Siddhartha  (English, Paperback, Hesse Hermann)

This book depicts the lifelong journey of a man named Siddhartha, who tries to find the true meaning of life. It starts from his boyhood and ends when he is an old man. The story is set in the time of Gautama Buddha.

Summary Of The Book

Siddhartha is a young and restless boy born into a family of Brahmins. He does not want to be confined by the principles and traditions that govern life in his family, and wants to experience and understand the world on his own terms.

Siddhartha and his friend Govinda set off on their quest. They are contrasting characters. Siddhartha is independent and bold, while Govinda admires Siddhartha and looks up to him for inspiration. They join a group of ascetics who lead a life of isolation and abstinence. Siddhartha tries this life for sometime, then grows weary of it and leaves to find new experiences. Govinda meanwhile encounters Gautama Buddha and becomes his disciple.

Siddhartha falls in love with a beautiful woman named Kamala and immerses himself in material pleasure. He becomes a wealthy merchant, marries Kamala, and lives a life of sensual pleasures. Soon, he tires of this too and leaves Kamala when she is pregnant with their child.

As Siddhartha stands on a river bank, contemplating the idea of ending his life, he reflects on his life so far and eventually falls asleep. He befriends the ferryman Vasudeva who teaches him to listen to the sounds of the river as it flows past. The endless flow of the river teaches Siddhartha that life is an eternal cycle. His wife Kamala brings their son to him and soon after, she dies. Eventually, the young boy becomes weary of his father’s quiet life and runs away.

Siddhartha realizes that this is a cycle - he ran away from his family and now his son has left him to find his own path. He realizes that he cannot prevent his son from going through all the pains and disappointments that life could bring, as each must find his own way.

Govinda comes to see him and is surprised at the change he sees in his old friend. The two old men sit on the river bank and reflect on the times that have passed. Each has taken a different path to find peace and understanding. While one blindly followed the teachings of another man, the other learnt from the different experiences that he encountered. Life itself, they realize, can be a great teacher if one is willing to learn from it.

About Hermann Hesse

Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha is among the most famous novels written by a Western author and set in India. Hesse, a German writer and painter, is famous for his books that focus on an individual’s search for purpose.

Other books by Hesse include Peter Camenzind, Gertrude, and Der Steppenwolf.

Hesse was born in 1877 in Wurttemberg, Germany. He had a rebellious streak in him right from his childhood, and while he was attending the Evangelical Theological Seminary of Maulbronn Abbey, he tried to run away. After passing through several schools and institutions, he attended the Gymnasium at Cannstatt. He passed the One Year Examination in 1893, which marked the end of his schooling. After spending some time as an apprentice in a bookshop and later as a mechanic’s apprentice, he began working in a bookshop. During this time, he also began writing, and his first poem was published in a Viennese magazine. After the publication of his book, Posthumous Writings and Poems of Hermann Lauscher, he began getting widespread recognition.