The enlightened call a person wise when all his undertakings are free from anxiety about results.

— Krishna in The Gita

The mind is everything. What you think you become.
— Buddha



Wednesday 15 December 2010

Hesse’s Siddhartha



Hermen Hesse’s Siddhartha is supposed to be one of the most read novels in the 20th century, but I had never spotted it on the bookshops in Dubai or India. So I leapt at it when I saw it in the classics section of Barnes & Noble in Pennsylvania during my recent trip there. I had picked it up for my daughter though, not for myself. I had read the book years ago and for some reason I had always thought that I remembered it too well.
But I was mistaken. Back in Dubai when I started flipping through the pages I realised what a remarkable book it was. All the more because it was written much before Indian philosophy became fashionable and familiar in the West.
Published in the 1920s in German and translated into English in the early 50s, Siddhartha became intensely popular in the West during the Swinging Sixties and afterwards. At the heart of the novel lies the spiritual quest of a young man named Siddhartha, a Brahmin boy who is dissatisfied with the ritualistic life led by his father and other elders. He leaves home and spends months with wandering ascetics who have attained extraordinary mental and physical powers, some of which are now imbibed by him. But the true seeker that he is, it means nothing. What he wants is the annihilation of the “I”, the ego.
At this point he hears about Gautam Buddha, who he hopes will be the answer to his quest. But when Siddhartha comes face to face with Buddha, he realises even the great master can’t lead him to enlightenment and that he had to find his own path.
In the period that follows, Siddhartha falls in love, earns money and becomes a typical householder. Only when old age creeps on him does he again feel the urge to seek the Truth. What Hesse tries to show is that self-denial and instruction alone don’t lead to enlightenment. What matters is learning through one’s own experience.
If you can plough through the awkward translation and keep yourself focused on the narrative then Siddhartha is illuminating. The author’s grasp of Hindu philosophy and its ultimate quest – the destruction of ego and self-realisation – is impressive.
Ironically, Hesse himself never set foot in India. His love for India was derived in his childhood through his father and grandfather, who worked in India as missionaries. Later he read the German philosopher Schopenhauer (who maintained that the world is a mere reflection of our consciousness), and the Gita is said to have made a lasting impression on him. At the same time he was also deeply influenced by Buddhist philosophy. The cumulative effect of all this can be seen in a highly nuanced but instructive Siddhartha.

15 comments:

  1. An excellent and crisp review in impeccable English.It makes me want to read the book.Thank you.I have started following your blog

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  2. i have read it long time back, its the first ebook i read..

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  3. Good information. I am now following U.

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  4. Thanks for your comments on my blog.

    I am following you rt. now.

    You can find interesting chat between Dad & Son (Ronie) in my blog. I promise to quit writing if it is not worth reading !!

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  5. Hesse had stated that “Siddhartha puts not cognition, but love in first place; that it disdains dogma and makes the experience of unity the central point.” The inner perfection Siddhartha and vicariously through him, Hesse seeks is an awareness of the unity, totality, and simultaneity of all being. Siddhartha's life contains strong similarities to that of the historical Gautama Buddha, who, in addition to the proper name Gautama, was called Siddhartha in secular life, meaning “the one who has reached the goal” or “the one who has found the Way.” Hesse addressed in Siddhartha, as in most of his other works, characters who struggle to come to terms with themselves, individuals who passionately attempt self realization.
    The book didn't get any popularity till about 1970,and I am not sure it still retains that.It is true works of literature transcends time.
    Only few remember that Hesse was awarded the Nobel for literature.

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  6. I never read this book. Will try to soon.

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  7. Very nice review. The movie made more waves here, because of certain scenes in the movie.

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  8. excellent review! those who read this will make them read Sidhartha

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  9. I wish i wish i wish i can get time to read .. I miss reading so muchhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

    a lovely review :)


    Bikram's

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  10. brilliant..enjoyed reading this boss:)

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  11. Have not read this one but I've heard so much about the book. I would love to pick it up.

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  12. I was wondering where you were all this time? So you were visiting places. I would definitely read this book, now that you have given such an interesting review. I heard about the movie though long time back.
    Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!!

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  13. I have seen this book in Kochi book stalls but I never bothered to read it because I thought it was the story of Gauthama Buddha who was also know as Sidartha.

    Your lovely summary is very interesting and informative.
    Joseph

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