Siddhartha
I've known of Hermann Hesse's (1946 Nobel laureate) Siddhartha for a long time, over a decade probably, but never got down to reading it till last week. As I made my way through this rather short but intense (to me) book, I wondered why it had taken me so long to pick it up!
Here is a doubt that must be expelled. I had thought that Siddhartha referred to Gautama Buddha, whose name when he was the prince of Kapilavastu was Siddhartha Gautama. I was surprised that it wasn't him, though the Gauthama figures largely in this magnificent piece of writing.
If follows the spiritual journey of Siddhartha, a young Brahmin and the perfect son. He realizes, soon, that the knowledge he seeks, the thirst for spiritual knowledge that his soul craves for, cannot be attained where he is and doing what he does. He decides to leave his home and join the ascetics, and once he obtains his father's permission by awaiting the abatement of his father's anger through pure resilience, without a wink of sleep or a breath of food, he goes away with his friend Govinda. Once again, he comes to realize the limitations of being an ascetic - whose belief centers around 'deprivation leads to enlightenment', and journeys on, with Govinda at his side, to seek the Buddha, whose teachings have reached them by word of mouth.
Siddhartha meets the Gautama, and speaks with him with passion and arrogance. He understands and respects the Gautama's enlightment, but he isn't satisfied with his teachings. He wants to experience the enlightment for himself. He wants to seek that knowledge himself and not be taught. Again, Siddhartha decides to move on, but here's where he parts ways with Govinda.
As Siddhartha ventures about, he encounters a beautiful courtesan, Kamala, and being a man himself, embarks upon the path to please her for she tells him that she would be satisfied with gifts and riches. She aids in getting him a 'job' as a sort of right hand man to a business man. Siddartha quickly rises and makes a lot of money of his own. He delves into the company of the rich men, the child people as he calls them, and gets into drinking, gambling and trading, while learning the art of love making and satisfying lust from Kamala. But in a moment of indulgence, he realizes that he has become exactly what he had sworn to dislike. He has let his ego take over his once pure soul. He decides to end his life, but realizes the foolishness of that decision at the last moment when the word 'Om' resounds in his mind and soul. A ferryman encounters him, and Siddhartha quite happily settles into a life with him. He learns from him the art of patience and listening. He learns from the river that the ferryman says has taught him all about life.
Soon, however, Siddhartha comes across his Kamala and his son while they're on their way to see the Gautama. Kamala dies and Siddhartha takes his son under his wing. But the boy proves to be a disappointment; he ill-treats his father and Vasudeva, the ferryman who is in all sense Siddhartha's spiritual guide and runs away. Siddhartha once again realizes that what he feels now, the hurt and pain of loss of someone you love was exactly what he had caused his father. As he comes to terms with these events in his life, he meets Govinda once again, who now tells him that he was always truly a saint.
I loved the general theme of writing in that everything you need to know in life comes from experiencing it on your and not just by having someone teaching it to you. There's also the belief that ultimate knowledge is not attained by scholastic means, or by asceticism, or by indulging in worldly pleasures, be it riches or carnal pleasures. However exciting and fulfilling they seem, each individual feeling adds to 'Samsara', and that in turn leads to the final understanding of the meaning of life. You feel at one with yourself and your existence. Being an agnostic myself, I appreciate the simple yet deep spiritual sense of the story itself.
It's a short read that captivated me from the very first page. There are several references to Indian philosophical writing here, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. While these contributed to the general laws of Hinduism, they stand, independently, as texts of spirituality that provide you a path to your salvation while offering you wisdom you could only hope to attain in one lifetime.
"I'm always ready to learn but I do not always like being taught" has always been a favorite quote of mine (ref. Winston Churchill) so this book was even more enjoyable. It is a firm read for anyone. It makes you think in simple terms of everything in your life. I wonder why I never read it before now!
If follows the spiritual journey of Siddhartha, a young Brahmin and the perfect son. He realizes, soon, that the knowledge he seeks, the thirst for spiritual knowledge that his soul craves for, cannot be attained where he is and doing what he does. He decides to leave his home and join the ascetics, and once he obtains his father's permission by awaiting the abatement of his father's anger through pure resilience, without a wink of sleep or a breath of food, he goes away with his friend Govinda. Once again, he comes to realize the limitations of being an ascetic - whose belief centers around 'deprivation leads to enlightenment', and journeys on, with Govinda at his side, to seek the Buddha, whose teachings have reached them by word of mouth.
Siddhartha meets the Gautama, and speaks with him with passion and arrogance. He understands and respects the Gautama's enlightment, but he isn't satisfied with his teachings. He wants to experience the enlightment for himself. He wants to seek that knowledge himself and not be taught. Again, Siddhartha decides to move on, but here's where he parts ways with Govinda.
As Siddhartha ventures about, he encounters a beautiful courtesan, Kamala, and being a man himself, embarks upon the path to please her for she tells him that she would be satisfied with gifts and riches. She aids in getting him a 'job' as a sort of right hand man to a business man. Siddartha quickly rises and makes a lot of money of his own. He delves into the company of the rich men, the child people as he calls them, and gets into drinking, gambling and trading, while learning the art of love making and satisfying lust from Kamala. But in a moment of indulgence, he realizes that he has become exactly what he had sworn to dislike. He has let his ego take over his once pure soul. He decides to end his life, but realizes the foolishness of that decision at the last moment when the word 'Om' resounds in his mind and soul. A ferryman encounters him, and Siddhartha quite happily settles into a life with him. He learns from him the art of patience and listening. He learns from the river that the ferryman says has taught him all about life.
Soon, however, Siddhartha comes across his Kamala and his son while they're on their way to see the Gautama. Kamala dies and Siddhartha takes his son under his wing. But the boy proves to be a disappointment; he ill-treats his father and Vasudeva, the ferryman who is in all sense Siddhartha's spiritual guide and runs away. Siddhartha once again realizes that what he feels now, the hurt and pain of loss of someone you love was exactly what he had caused his father. As he comes to terms with these events in his life, he meets Govinda once again, who now tells him that he was always truly a saint.
I loved the general theme of writing in that everything you need to know in life comes from experiencing it on your and not just by having someone teaching it to you. There's also the belief that ultimate knowledge is not attained by scholastic means, or by asceticism, or by indulging in worldly pleasures, be it riches or carnal pleasures. However exciting and fulfilling they seem, each individual feeling adds to 'Samsara', and that in turn leads to the final understanding of the meaning of life. You feel at one with yourself and your existence. Being an agnostic myself, I appreciate the simple yet deep spiritual sense of the story itself.
It's a short read that captivated me from the very first page. There are several references to Indian philosophical writing here, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. While these contributed to the general laws of Hinduism, they stand, independently, as texts of spirituality that provide you a path to your salvation while offering you wisdom you could only hope to attain in one lifetime.
"I'm always ready to learn but I do not always like being taught" has always been a favorite quote of mine (ref. Winston Churchill) so this book was even more enjoyable. It is a firm read for anyone. It makes you think in simple terms of everything in your life. I wonder why I never read it before now!
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