The story “The Saviour” from MPBSE English Class 5 Chapter 12 is a touching lesson about kindness, compassion, and justice. It narrates an incident from the childhood of Prince Siddhartha (who later became Gautama Buddha), where he saves a wounded swan and shows that life should be protected, not harmed. Through this chapter, students learn the value of mercy towards all living beings and the importance of standing up for what is right. In this blog, we provide a simple explanation and complete solution to help Class 5 students understand the story better.
Chapter Explanation
The story “The Saviour” tells us about Prince Siddhartha’s kindness and love for all living beings. One day, while walking in the palace garden, Siddhartha found a wounded swan that had been shot with an arrow. He gently removed the arrow, cleaned its wound, and cared for the bird with love. Soon, Devadatta, Siddhartha’s cousin, claimed the swan, saying it was his hunt. Siddhartha refused, saying that saving a life is greater than killing.
The matter went to King Shuddodhana’s court. When the swan was brought there, it chose to hide under Siddhartha’s seat, showing its trust in him. The king gave his judgment that “The saviour has a greater right than the killer,” and thus awarded the swan to Siddhartha. This story teaches us compassion, kindness, and respect for life.
हिंदी व्याख्या
कहानी “The Saviour” (उद्धारकर्ता) राजकुमार सिद्धार्थ की दयालुता और सभी जीवों के प्रति उनके प्रेम को दर्शाती है। एक दिन जब सिद्धार्थ अपने महल के बगीचे में घूम रहे थे, उन्होंने देखा कि एक हंस घायल होकर गिरा है। उसके पंख में तीर लगा था। सिद्धार्थ ने बहुत ही कोमलता से तीर निकाला, उसके घाव को साफ किया और हंस की सेवा की। थोड़ी देर बाद उनका चचेरा भाई देवदत्त आया और उसने कहा कि यह हंस उसका शिकार है। सिद्धार्थ ने उसे देने से इनकार कर दिया और कहा कि जीव की रक्षा करना हत्या करने से कहीं महान कार्य है।
मामला राजा शुद्धोधन की अदालत में पहुँचा। जब हंस को दरबार में लाया गया, तो वह धीरे-धीरे सिद्धार्थ की ओर गया और उनकी गद्दी के नीचे छिप गया। इससे साबित हुआ कि हंस सिद्धार्थ पर विश्वास करता है। राजा ने न्याय करते हुए कहा – “मारने वाले से बचाने वाले का अधिकार बड़ा होता है।” और हंस सिद्धार्थ को दे दिया गया। यह कहानी हमें करुणा, दया और जीवन का सम्मान करना सिखाती है।
Summary
The story “The Saviour” is about Prince Siddhartha’s kindness and compassion towards all living beings. One day, he found a swan wounded by an arrow. He gently removed the arrow and cared for the bird. Soon, Devadatta, his cousin, claimed it as his hunt. The matter was taken to King Shuddodhana’s court. When the swan was brought there, it went and hid under Siddhartha’s seat, showing its trust in him. The king declared that the saviour has a greater right over life than the killer. Thus, the swan was given to Siddhartha. The story teaches us the values of mercy, kindness, and respect for life.
सारांश
कहानी “The Saviour” राजकुमार सिद्धार्थ की करुणा और दयालुता पर आधारित है। एक दिन उन्हें बगीचे में एक हंस मिला, जो तीर से घायल था। सिद्धार्थ ने तीर निकालकर उसके घाव को साफ किया और उसकी देखभाल की। थोड़ी देर बाद देवदत्त आया और हंस को अपना शिकार बताया। मामला राजा शुद्धोधन की अदालत में पहुँचा। जब हंस को वहाँ लाया गया तो वह सिद्धार्थ की गद्दी के नीचे जाकर छिप गया, जिससे उसका विश्वास सिद्धार्थ पर प्रकट हुआ। राजा ने निर्णय दिया कि जीव को बचाने वाले का अधिकार मारने वाले से बड़ा होता है। इसलिए हंस सिद्धार्थ को दिया गया। यह कहानी हमें दया, करुणा और जीवन के सम्मान का संदेश देती है।
Solution
Word Power
Match the following words with their meanings:
- creature → a living being
- gently → in a gentle way, softly
- hunt → to chase wild animals or birds to catch or kill them
- throne → a special chair used by a king or a queen
- claim → ask or demand to have something
- ban → to forbid something officially
Comprehension
A) Answer these questions
(i) Where did Siddhartha find the wounded swan?
Siddhartha found the wounded swan in the garden of his palace.
(ii) Why was Siddhartha moved with pity?
Siddhartha was moved with pity because the swan was badly wounded and suffering in pain.
(iii) How was the swan wounded?
The swan was wounded by an arrow shot by Devadatta.
(iv) What did Siddhartha do to save the swan?
Siddhartha gently took out the arrow, cleaned the wound, and took care of the swan.
(v) Who got the swan finally?
Finally, the swan was given to Siddhartha by King Shuddodhana.
(vi) What do you learn from the story?
We learn to be kind, compassionate, and to protect the lives of all living beings.
B) Rewrite the sentences in proper sequence
- It was a pleasant morning.
- Prince Siddhartha was walking through the garden.
- A swan fell in front of him.
- Devadatta wanted to take his hunt away.
- The king handed over the swan to Siddhartha.
Let’s Learn
A) Use the most appropriate adverbs given in brackets and complete the sentences.
(suddenly, gently, immediately, slowly, angrily)
(i) The prince took the arrow from the swan’s body gently.
(ii) The swan fell in front of Siddhartha suddenly.
(iii) Devadatta spoke angrily when he was refused the swan.
(iv) The king gave his judgement immediately.
(v) The swan moved towards Siddhartha slowly.
Let’s Write
A) Complete the sentences about the cow.
- A cow is a pet animal.
- It has four legs.
- It eats grass.
- It gives us milk.
- Its milk is used to make sweets.
Let’s Do It
Collect information about Gautam Buddha on the following points:
- Birth Parents: King Shuddodhana (father) and Queen Maya (mother)
- Birth Place: Lumbini, Nepal (around 563 B.C.)
- Childhood: Born as Prince Siddhartha, he lived in luxury but was very kind and thoughtful. He often showed compassion towards all living beings.
- Teachings: He taught the importance of kindness, non-violence, compassion, truth, and the Middle Path (avoiding extremes). His teachings form the foundation of Buddhism.
