LTL Group 5 November 10, 2009

SIDDHARTHA- A REVIEW

Siddhartha is the work of Hermann Hesse, a German poet and novelist. He wrote
this book in the post World War I era. Herr Hesse, though a believer of the basic
tenets of Buddhism, had a few crucial disagreements with the teachings of Gautama
Buddha. Through Siddhartha, he makes an attempt to bring forward these very
differences in a compelling manner.

Siddhartha, the main character in this book of the same name, leads a life which
bears an uncanny resemblance with that of Gautama Buddha. Being born in a
Bramhin family, Siddhartha grows into a learned and intelligent young man. Despite
all his achievements, he experiences a strong discontentment in life. This
discontentment stems from his lack of understanding of his true self- the key to the
ultimate awakening. The various events in the book signify Siddhartha’s journey
leading him to his ultimate awakening.

To begin with, Siddhartha decides to become an ascetic, in order to connect in a

better way with his inner self. However, he realizes that these penances are not
bringing him any closer to the knowledge that he seeks. Thus, he leaves the
ascetics to meet Gautama Buddha. Upon interacting with Buddha, he realizes that
the key to his destination is in experiencing everything that surrounds him and
learning whatever it has to offer. With this mindset, Siddhartha reaches a town
where he falls in love with a woman. What follows is his steady involvement in the
worldly manners and possessions, or what is referred to as Sansara.

Though he keeps on getting involved in this way of life, a part of Siddhartha always
feels that something is amiss. Years later, finally, Siddhartha realizes his mistake
and denounces all his worldly possessions. On his way out of the town, he meets a
ferryman who will prove to be the greatest tutor in his life. Through the learning
from the ferryman, Siddhartha finally reaches the truly awakened state that he has
sought all his life.

Herr Hesse implies, through the character of Siddhartha, that key to one’s
awakening is a healthy mix of passion and compassion. As we see in Siddhartha’s
case, and so we find in most people today, he had a lot of passion in him. He was
passionate about his goal for seeking the complete knowledge about himself,
carried out the penances as an ascetic equally passionately and passionately loved
Kamala. However, to begin with, he lacked in compassion. As the reader shall find,
in the concluding section of the book, developing the sense of compassion for
others is perhaps the most significant step that Siddhartha takes towards his own
enlightenment.

The compassion that Siddhartha eventually develops can be attributed to a number

of instances in the book. It is only after his interaction with Gautama Buddha that
Siddhartha realizes the need to be a part of the world surrounding him- to interact
LTL Group 5 November 10, 2009

with the people around him. But for this realization, Siddhartha might never have
developed his sense of compassion.

His interactions with Kamala also play an important role in making him
compassionate by nature. Kamala is the first person in Siddhartha’s life that he
loves dearly. Kamala’s role as a tutor for Siddhartha, as mentioned in the book, is
symbolic in nature. Not only does she introduce Siddhartha to world of sensual
desires, but also makes him experience the beauty of love. It is this ability which
will eventually make Siddhartha the compassionate person that he is. His
interspersed interactions with Govinda, a childhood friend, also make him sense the
power of love.

Lastly, his interactions with the ferryman help him learn from the river. The river
teaches Siddhartha how to listen to people without any preconceived notions or
opinions. It is the learning thus gained that makes Siddhartha love his son
unconditionally, despite the son’s obvious indifference towards his father. It is also
this learning that makes Siddhartha let go of his son for the son’s own good, much
like what Siddhartha’s father did for his son who wanted to leave home to join the
ascetics.

In the concluding pages of this book, Herr Hesse beautifully brings out the balance
of passion and compassion in Siddhartha which leads to his awakening. It is his
compassionate nature that makes him love his son unconditionally. But, it is his
passion for walking on his chosen path and seeking enlightenment that makes him
let go of his son, thereby displaying an act worthy of only a truly enlightened
person.

There are three main characters in this book, apart from Siddhartha. They are
Govinda-Siddhartha’s friend, Kamala-the woman Siddhartha loved the most and
Vasudeva-the ferryman who proves to be Siddhartha’s greatest tutor. One can draw
deep insights on the characters of each of these.

Govinda is the childhood friend of Siddhartha, and an apt representation of an ideal

friend. He supports Siddhartha in all his endeavours unquestioningly. However,
upon meeting Gautama Buddha, unlike his friend, Govinda decides to become
Buddha’s disciple. This is the first time that he chooses to alienate his friend. This
exposes the reader to the tremendous power that Gautama Buddha’s enlightened
soul levied on his followers. It also made Siddhartha realize that one can only gain
such power by experience, not by teaching. Due to Govinda’s inability to realize
this, Siddhartha loses the company of a dear friend. This is reaffirmed by the author
towards the end of the story when, in his last interaction with Siddhartha, Govinda
admits that his quest for knowledge has never really been satiated through his
learning from Gautama Buddha.

Kamala, the woman whom Siddhartha loved dearly, plays a very important role in
his life. One of the insights that Siddhartha gains over experiences of a lifetime is
LTL Group 5 November 10, 2009

that there is no such thing as a complete Nirvana or a complete Sansara. One

always has to strike a balance between the two. Siddhartha would never have
managed to do that if Kamala were not to step in his life. The person who leaves
Kamala to denounce the world of Sansara is one who does not understand the
feeling of compassion. However, the person who witnesses the death of his beloved
and laments over the same, is one who has learnt to be compassionate in nature
and to connect with people surrounding him. Siddhartha’s transition from the
former to latter would not even have begun but for the presence of Kamala in his
life.

Vasudeva, the ferryman, proves to be the greatest tutor in Siddhartha’s life. He

shows the foresight of an enlightened soul when he assures Siddhartha that they
would meet again in life. He teaches Siddhartha how to listen to the river and learn
from the same. He is the person that Siddhartha looked up to in times of distress.
But for his discourse to Siddhartha, Siddhartha would never have been successful in
letting go of his son. In fact, one might wonder if the author projected in Vasudeva,
the very traits that we see in Gautama Buddha himself.

To sum it up, Siddhartha comes out as one of the best efforts from Herr Hesse. The
book is liked by one and all, not because of the philosophy that the author puts
across, but because of the compelling characterizations done by him and the
beautiful imagination that he has used, time and again in the book. The subject
matter discussed in this book is complex in nature, and yet it appears all too clear
to the discerning reader. The credit for this goes to the author, whose choice of
words ensures that the essence of the book remains intact. Siddhartha, as a literary
work, succeeds not because it answers a lot of questions, but because it raises
many more in the minds of its readers.