Siddhartha (novel)

Siddhartha
Author(s)	Hermann Hesse
Translator	Hilda Rosner
Country	Germany
Language	German (Translated into English)
Genre(s)	novel
Publisher	New Directions (US)
Publication date	1922, 1951 (U.S.)
Media type	Print (Paperback)
Pages	152
ISBN	0-553-20884-5
OCLC Number	9766655

Siddhartha is a novel by Hermann Hesse that deals with the spiritual journey of an Indian man named Siddhartha during the time of the Buddha.

The book, Hesse's ninth novel (1922), was written in German, in a simple, powerful, and lyrical style. It was published in the U.S. in 1951 and became influential during the 1960s. Hesse dedicated Siddhartha to Romain Rolland and Wilhelm Gundert.

The word Siddhartha derives from two words in the Sanskrit language, siddha (achieved) + artha (meaning or wealth). The two words together mean "he who has found meaning (of existence)" or "he who has attained his goals". The Buddha's name, before his renunciation, was Prince Siddhartha Gautama. He was Prince of Kapilvastu, Nepal. In this book, the Buddha is referred to as "Gotama".

Plot summary

The story begins by painting a picture of Siddhartha as a perfect son: smart, athletic, obedient, and handsome. However, he eventually sees the limitations of the Brahmin life, and leaves his home to join the ascetics with his companion Govinda. The two set out in the search of enlightenment. After seeing the limitation of asceticism, the two journey to meet the Buddha. Govinda is immediately impressed and takes refuge in the Buddha. Siddhartha respects the Buddha's enlightenment, but realizes that no teaching, not even the Buddha's, can capture enlightenment.

The second half of the book starts with Siddhartha impressing a beautiful, wealthy courtesan. She sets him up with a job so that he can afford the beautiful things that will impress her. Initially seeing this as a game for children, he eventually finds himself caught up in the trading, drinking, and gambling of a merchant life. He leaves again for the forest. After settling into a nice life sharing ferryman duties with a wise friend, Siddhartha finds out he fathered a son. He attempts to raise the boy in this simple life, but the boy gets frustrated and returns to the city. Siddhartha finally feels the sorrow of love, which leads to a deep compassion for all of his fellow humans.

The story takes place in ancient India around the time of Gotama Buddha (likely between the fourth and seventh centuries BCE).

Experience is the aggregate of conscious events experienced by a human in life – it connotes participation, learning and knowledge. Understanding is deep comprehension and internalization. In Hesse’s novel Siddhartha, experience is shown as the best way to approach understanding of reality to attain enlightenment. Hesse’s crafting of Siddhartha’s journey shows that understanding is attained not through scholastic, mind-dependent methods, nor through immersing oneself in asceticism or love and the carnal pleasures of the world. While these individual events only bring about more samsara, they cannot be considered distractions because it is the totality of these experiences that allow Siddhartha to attain understanding.

Characters

• Siddhartha: protagonist
• Vasudeva: enlightened ferryman and spiritual guide
• Govinda: friend and follower of Siddhartha
• Kamala: courtesan and Siddhartha's sensual mentor, mother of his child, Young Siddhartha
• Gotama: spiritual leader Buddha. Siddhartha rejects his teaching while respecting his enlightenment.
• Kamaswami: businessman who instructs Siddhartha on business
• Siddhartha’s Father: a Brahmin who was unable to satisfy Siddhartha's quest for enlightenment
• The Samanas: traveling ascetics who tell Siddhartha that deprivation leads to enlightenment

Major themes

A major preoccupation of Hesse in writing Siddhartha was to cure his 'sickness with life' (Lebenskrankheit) by immersing himself in Indian philosophy such as that expanded in the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. The reason the second half of the book took so long to write was that Hesse "had not experienced that transcendental state of unity to which Siddhartha aspires. In an attempt to do so, Hesse lived as a virtual semi-recluse and became totally immersed in the sacred teachings of both Hindu and Buddhist scriptures. His intention was to attain to that 'completeness' which, in the novel, is the Buddha's badge of distinction." The novel is structured on three of the traditional stages of life for Hindu males (student (brahmacarin), householder (grihastha) and recluse/renunciate (vanaprastha)) as well as the Buddha's four noble truths (Part One) and eight-fold path (Part Two) which form twelve chapters, the number in the novel. Ralph Freedman mentions how Hesse commented in a letter "[my] Siddhartha does not, in the end, learn true wisdom from any teacher, but from a river that roars in a funny way and from a kindly old fool who always smiles and is secretly a saint." In a lecture about Siddhartha, Hesse claimed "Buddha's way to salvation has often been criticized and doubted, because it is thought to be wholly grounded in cognition. True, but it's not just intellectual cognition, not just learning and knowing, but spiritual experience that can be earned only through strict discipline in a selfless life." Freedman also points out how Siddhartha described Hesse's interior dialectic: "All of the contrasting poles of his life were sharply etched: the restless departures and the search for stillness at home; the diversity of experience and the harmony of a unifying spirit; the security of religious dogma and the anxiety of freedom."

Film versions

A film version entitled Siddhartha was released in 1972. It starred Shashi Kapoor and was directed by Conrad Rooks.

In 1971, a surrealistic adaptation as a musical Western was released as Zachariah. John Rubinstein starred in the title role and George Englund was the director. Don Johnson played Matthew, the equivalent of Govinda.

English translations

In recent years several American publishers have commissioned new translations of the novel, which had previously been impossible because of copyright restrictions. In addition to these newer translations, Hilda Rosner's original 1951 translation is still being sold in a number of reprint editions put out by various publishers. The newest translations include:

• Modern Library, a translation by Susan Bernofsky, foreword by Tom Robbins, translator's preface (2006).
• Penguin, a translation by Joachim Neugroschel, introduction by Ralph Freedman, translator's note (2002).
• Barnes & Noble, a translation by Rika Lesser, introduction by Robert A. Thurman (2007).
• Shambhala Classics, a translation by Sherab Chödzin Kohn, introduction by Paul W. Morris, translator's preface (1998).

Musical references

• The 1972 Yes song Close to The Edge from the Close to the Edge album was inspired by the book.
• Nick Drake wrote the song "River Man" (sample) and is the second listed song from Nick Drake's 1969 album Five Leaves Left, remastered and released as a single in 2004. According to Drake's manager, Joe Boyd, Drake thought of the song as the centre piece of the album.
• Jerry Cantrell has a song called "Siddhartha" on his Degradation Trip double album.
• Andrew McMahon of the bands Something Corporate and Jack's Mannequin has the quote "the river is everywhere" tattooed on his wrist and is currently working on a clothing line called River Apparel.
• The Hot Water Music song Sunday Suit contains the line "Siddhartha style, I'll choose a path of open minds".
• Pete Townshend's song The Ferryman was written for a modern production of Siddhartha in June 1976.
• The Slovenian rock band Siddharta was named after the novel.
• Ten Mile Tide wrote a song entitled Siddhartha which provides a musical version of the novel.
• Ralph McTell wrote the song The Ferryman also based on the novel for his 1971 album You Well-Meaning Brought Me Here.
• Atmosphere's Sad Clown Bad Dub II album contains a song entitled "The River", believed by some to inspired by the novel.
• Peter Maybarduk created the song and music video Siddhartha on His Raft in 2009.[1]
• Cise Star from the hip hop group Cyne wrote a song called "Adrift" in which he quotes, "Sitting by Siddhartha by the edge of the river, Listening eagerly to the voices the tide will deliver"
• The Canadian composer Claude Vivier wrote a piece in 1976 for large orchestra called Siddhartha which was inspired by the book.

Other References

Fred Mayer published a photographic essay named Homage to Hermann Hesse and his Siddhartha, which is based on Hesse's novel.

External links

• Full texts of Siddhartha in original German and English translation from Project Gutenberg
• Audio recording in English of Siddhartha from Librivox.org