Enlightenment In Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha

The story of Siddhartha entails the journey of enlightenment and the focus of “understanding the essential unity of all things” (Bennet 3). The novel begins with a young man, Siddhartha, and his desire to pursue enlightenment. The teachings from the Brahmins did not fulfill his need for knowledge enough, and “Siddhartha had begun to feel the seeds of discontent within him” (Hesse 5). He makes the decision to become a Samana and travel the roads and forests with the “wandering ascetics” (Hesse 9). While disagreeing with his own father, Siddhartha sets out with his best friend Govinda to join the group, in hopes that the lifestyle would be able to teach him the knowledge and wisdom he couldn’t attain before. Although he learned all that …show more content…
The most noticeable of these is Siddhartha. The name itself derives from Sanskrit, meaning “he who had found meaning”. This runs parallel with the Siddhartha in the book since the book highlights his search for enlightenment, or meaning. Siddhartha can be seen as a reference to the Buddha, Gautama Siddhartha, who shows up as a prominent character in the beginning of the novel. Both characters’ have a similar background and early childhood. Siddhartha and the Buddha are born in wealthy Brahmin families in India and left their homes to find meaning and enlightenment after feeling discontent with their secular lifestyles. Gautama Siddhartha “renounced his wealth to live as an ascetic” but eventually “came to realize the errors of asceticism”, much like how Siddhartha left the Samana’s in Hesse’s novel. Furthermore, another name that can be traced back to Eastern culture is Vasudeva, the ferryman. Vasudeva is a character in Indian Poetry and the father of Krishna, a Hindu Diety. Vasudeva’s name can be broken down into “vasu”, meaning good, and “deva”, meaning deity. Siddhartha looked up to the ferrymen, in some sense, like a deity. Vasudeva’s last scene in the book is portrayed in a very god-like manner, with Siddhartha seeing him walk into the wood to die with “his steps full of peace, his face glowing, his form full of light” (Hesse 137). Hesse’s …show more content…
Many of these themes can be traced back to the Hindu and Buddhist themes found in ancient scriptures, which provided the bases for Siddhartha and his journey. Four fundamental themes found in Hinduism are Dharma (righteousness and ethics), Artha (livelihood and wealth), Kama (love and desire) and Moksa (liberation and freedom). These are also known as the four goals, or aims, of human life. The story begins with Dharma; Siddhartha is living his life as a wealthy Brahmin with his father, where he "he performed his holy ablutions [and] his holy offerings" (Hesse 3). Dharma can be viewed as the moral principles one must have, along with ethics and righteousness. This also plays a part when Siddhartha goes to see the Buddha with Govinda. He listens to his own beliefs and morality, which leads him to part ways with Govinda and begin on his own path. The next two themes, Artha and Kama, can be seen together when Siddhartha is living in the town, working as wealthy merchant. Artha refers to one’s wealth and career, which Siddhartha experiences when he meets Kamaswami. Here, Siddhartha indulges in wealth along with a secular lifestyle associated with it. Siddhartha begins by developing a need for “passionate pleasure through gambling away and squandering of wretched money” (Hesse 79). Kama is seen when Siddhartha is with Kamala, hence her name. Siddhartha learns the art of love from Kamala. He