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Siddhartha
Siddhartha, written by Herman Hesse in 1 tells the story of an Indian man whose lifelong journey is the search for spiritual insight. Accounting from the time Siddhartha leaves his father, family, and home, the story tells of many changes in the man’s life from rich to poor, love to indifference, and hope to despair. Hesse is extremely vivid in his detail of not what is external to man, but what is internal, as Siddhartha searches the cure for his troubles and answer to his existence. Throughout the story Siddhartha struggles and prospers in his thoughts and actions but does not find enlightenment until he is an old man. Siddhartha helps his lifelong friend to find peace and in turn is gratified with his ability to do so.
The story begins with the young Brahman, Siddhartha, finding himself very unhappy with his life in the village. Hesse writes,
Custom Essays on siddhartha
But Siddhartha himself was not happy. Wandering along the rosy paths of the fig garden, sitting in contemplation in the bluish shade of the grove…. Siddhartha had begun to feel the seeds of discontent…. The wise Brahmans had already passed on to him the bulk and best of their wisdom, that they had already poured the sum total of their knowledge into his waiting vessel; and the vessel was not full, his intellect was not satisfied, his soul was not at peace, his heart was not still. (p. 1)
He is joined by his good friend Govinda as they begin by joining the Samanas where they hope to learn the art of losing the self through meditation. They learn much from the Samanas but Siddhartha does not feel he has found his desired enlightenment. “ Well Govinda, are we on the right road? Are we gaining knowledge? Are we approaching salvation? Or are we perhaps going in circles; we who thought to escape from the cycle (p.18).” The friends hear of the teachings of Gotama the Buddha and are compelled to travel to Savathi to hear the teachings of the illustrious one. Both are impressed with the Buddha’s message and Govinda decides to pay allegiance to the Buddha. Siddhartha is yet satisfied and is fortunate enough to meet alone with the Gotama in a grove. Siddhartha says,
Yesterday, O Illustrious one, I had the pleasure of hearing your wonderful teachings. I came from afar with my friend to hear you, and now my friend will remain with you; he has sworn allegiance to you. I, however, am continuing my pilgrimage anew. (p.1)
The Buddha gives Siddhartha his blessing. As he continues his pilgrimage he meets a beautiful, independent woman named Kamala. He learns many things from Kamala including the art of love. However, Siddhartha is still unsatisfied and decides to leave Kamala and continue his journey. He moves to the outskirts of town and becomes rich. Hesse writes, “Siddhartha had learned how to transact business affairs, to exercise power over people…. to play dice and chess…. to sleep on a soft bed (p.77).”
Siddhartha possessed a house, a garden, and servants, but was still unhappy. He leaves everything behind and once again continues his pilgrimage until he reaches complete despair at the river’s edge. Hesse writes,
He stopped at this river and stood hesitatingly at the bank. Fatigue and hunger had weakened him. Why should he go on any further, where, and for what purpose? There was no more purpose; there was nothing more than a deep, painful longing to shake off this whole confused dream, to spit out this stale wine, to make an end of this bitter, painful life…. Then from a remote part of his soul, from the past of his tired life, he heard a sound. It was one word, one syllable…. the holy om, which had the meaning of “the perfect one” or “perfection”. At that moment, when the sound of Om reached Siddhartha’s ears, his slumbering soul suddenly awakened and he recognized the folly of his action. (p.8)
Siddhartha continues on and meets a kind ferryman by the name of Vasudeva whose services he had used once before to cross the river. Vasudeva welcomes Siddhartha to his home where he learns the ways of the same river to which he had almost given his life. He also learns much from the Ferryman and in fact it was he who chanted the holy om which saved Siddhartha’s life. One day the Ferryman hears the cries of a boy whose mother has been bitten by a snake. He carries the woman to the hut where Siddhartha immediately recognizes her as Kamala. She is dying but manages to say, “You have grown old my dear…. I have also grown old, did you recognize me?…. Did you recognize him, too? He is your son (p.11).” Kamala dies and Siddhartha is reunited with his son. He hopes that the two can build a relationship and that this relationship might in return bring him the peace he is searching for. Siddhartha tries to be the father his son never had. This is a new experience for Siddhartha and in his love for the boy he fails to be stern and authoritative when necessary. Vasudeva says, “But is it not perhaps a mistake on your part not to be strict with him, not to punish him?…. Do you not shame him daily with your goodness and patience and make it still more difficult for him? (p.10). “ The boy is unhappy with his life and takes their raft to the other side of the river. He is thought to have ventured to town. Siddhartha and Vasudeva fashion a raft to search for the boy but when they cross the river he is gone, nowhere to be found. Siddhartha is saddened for quite some time by the boy’s disappearance. He continues to live in the woods until Vasudeva reveals something to Siddhartha that he has known for some time. Vasudeva is dying and in some extraordinary way this brings Siddhartha much pleasure. Vasudeva says, “I have waited for this hour, my friend. Now that it has arrived, let me go. I have been Vasudeva, the ferryman, for a long time. Now it is over. Farewell hut, farewell river, farewell Siddhartha (p.16)” Hesse writes, “And so he went away. Siddhartha watched him. With great joy and gravity he watched him, saw his steps full of peace, his face glowing, his form full of light (p.17).” Vasudeva travels into the woods to die in peace and Siddhartha has also temporarily found peace.
Near the end of the story, Govinda returns to the home in search of the ferryman and meets Siddhartha once again. He is distressed and in search of someone who can help him with his troubles. Govinda says, “Tell me one more word, my esteemed friend, tell me something that I can conceive, something I can understand! Give me something to help me on my way, Siddhartha. My path is often hard and dark (p. 14).” Siddhartha instructs his friend to bend forward and kiss his forehead. Govinda does so and a great thing happens to him. He sees that everything is transitory, that nothing dies. He sees the faces of women and children, the forms of animals and plants, all young and old, and Govinda is enlightened. Enlightened not only by the peace and knowledge that he has gained from Siddhartha on this occasion, but his entire life. Hesse concludes,
Govinda bowed low. Incontrollable tears trickled down his old face. He was overwhelmed by a feeling of great love, of the most humble veneration. He bowed low, right down to the ground, in front of the man sitting there motionless, whose smile reminded him of everything he had ever loved in his life, of everything that had ever been of value and holy in his life. (p.15)
It is at the end of the story that not only Govinda is enlightened, but also Siddhartha. He has realized what has truly brought him happiness and peace. Not the riches he had previously enjoyed, not the mutual love he shared with Kamala, not the relationship he had hoped for with his son, but the teaching he had bestowed upon his great friend Govinda.
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