta, she stumbled over his body. She asked his pardon
for what happened she requested him to come to her home. Upagupta refused to do
so. But he told her that he would visit her when the time was ripe.
VIII . In groups of four discuss what might have
happened next in the story of the poem “Upagupta”. Share your answer with the
rest of the class.
Answer:
Vasavadatt thanked Upagupta. She took him to her house where she worshipped him
and feel very happy. She might understand the various ways of divinity. As
told, Upagupa met her in her pitiful condition. One should understand that
Beauty is skin deep. So we should not proud of our beauty. She would have
understood this reality and worshipped Upagupta.
IX Four alternatives are given below each question/incomplete statements. Choose the most appropriate one.
1.Upagupta was a:
(a) Traveller
(b) Poet
(c) Monk
(d) ancient scientist
Answer:(c) Monk.
2.Vasavadatta was
a:
(a) Singing girl of Mathura.
(b) Dancing girl of Ayodhya.
(c) Dancing girl of Mathura.
(d.) Monk of Mathura.
Answer:(c) Dancing girl of Mathura.
3.Upagupta wakes
up because:
(a) Of severe cold
(b) Vasavadatta stumbles over him.
(c) Of thirst.
(d) Vasavadatta called him.
Answer:(b) Vasavadatta stumbles over him.
4.After a year
Upagupta saw the woman who was struck with
(a) Paralysis
(b) Polio
(c) Smallpox
(d) fever
Answer:(c) Smallpox.
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