Summary: The Brahmins Son

The novel is set six centuries before the birth of Christ, in ancient India at the time of Gotama
the Buddha, whose Eightfold Path guides the faithful toward Nirvana. Siddhartha is a young
Brahmin, handsome and learned, with the potential to be a prince among his caste members.
Everyone knows he is destined for greatness because he has mastered all the rituals and
wisdom of his religion at an early age. His village is idyllic, and Siddhartha seems to live an
enviable life. His father is a Brahmin, a religious leader and esteemed member of the
community. Siddhartha seems well on his way to following in his fathers footsteps.
Though Siddhartha spends his time studying the Hindu wisdom of his elders along with his best
friend Govinda, he is dissatisfied. He suspects that his father and the other erudite Brahmins
have learned perfectly everything from the holy books, but he does not believe they have
achieved enlightenment. The rituals and mantras they have taught him seem more a matter of
custom than a real path that could lead to true enlightenment. To become religious men by the
standards of their own community, Siddhartha feels he and Govinda would have to become like
sheep in a large herd, following predetermined rituals and patterns without ever questioning
those methods or exploring methods beyond the ones they know. Siddhartha is deeply unhappy
at this prospect. Though he loves his father and respects the people of his village, he cannot
imagine himself existing in this way. Siddhartha has followed his fathers example with
conviction, but still he longs for something more.
One evening after meditating, Siddhartha announces to Govinda that he will join a group of
Samanas, wandering mendicant priests, who have just passed through their city. The Samanas
are starved, half-naked, and must beg for food, but only because they believe enlightenment
can be reached through asceticism, a rejection of the body and physical desire. The Samanas
seem completely different from the religious elders in Siddharthas own community, and since
he has not found the wisdom he has been searching for at home, he decides he should follow
the Samanas path and see what he can learn from them. When Siddhartha informs Govinda
that he will join the Samanas, Govinda is frightened. He knows Siddhartha is taking his first step
into the world and that Govinda himself must follow.
Siddhartha, a dutiful son, asks his father for permission before leaving with the Samanas. His
father is disappointed and says he does not want to hear the question a second time, but
Siddhartha does not move. The father cannot sleep and gets up every hour to find Siddhartha
standing with crossed arms in the darkness. In the morning, his father reluctantly gives
permission. He knows Siddhartha will not change his mind. He asks that Siddhartha return
home to teach his father the art of bliss if he finds it elsewhere. As he leaves to join the
wandering Samanas, Siddhartha is pleased and surprised to learn that Govinda has decided to
join him in this new life outside the village.

Analysis: The Brahmins Son

Despite his solid spiritual upbringing among the Brahmins, Siddhartha still seeks the meaning of
life, and he embarks on a quest to find enlightenment. Brahmins are members of the highest of