''SIDDHARTHA's SPIRITUAL CONQUEST''. Review on Siddhartha - Herman Hesse

While reading German born Hermann Hesse’s “ SIDDHARTHA”, I underwent a complete SOUL-searching process. This can be only experienced and beyond comprehension of words! I don’t prefer reading translated works for the essence is lost in the bargain but nevertheless I went ahead in reading this one. This small book of 150 pages is powerhouse of spiritual revelation that stirred my soul!

As Hilda Rosner translates, one can visualize the colorful life of a young, handsome Brahmin boy Siddhartha & his friend Govinda practicing the art of contemplation and meditation amidst other learned Brahmin scholars. His father was very proud of Siddhartha as he emanated the radiance from pure spirit and thought that his son would become a great-learned man, a priest, the uncrowned Prince of the Brahmins! The girls of the village would swoon to his magnetic personality. Govinda, Brahmin himself, always looked upon Siddhartha as his leader, guide and only wanted to follow him as his “Shadow”.

But Siddhartha himself was very discontent though he was aware of the ample love showered on him by his people. The seeds of restlessness were emerging from his soul, making him very unhappy, completely dissatisfied & without any peace! He realized that the sacrifices and the rituals were not giving him that ETERNAL BLISS but to SEEK HIM, the ATMAN, the ONLY ONE within him was a major challenge! He wanted to experience the source within one’s own Self & immediately confided Govinda that he wanted to leave this grihastha life and become a SAMANA—the wandering Ascetic!

Hearing this, Govinda turned pale as he this was going to change Siddhartha’s destiny forever! Siddhartha’s father too was dumbstruck when his son sought his permission to leave the house. As Siddhartha waited patiently with folded arms for hours together, his father’s heart swelled with anger, anxiety, fear, sorrow and finally parted ways with his son. Govinda, who had always idolized Siddhartha, also joined him. Donning the loincloth and a simple cloak, Siddhartha fasted for many weeks, lost weight, realized that the mortal world was full of pain and decay. His only goal was to conquer the Self, kill all the desires & thus practiced self-denial and meditation. Soon, his soul could enter into the body of a dead heron; lead its life, fly till he died heron’s death. He did this with the corpse of a jackal and many other creatures only to experience the life cycle and finally be reawakened by the SELF.

After being as Samana for 3 years, Siddhartha again was feeling very suffocated and wanted to attain Nirvana like Buddhaand so left the system to meet the Illustrious One. Govinda too followed him. All the monks including Buddha clad in yellow robes were begging for alms with their bowls in the morning. Siddhartha recognized him immediately and was struck by Buddha’s superfine state, which was neither too sad nor joyous.

In the evening as Buddha spoke of his Four Noble Truths and preached Eight fold path to put an end to all the mundane suffering by asking people to join him, Govinda eagerly stepped forward and offered himself to become Buddha’s followers. When he asked Siddhartha to accept Buddha, he was shocked as Siddhartha declined to be with him. With mockery, Siddhartha said that he was happy that his friend no longer remained his shadow, but infact took a step forward, made his own decision with conviction and chided him in saying “MAY YOU GET SALVATION!”

The next day before he left the place, Siddhartha had a confrontation with Buddha. He told the latter that though he admired his teachings etc, but Buddha himself, could not explain to anybody what he had experienced at that HOUR OF ENLIGHTENMENT! Since that moment was beyond any description and could not be achieved by any doctrines, Siddhartha informed him that he was leaving the place once for all to seek the ULTIMATE TRUTH !!!

Without Govinda, Siddhartha felt a sense of emptiness but at the same time he felt he was born again! With this Awakening, he decided to chuck all the teachings of Vedas but instead go on and learn that Secret of life from himself only. For the first time, the world, its beauty, the river, mountains, everything enchanted him and did not appear as MAYA. After undergoing changes in his life, he was transformed to a man— like any earthly being. He stayed overnight at a ferryman’s house, who rowed him across the river the next day. Ferryman philosophically mentioned to him that he learnt a lot from the river and said that he expected Siddhartha to return back to him.

As he reached the town full of people, he was glad to be with them. The desires manifested in him slowly. Outside the town, he saw a beautiful woman, a mistress, seated on a sedan chair, carried by four men. Kamala, the seductress, influenced Siddhartha to enjoy worldly pleasures of life and soon he too became a very rich businessman. Wine, women, lust, greed had completely killed his pure soul! Years passed and one fine day, Siddhartha, woke from deep slumber!!!! His inner voice rekindled the thirst for seeking the Self & he left everything then and there and moved on …

Siddhartha once again stayed with the ferryman and learnt to row the boat, collect wood etc. He also realized that the river taught him everything. He discovered that his own life resembled the river –always flowing, only present existed ----neither the shadow of the past or future!

Many years later, he met Kamala in that place. Kamala died leaving behind his son. Soon, his son started giving him problems and later as the boy could not adapt to the forest life, he ran back to lead his own life in the town. Siddhartha was again in despair. He would ferry the people but always envy the happy fathers. But one day, again the river made a deep impact on him. He listened to the voice of the river---the song of thousand voices of laughter; weeping, of men; women and kids were no longer different. They were woven together, interlocked and thus he heard one word---“OM----PERFECTION”!

His final meeting with Govinda is very remarkable. The way he revealed to Govinda that WISDOM CAN’T BE COMMUNICATED THOUGH KNOWLEDGE CAN is the crux of his entire spiritual quest!

Its truly the finest work by Nobel Prize winner Hermann Hesse.