Author Herman Hesse
Country Germany
Genre Fiction (Spiritual)
Publication Date 1922
Pages 119
We recently moved countries and as mostly happens with travel related upheavals, I ended up reading this book intermittently. Impressively and unexpectedly, this lack of a smooth flow failed to cast its shadow over the beauty of the book.
Siddhartha is a simple but enigmatic read, written by someone who; despite being an outsider, reflects a deep understanding of the country's rich spiritual identity. The brevity of the book along with the depth of the message make this a quick and unforgettable read.
Through this 119 page novella, Herman has traced the life of Siddhartha, a bright and intelligent young man with an insatiable thirst to seek. A 'Brahmin' by birth, he soon renounces that to become a 'Samana' till he no longer finds that meaningful and enriching enough. As a consequence of no profound results from his ascetic lifestyle, he decides to become a part of the world and gets lured by sensual love and by the riches and luxuries of man. Unfortunately, he soon finds his soul empty as he imbibes the negativity of the world around him. Deeply entangled in the world, he loses his strengths (of control over the mind) and becomes miserable only to finally wake up as a new person; who chooses to lead a more meaningful life.
Through the life span of Siddhartha; Herman has conveyed some powerful messages: the importance of having control over the mind, listening to the voice within, staying connected with our inner selves and striving to become free of desire. Not surprisingly; these are what the Indian spiritual teachings convey.
The light at the end of the tunnel is another theme touched upon by Herman and as Siddhartha says:
I had to experience despair, I had to sink to great mental depths, to thoughts of suicide, in order to experience grace, to hear Om again, to sleep deeply again and to awaken refreshed.
To me, this has been a wonderful and enriching read which urges each of us, like Siddhartha, to listen to the 'bird in out breast' or our inner voice. I highly recommend this to one and all!
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