Siddhartha Novel by Hermann Hesse

Siddhartha Novel by Hermann Hesse

Siddhartha, a novel by Hermann Hesse, explores the spiritual journey of a young Brahmin named Siddhartha during the time of the Buddha. The story follows his quest for enlightenment as he navigates through various life experiences, including asceticism, love, and material wealth. Themes of self-discovery, the nature of reality, and the pursuit of inner peace are central to the narrative. This edition offers readers insight into Siddhartha's struggles and realizations, making it a valuable read for those interested in philosophy and spirituality. Ideal for fans of classic literature and seekers of wisdom.

Key Points

  • Explores Siddhartha's journey from Brahmin to ascetic and beyond
  • Examines themes of self-discovery, enlightenment, and the nature of reality
  • Set in ancient India during the time of the Buddha
  • Highlights the contrast between spiritual and material pursuits
  • Offers profound insights into the human experience and inner peace
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  • newtopiccyclegrowin
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© HHP November 1997 GGGG
An annotated edition
Hermann Hesse
SIDDHARTHA
In the English translation by Hilda Rosner
© New York: New Directions Publishing Corporation, 1951
PART I
The Brahmin's
.
Son
In the shade of the house, in the sunshine on the river bank by the boats, in the shade of the sallow wood
1
and the fig tree,
2
Siddhartha,
3
the handsome Brahmin's
4.
son, grew up with his friend Govinda.
5
The sun
browned his slender shoulders on the river bank, while bathing at the holy ablutions,
6
at the holy sacrifices.
7
Shadows passed across his eyes in the mango grove
8
during play, while his mother sang, during his father's
teachings, when with the learned men. Siddhartha had already long taken part in the learned men's
conversations, had engaged in debate with Govinda and had practiced the art of contemplation
9
and
meditation
10
with him. Already he knew how to pronounce Om
11
silently - this word of words, to say it
inwardly with the intake of breath, when breathing out with all his soul, his brow radiating the glow of pure
spirit. Already he knew how to recognize Atman
12
within the depth of his being, indestructible, at one with
the universe.
13
There was happiness in his father's heart because of his son who was intelligent and thirsty for knowledge;
he saw him growing up to be a great learned man, a priest, a prince among Brahmins.
There was pride in his mother's breast when she saw him walking, sitting down and rising: Siddhartha -
strong, handsome, supple-limbed, greeting her with complete grace.
Love stirred in the hearts of the young Brahmins' daughters when Siddhartha walked through the streets of
the town, with his lofty brow, his king-like eyes and his slim figure.
Govinda, his friend, the Brahmin's son, loved him more than anybody else. He loved Siddhartha's eyes and
clear voice. He loved the way he walked, his complete grace of movement; he loved everything that
Siddhartha did and said, and above all he loved his intellect, his fine ardent
14
thoughts, his strong will, his
high vocation.
15
Govinda knew that he would not become an ordinary Brahmin, a lazy sacrificial official, an
avaricious dealer in magic sayings, a conceited worthless orator, a wicked sly priest, or just a good stupid
sheep amongst a large herd. No, and he, Govinda, did not want to become any of these, not a Brahmin like
ten thousand others of their kind. He wanted to follow Siddhartha, the beloved, the magnificent. And if he
ever became a god, if he ever entered the All-Radiant, then Govinda wanted to follow him as his friend, his
companion, his servant, his lance bearer, his shadow.
That was how everybody loved Siddhartha. He delighted and made everybody happy.
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, washing his limbs in the daily bath of atonement,
16
offering
sacrifices in the depths of the shady mango wood with complete grace of manner, beloved by all, a joy to all,
there was yet no joy in his own heart. Dreams and restless thoughts came flowing to him from the river,
17
from the twinkling stars at night, from the sun's melting rays. Dreams and a restlessness of the soul came to
him, arising from the smoke of the sacrifices, emanating from the verses of the Rig-Veda,
18
trickling through
from the teachings of the old Brahmins.
Siddhartha had begun to feel the seeds of discontent within him. He had begun to feel that the love of his
father and mother, and also the love of his friend Govinda, would not always make him happy give him
peace, satisfy and suffice him. He had begun to suspect that his worthy father and his other teachers, the
wise Brahmins, 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. The ablutions were good, but they were water;
they did not wash sins away, they did not relieve the distressed heart. The sacrifices and the supplication of
the gods were excellent - but were they everything? Did the sacrifices give happiness? And what about the
gods? Was it really Prajapati
19
who had created the world? Was it not Atman, He alone, who had created
it? Were not the gods forms created like me and you, mortal, transient? Was it therefore good and right,
was it a sensible and worthy act to offer sacrifices to the gods? To whom else should one offer sacrifices, to
whom else should one pay honor, but to Him, Atman, the Only One? And where was Atman to be found,
where did He dwell, where did His eternal heart beat, if not within the Self,
20
in the innermost, in the eternal
which each person carried within him? But where was this Self, this innermost? It was not flesh and bone,
it was not thought or consciousness. That was what the wise men taught. Where, then, was it? To press
towards the Self, towards Atman - was there another way that was worth seeking? Nobody showed the way,
nobody knew it - neither his father, nor the teachers and wise men, nor the holy songs. The Brahmins and
their holy books knew everything, everything; they had gone into everything - the creation of the world, the
origin of speech, food, inhalation, exhalation, the arrangement of the senses, the acts of the gods. They
knew a tremendous number of things - but was it worth while knowing all these things if they did not know
the one important thing, the only important thing?
Many verses of the holy books, above all the Upanishads
21
of Sama-Veda
22
spoke of this innermost thing. It
is written: "Your soul is the whole world." It says that when a man is asleep, he penetrates his innermost
and dwells in Atman. There was wonderful wisdom in these verses; all the knowledge of the sages was told
here in enchanting language, pure as honey collected by the bees. No, this tremendous amount of
knowledge, collected and preserved by successive generations of wise Brahmins could not be easily
overlooked. But where were the Brahmins, the priests, the wise men, who were successful not only in
having this most profound knowledge, but in experiencing it? Where were the initiated who, attaining
Atman in sleep, could retain it in consciousness, in life, everywhere, in speech and in action? Siddhartha
knew many worthy Brahmins, above all his father - holy, learned, of highest esteem. His father was worthy
of admiration; his manner was quiet and noble. He lived a good life, his words were wise; fine and noble
thoughts dwelt in his head - but even he who knew so much, did he live in bliss, was he at peace? Was he
not also a seeker, insatiable? Did he not go continually to the holy springs with an insatiable thirst, to the
sacrifices, to books, to the Brahmins' discourses? Why must he, blameless one, wash away his sins and
endeavor to cleanse himself anew each day? Was Atman then not within him? Was not then the source
within his own heart? One must find the source within one's own Self, one must possess it. Everything else
was seeking, a detour, error.
These were Siddhartha's thoughts; this was his thirst, his sorrow.
He often repeated to himself the words from one of the Chandogya-Upanishads.
23
"In truth, the name of
Brahman
24
is Satya.
25
Indeed, he who knows it enters the heavenly world each day." It often seemed near -
the heavenly world - but never had he quite reached it, never had he quenched the final thirst. And among
the wise men that he knew and whose teachings he enjoyed, there was not one who had completely
quenched the eternal thirst.
"Govinda," said Siddhartha to his friend, "Govinda, come with me to the banyan tree.
26
We will practice
meditation."
They went to the banyan tree and sat down, twenty paces apart. As he sat down ready to pronounce the Om,
Siddhartha softly recited the verse:
"Om is the bow, the arrow is the soul,
Brahman is the arrow's goal
At which one aims unflinchingly."
When the customary time for the practice of meditation had passed, Govinda rose. It was now evening. It
was time to perform the evening ablutions. He called Siddhartha by his name; he did not reply. Siddhartha
sat absorbed, his eyes staring as if directed at a distant goal, the tip of his tongue showing a little between his
teeth. He did not seem to be breathing. He sat thus, lost in meditation, thinking Om, his soul as the arrow
directed at Brahman.
Some Samanas
27
once passed through Siddhartha's town. Wandering ascetics,
28
they were three thin worn-
out men, neither old nor young, with dusty and bleeding shoulders, practically naked, scorched by the sun,
solitary, strange and hostile - lean jackals
29
in the world of men. Around them hovered an atmosphere of
still passion, of devastating service, of unpitying self-denial.
In the evening, after the hour of contemplation, Siddhartha said to Govinda: "Tomorrow morning, my friend,
Siddhartha is going to join the Samanas. He is going to become a Samana."
Govinda blanched
30
as he heard these words and read the decision in his friend's determined face,
undeviating as the released arrow from the bow. Govinda realized from the first glance at his friend's face
that now it was beginning. Siddhartha was going his own way; his destiny was beginning to unfold itself,
and with his destiny, his own. And he became as pale as a dried banana skin.
"Oh, Siddhartha," he cried, "will your father permit it?"
Siddhartha looked at him like one who had just awakened. As quick as lightning he read Govinda's soul,
read the anxiety, the resignation.
"We will not waste words, Govinda," he said softly. "Tomorrow at daybreak I will begin the life of the
Samanas. Let us not discuss it again."
Siddhartha went into the room where his father was sitting on a mat made of bast. He went up behind his
father and remained standing there until his father felt his presence. "Is it you, Siddhartha?" the Brahmin
asked. "Then speak what is in your mind."
Siddhartha said: "With your permission, Father, I have come to tell you that I wish to leave your house
tomorrow and join the ascetics. I wish to become a Samana. I trust my father will not object."
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FAQs of Siddhartha Novel by Hermann Hesse

What is the main theme of Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse?
The main theme of Siddhartha revolves around the quest for self-discovery and enlightenment. Siddhartha, a young Brahmin, embarks on a journey to find spiritual fulfillment, exploring various paths including asceticism, love, and material wealth. Throughout his experiences, he learns that true wisdom cannot be taught but must be experienced personally. The novel emphasizes the importance of individual experience in understanding life's deeper truths and the interconnectedness of all beings.
How does Siddhartha's character evolve throughout the novel?
Siddhartha's character evolves significantly as he transitions from a privileged Brahmin to a wandering ascetic, and finally to a successful merchant. Initially, he seeks knowledge through teachings and practices but becomes disillusioned with traditional paths. His experiences with love, loss, and materialism lead him to a deeper understanding of himself and the world. Ultimately, Siddhartha learns that enlightenment comes from within and that embracing life's experiences is essential for personal growth.
What role does the river play in Siddhartha's journey?
The river serves as a powerful symbol in Siddhartha's journey, representing the flow of life and the interconnectedness of all existence. It is at the river that Siddhartha experiences a profound awakening, realizing the unity of all things and the cyclical nature of life. The river's constant movement reflects the idea that life is ever-changing, yet remains the same at its core. Through his relationship with the river, Siddhartha learns to listen, to be present, and to embrace the moment, ultimately guiding him towards enlightenment.
Who is Kamala and what significance does she have in Siddhartha's life?
Kamala is a courtesan who plays a crucial role in Siddhartha's journey of self-discovery. She teaches him the art of love and sensual pleasure, representing the material and emotional aspects of life that Siddhartha explores. Through his relationship with Kamala, he learns about desire, attachment, and the complexities of human relationships. However, their connection also highlights Siddhartha's internal conflict between spiritual aspirations and worldly pleasures, ultimately leading him to seek a deeper understanding of himself.

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