THE BATTLE IS FOUGHT ALONE.... . Review on Siddhartha - Herman Hesse

Review: I do not write this review in my capacity as someone who is writing a critique, nor do I write this in my capacity as someone who is a member of this site and wants to get his review on the net...neither again do I write this in my capacity as someone who wishes to impose thoughts...I write this in my capacity as a vedantin..A seeker who got a conformation of what he believed throughout...And this is my attempt to get my point across to all those who are trying and are seekers just like me.

''Siddhartha'' ...this one word tingles the deepest veneration in the hearts of those who have ever tasted the joy of living... the joy of god....when I picked this book I was skeptical...i thought ...oh! just one more westerner writing about the east ..Or was I? Its unfortunate that many people have not yet understood the complete significance of the book...I being a vedantin perhaps realized what it meant, perhaps am right perhaps wrong. the entire crux of the book revolves around the life one boy ...one brilliant spark whose heart did not become satisfied with just the regular worships and practises.

At an early age this boy realizes what it takes ages to realize ..that god is becoming one...he ponders over the slokas in Upanishads which tell him that he one with ''Brahman'' that one underlying principle of the universe, on the basis of which u define the word ''existence''...the story revolves around his quest, his decision to leave home, live like a monk. Come in contact with the great Buddha and then still not get satisfied.

The beauty of the book is the fact that hesse in order to portray the concept of god very nicely puts forward the point that even he who knows that ''Brahman'' has the inability to communicate it to the other person in a way the other understands. Siddhartha hence leaves Buddha ...falls from his path becomes a epicurean, a debaucher and a wealthy merchant...yet and yet after years he understands the concept and returns to the way he knew he would get his joy from.

There is no point my explaining the story I now tell you the crux.

A man who sets off in the quest of the absolute has to fight alone. agreed there are schools of thoughts but strictly speaking these schools are basically the goal understood and reached in one way....how a man understands a school is his capacity...speaking metaphysically your Krishna and my Krishna may be entirely different for I perceive that absolute in a totally different way and you in a different way yet and yet that one ''Brahman'' is undifferentiated.

So my path may suit me and your will suit you yet the goal remains the same...this book tells u this very concept that no matter whether you are born in the age of Buddha or Krishna your way to ''Brahman'' is through you only and by naught else and I salute hesse for bringing this point up so very beautifully...........