Siddhartha: Illustrated Edition

By Hermann Hesse

Seeking spiritual enlightenment, the young Brahmin Siddhartha renounces all earthly possessions to become a wandering Samana. When neither the ascetic life nor the teachings of Gautama, the Buddha, bring him fulfillment, Siddhartha is tempted into worldly ways through his love for the beautiful Kamala. Soon disgusted with his wanton life, Siddhartha embraces humility and embarks on a personal quest to find the hidden Buddha within himself and all the world.
 
The story of Siddhartha and his odyssey of spiritual self-discovery has inspired readers for nearly a century. This colorfully illustrated edition captures the wisdom and serene beauty of Hermann Hesse’s timeless tale.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fall River Press
• Release date: Oct 15, 2018
• ISBN: 9781435166929

Hermann Hesse

Hermann Hesse was a highly acclaimed German author. He was known most famously for his novels Steppenwolfand Siddhartha and his novel The Glass Bead Game earned Hesse a Nobel prize in Literature in 1946. Many of his works explore topics pertaining to self-prescribed societal ostracization. Hesse was fascinated with ways in which one could break the molds of traditional society in an effort to dig deeper into the conventions of selfhood. His fascination with personal awareness earned himself something of a following in the later part of his career. Perceived thus as a sort of “cult-figure” for many young English readers, Hesse’s works were a gateway into their expanding understanding of eastern mysticism and spirituality. Despite Hesse’s personal fame, Siddhartha, was not an immediate success. It was only later that his works received noticeable recognition, largely with audiences internationally. The Glass Bead Game was Hermann Hesse’s final novel, though he continued to express his beliefs through varying forms of art including essays, poems, and even watercolor paintings.

Book preview

The Son of the Brahmin

IN THE SHADE OF THE HOUSE, in the sunlight of the riverbank by the boats, in the shade of the sal wood, in the shade of the fig tree, Siddhartha, the handsome son of the Brahmin, the young falcon, grew up with Govinda, his friend, the Brahmin’s son. Sunlight browned his fair shoulders on the riverbank, as he bathed, during the holy ablutions, during the holy sacrifices. Shade streamed into his black eyes in the mango grove, as the boys played, as his mother sang, during the holy sacrifices, during the teachings of his father, the scholar, and the conversations of the wise men. Siddhartha had long since been taking part in the wise men’s conversations, practicing debate with Govinda, practicing with Govinda the art of contemplation, the duty of meditation. He had already learned to speak the Om silently, the word of words, to speak it silently into himself as he breathed in, to speak it silently out of himself as he breathed out, with his soul collected, his forehead surrounded by the luster of a clearly thinking mind. He had already learned to feel the presence of Atman in his innermost being, indestructible, at one with the universe.

Joy leaped into his father’s heart when he saw the son, studious, thirsty for knowledge; he saw a great sage and priest growing within him, a prince among the Brahmins.

Delight leaped in his mother’s breast when she saw him, when she saw him walking, sitting down and standing up, Siddhartha, strong and handsome, walking on slender legs, greeting her with perfect grace.

Love stirred in the hearts of the young Brahmin daughters as Siddhartha walked through the alleys of the town, with his radiant brow, his regal eye, his narrow hips.

But more than anyone, he was loved by Govinda, his friend, the Brahmin’s son. He loved Siddhartha’s eyes and lovely voice, he loved the way he walked and the perfect grace of his movements. He loved everything that Siddhartha did and said, and most of all he loved his mind, his noble, fiery thoughts, his fervent will, his high calling. Govinda knew: he would become no ordinary Brahmin, no idle sacrificial official, no greedy trader of incantations, no vain and vacant orator, neither a wicked and deceitful priest, nor a good and foolish sheep in the herd of many. No, and nor did he, Govinda, want to become an ordinary Brahmin, of which there are ten thousand. He wanted to follow Siddhartha, the beloved, the wonderful one. And if Siddhartha were someday to become a god, if he were someday to join the radiant ones, Govinda wanted to follow him, as his friend, as his companion, as his servant, as his spear bearer, his shadow.

HE HAD ALREADY LEARNED TO FEEL THE PRESENCE OF ATMAN IN HIS INNERMOST BEING, INDESTRUCTIBLE, AT ONE WITH THE UNIVERSE.

Everyone loved Siddhartha. He brought everyone joy, gave everyone pleasure.

But he, Siddhartha, did not bring himself joy, he did not please himself. Walking on the rosy paths of the fig garden, sitting in the bluish shade of the grove of contemplation, washing his limbs in his daily bath of atonement, performing sacrifices in the deep shade of the mango wood, with gestures of perfect grace, loved by all, a joy to all, he bore no joy in his heart. Dreams came to him and restless thoughts came flowing from the water in the river, sparkling from the stars in the night, melted from the rays of the sun. Dreams came to him and unrest in his soul, smoked from the sacrifices, whispered from the verses of the Rig-Veda, trickled from the teachings of the old Brahmins.

Siddhartha had begun to nurture discontent within. He had begun to feel that his father’s love, his mother’s love, and also Govinda’s love would not always and forever please him, pacify him, satiate him, suffice him. He had begun to sense that his venerable father and his other teachers, that all the wise Brahmins had already conveyed to him the most and the best of their wisdom, that they had already poured their wealth into his waiting vessel and the vessel was not full, his mind was not satisfied, his soul was not calm, his heart was not pacified. The ablutions were good but they were water, they did not wash away sin, they did not cure his mind’s thirst, they did not dissolve his heart’s fear. The sacrifices and the invocations of the gods were admirable—but was this all there was? Did the sacrifices bring happiness? And what about the gods? Was it really Prajapati who created the world? Was it not Atman, He, the One and Only? Were the gods not shapes, created like me and you, subject to time, ephemeral? So was it good, was it right, was it a meaningful and noble act to sacrifice to the gods? Who else should receive sacrifices, who else deserves veneration other than He, the One, Atman? And where was Atman to be found, where did He reside, where did His eternal heart beat, where other than within one’s own Self, within the innermost indestructible core that everyone carries within? But where, where was this Self, this innermost core? It was not flesh and bone, it was not thought or consciousness, according to the wisest men’s teachings. Where was it then, where? To reach this place, the Self, myself, Atman—was there another way worth seeking? Oh, and no one showed the way, no one knew it, not his father, not the teachers and wise men, not the holy sacrificial verses! They knew everything, the Brahmins and their holy books, they knew everything, they had concerned themselves with everything and more than everything, the creation of the world, the origin of speech, of food, of inhaling, of exhaling, the orders of the senses, the deeds of the gods—they knew an infinite amount. But was all this knowledge valuable if one did not know the One and Only, the most important, the only important thing?

WERE THE GODS NOT SHAPES, CREATED LIKE ME AND YOU, SUBJECT TO TIME, EPHEMERAL?

Of course many of the holy books’ verses, above all the Upanishads of Sama-Veda, spoke of this innermost and ultimate thing—magnificent verses. Your soul is the entire world was written there, and there was written that in sleep, in deep sleep, one enters one’s innermost core and dwells in Atman. Wonderful wisdom was in these verses, all the knowledge of the wisest men was collected here in magical words, as pure as honey gathered by bees. No, the immense amount of insight gathered and preserved here by countless generations of wise Brahmins was not to be disregarded. But where were the Brahmins, where the priests, where the wise men or penitents who had succeeded not only in acquiring this deepest knowledge but also in living it? Where was the master who was able to magically shift his ability to dwell in Atman during sleep to the waking state, to life, to all comings and goings, to every word and deed? Siddhartha knew many venerable Brahmins, above all his father, a pure, scholarly, highly venerable man. Worthy of admiration was his father, calm and regal was his demeanor, pure was his life, wise were his words, fine and noble thoughts resided in his brow. But even he, who knew so much, did he live in bliss, did he live in peace? Was he not also a mere seeker, plagued by thirst? Was he, a thirsty man, not compelled to drink again and again from the holy springs, from the sacrifices, from the books, from the dialogues of the Brahmins? Why was he, who was without fault, compelled to wash himself of sin day after day, strive for purification day after day, every day anew? Was Atman not within him, did the spring’s source not flow in his own heart? This is what must be found, the source in oneself, this must be made one’s own! Everything else was seeking, detour, deviation.

These were Siddhartha’s thoughts, this was his thirst, this his suffering.

He often spoke the words from a Chandogya Upanishad to himself: In truth, the Brahmin’s name is Satyam—truly, he who knows this enters the heavenly world every day. It often seemed to be near, the heavenly world, but he had never quite reached it, never quenched the final thirst. And of all the wise and wisest men he knew and whose teachings he enjoyed, none among them had quite reached it, the heavenly world; none had completely quenched it, the eternal thirst.

Govinda, said Siddhartha to his friend, Govinda, dear friend, come with me under the banyan tree. Let us practice meditation.

They walked to the banyan tree, they sat down, here Siddhartha, Govinda twenty steps further. As he sat down, ready to speak the Om, Siddhartha repeated the verse, murmuring:

OM IS THE BOW, THE ARROW IS THE SOUL, BRAHMAN IS THE ARROW’S MARK, THIS SHOULD BE STRUCK PERSISTENTLY.

When the usual time for meditation had passed, Govinda rose. Evening had arrived. It was time to perform the evening ablutions. He called Siddhartha’s name. Siddhartha did not answer. Siddhartha sat immersed, his eyes rigidly focused on a very distant point, the tip of his tongue protruding slightly from between his teeth; he did not seem to be breathing. So he sat, shrouded in meditation, thinking Om, his soul an arrow sent forth to Brahman.

Once, Samanas had passed through Siddhartha’s town: ascetics on a pilgrimage, three gaunt and extinguished men, neither old nor young, with dusty and bloody shoulders, nearly naked and singed by the sun, surrounded by solitude, alien and hostile to the world, strangers—haggard jackals in the realm of men. Behind them blew hotly the scent of quiet passion, of devastating service, of ruthless elimination of Self.

In the evening, after the hour of contemplation, Siddhartha said to Govinda: Tomorrow morning, my friend, Siddhartha will go to the Samanas. He will become a Samana.

Govinda turned pale as he heard the words and read in his friend’s motionless face the resolution, as indivertible as the arrow shot from the bow. Govinda recognized at once and at first glance: now it is beginning, now Siddhartha is going his way, now his destiny has begun to sprout, and with his, mine as well. And he became as pale as a dry banana peel.

O Siddhartha, he cried, will you father allow it?

Siddhartha looked at him as one who is awakening. Like an arrow he read in Govinda’s soul the fear, read the resignation.

O Govinda, he said softly, let us not waste words. Tomorrow, at daybreak, I will begin the life of the Samanas. Speak no more of it.

Siddhartha entered the room where his father was sitting on a mat made of bast. He stepped behind his father and stood still until his father felt that someone was standing behind him. The Brahmin spoke: Is it you, Siddhartha? Then say what you have come to say.

Said Siddhartha: With your permission, my father. I have come to tell you that I wish to leave your house tomorrow and join the ascetics. To become a Samana is my desire. May my father not be opposed.

The Brahmin was silent, and remained silent for so long that the stars traveled across the small window and changed their shape before the silence in

Reviews for Siddhartha

[squeakychu · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As a preface to my reaction to this book, I must say that the choice of this book was not my own, but rather the choice of my book club. I personally do not care for books I feel are allegorical. I find them too simplistic with philosophical thought cast at the reader and carefully delineated rather than allowing the reader freedom of thought about what was just read.After reading half of the book, I found Siddhartha truly annoying and would have bailed, had I not agreed to read this book for someone other than myself. I hated that he left his father and then left his friend Govinda, first to seek the life of an ascetic and then to simply pursue riches...which was also accompanied by greed, lust and other vices. Nothing against those last three things other than they had no antithesis in Siddhartha's life at that time. There was later a character I liked very much...a ferryman by the name of Vasudeva. He was a hard-working, thoughtful, kind and caring man. He certainly seemed more well rounded than Siddhartha. At the end of the book, as I suspected, we the readers were told what we should have gotten out of this story. I read it. Yeah. Yeah. Beautiful and all that...but very abstract. I like more literal story-telling.I am glad I read this book, though, as I had never before read a book by Herman Hesse, and this author was one of my dear late aunt Emma's favorite writers. I might later explore more of his works to see if there are other books of his I might like better.

[deltaqueen50 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Although Siddhartha by Herman Hesse was originally published in 1922, I remember that it was very influential during the 1960s and was touted as a book to help lead one to a higher level of enlightenment and towards learning the meaning of life. I was able to avoid the book back then but picked it up recently as it fit both the challenge of reading 1,001 Books and the topic of Eastern Philosophies for another challenge. I found the book was easily read, but this type of internal belly-button gazing really isn’t my cup of tea.The book details the life of Siddhartha, a son of a prominent Brahmin in ancient India. Although born to a life of privilege, he turns his back on home and family and chooses instead to join a group of Samanas, who live as hermits, giving up all possessions in the hope of finding himself and reaching a higher level of self awareness. After a number of years he felt he had learned all that he could from the hermits and chose to continue his journey of self-discovery in a different direction, including the embracing of an excess of material goods. He experiments with different teachers and methods but finds no satisfaction. Eventually he turns to a simple life and this helps him as he strives to approach Nirvana.This allegorical tale was written by a westerner for a western audience and as such barely skims the surface of Indian philosophy. I think this could be a good place to start one’s journey to understanding karma but most likely lacks the depth that one would need in order to fully grasp the wisdom and ascetics of eastern spirituality. Personally I never felt that this book resonated with me or offered me any type of revelation so it was a book of interest but not one of learning.

[mbmackay · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Last read in the 1970s when Hesse was very trendy. Re-reading in 2020s has been an experience. The book doesn't quite hold up to my memories. Rather than being deep and very meaningful, I found it to be a simple short saga of the stages of life. The oriental mysticism no longer seems deep, but the book is not without wisdom. So, a nice read, but not the answer to question of the meaning of life!

[nosborm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A bit short but I was told to pause at the end of every chapter (which I did) to fully absorb the work. I appreciated it but I think I would have liked it more had I "studied" it. A pretty good read.

[kcshankd · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this early, I think in high school. Re-reading as a father with three sons nearing launch (18, 17, 13) it still slaps, though now it stings... Should call dad

[angelajmaher · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very interesting read that addresses the idea of meaning in life, and which might perhaps incite some deeper thinking in the reader. This is not a difficult book to read, but it is a worthwhile read.

[hippielunatic · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I cannot fully comprehend this book, and yet it clearly states all of my intrinsic beliefs.

[seriousgrace · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

How do I describe Siddhartha? In simple terms I would say it’s one man’s journey to find his identity. In the end he finds peace in listening to a river and hearing his heart. In listening, he learns. In hearing, he loves. There is a great deal that happens in between, of course. The proudest and more profound moment was when Siddhartha recognized the pain he currently experiences as the exact same pain he inflicted on his father so long ago. What goes around comes around, as they say.

[schneider_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not a bad short philosophical read. Gave me a few moments of reflection, which I felt was a good thing...a book that makes one think. Novel concept.

[evelyn.b · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My brother let me borrow his copy that he has had for years. This book was a beautiful, thought-provoking prose that got me asking myself some really good questions. We see the stages of life that Siddhartha goes through, the people he meets along the way, the scenery that is so beautifully captured by Hesse. This book is a quick read, but definitely a must read for anyone who wants to read a beautiful story and look in to themselves just as Siddhartha does on his journey through life.

[avengingexile · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The story of a pretentious twat and his inability to take responsibility for his actions.

[bhiggs-822148 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I don't remember enjoying this much. Yet, I also don't have any memory of hating it. Maybe one day I'll revisit it.

[technodiabla · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I found this little tome to be packed with messages I'll likely ponder for some time. This quick easy read (often assigned in high school) has layers of meaning that warrant revisiting later in life. It is the story of Siddhartha-- the youth, then man, as he wanders through life searching for meaning and Nirvana.

[eldang-1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I first read this book half a lifetime ago, and loved it. Siddharta's searching spoke to 16-year-old me, and the simplicity of the prose struck me as beautiful and appropriate. So re-reading it was very disappointing - this time around the skeleton of the story still speaks to me, but the prose just feels unfinished, more like reading a storyboard than a completed work. And the westerner's-eye-view of India and Buddhism just feels painfully naive and reifying: odd, given that Hesse actually did know what he was talking about, but all the same it was painful enough that I didn't finish the book the second time around.

[stevenjohntait · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very good book. Gives everything apart from actual enlightenment.

[amerynth · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Having only read one novel by Hesse before ("The Glass Bead Game,") this slim little volume wasn't what I expected when I requested "Siddhartha" from the library. Although this is a rather simple story, I found it to be a pretty enjoyable read.Siddhartha is a young Brahmin who goes through a number of phases in his lifetime, which contribute to his ultimate understanding of the universe. Hesse's simple style in this novel works well for the story, which was a fun read.

[oacevedo-792047 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed Siddhartha. It was a beautiful, inspiring read. Highly recommend it!

[datrappert · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This review is specifically for the audio version read by Geoffrey Giuliano. This is a pretty suitable book for audio. It is only about five hours long and the story is straightforward. The narrator does a good job, but whoever records the intro and outro sections sounds like a maniac. I almost stopped listening after a few seconds.As for the book, it is one I've had on my shelf for decades but never read. I read Hesse's Steppenwolf, when I was a teen or maybe in my early twenties; I remember liking it but don't remember anything else about it. I thought Siddhartha was about the Buddha, but in fact, it is about someone who meets the Buddha but, while appreciating his teachings, realizes that you cannot achieve nirvana through teachings. One line I particularly remember is that knowledge can be taught, but wisdom cannot. During the course of the story, Siddhartha tries out many lifestyles and can be said to succeed in all of them, but he is still finding. Which relates to another great quote, which is that those who seek cannot find, because they are too focused on what they are seeking. Meaning they miss out on all the other things around them. By the end of the book, Siddhartha seems to have found what he needs to find. Whether or not you as a reader can embrace his ultimate philosophy is up to you. The contradictory nature of the book is that Siddhartha would probably tell you not to--you have to find your own.

[carmenere_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you've come to this novella, you, like Siddhartha, may be a seeker. You, like Siddhartha, may be struggling to discover the meaning of life, looking for enlightenment. Perhaps, you may be required to read it, surely, there is a reason this story is assigned reading, right? Well, truthfully, you may not find all the answers here but consider Hesse's poetic prose as a continuation of your personal journey.Like Odysseus, there is much to lure Siddhartha off his path and which deter him from achieving his goal. Still, his associations with Kamala, Kamaswami and Govinda are not wasted moments in Siddhartha's life, rather they are a piece of his learning experience. Surprisingly, it is when Siddhartha struggles the most, when he is at his lowest, the moment he finds his love is not reciprocated that he finds the answer. This is a book to be read and reread and although each read may be different than the last it will surely leave its impression upon your journey.

[ecataldi-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I wasn't really sure what to expect, being nearly 100 years old and translated to English (as well as nearly every other language in the world), but the narration was wonderful and sucked me right in. Siddhartha tells the story of a young Indian man who has decided to reject his comfortable lifestyle to seek enlightenment. At first this journey begins with self denial to find higher fulfillment, but as Siddhartha ages so do his opinions and worldviews. His journey takes him through luxury, love, hatred, desire, denial, and acceptance. Told with wonderful prose, many consider this novel to be the finest moral allegory ever written. Only by failure, does Siddhartha find what he is looking for. Readers will find some aspect of Siddhartha's journey to relate to. “Wisdom cannot be imparted. Wisdom that a wise man attempts to impart always sounds like foolishness to someone else ... Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it.”

[justagirlwithabook · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this in high school as required reading for an AP Lit class. I actually found this one more interesting and enjoyed it at the time. If I were to read it now, as an adult, I don't know if I would enjoy it quite as much, but that's okay. I do recommend this one for those interested in philosophical reads.

[jphamilton-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Back when I was in college in the 1970s, I went on a serious, and predictable, Hermann Hesse reading jag ... and SIDDHARTHA was among those many, many titles. I have reread it many times in the years since then.. Presently, having just finished the book, I'm still glowing from the book's conclusion. Feeling a light and warm breeze, in a garden buzzing with bees, it was my favorite experience with a book in quite some time. These feelings are why I read.

[montzaleew · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

SiddharthaBy: Hermann HesseNarrated by: Christopher PreeceThis is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary. This is the first time I actually understand this book. I have read this book before a few times but it is a difficult book to read. For me, it is hard to stay focused and follow what is going on at times. With this audible book, with this narrator, I finally got the flow of the book! That's a big plus. Once I understood the basics of what was going on, I understood more. Do I understand all? No, but I get it a lot more. The narrator was wonderful with a clear, soothing voice that was perfect!

[mamzel_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A short book, this story relates how a young man leaves his home to try and find his place in the world, to find a place of peace. Along the way he learns how to control his body, he meets the Buddha, separates from his childhood friend, learns about physical love from a courtesan, about business, and how to listen to the river from a ferryman. He encounters his friend several times and compares how his search with help from the Buddha has compared to his own.This book is full of peace and I think I will reread it again and again for its gentle wisdom.

[greeniezona · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book has been on my shelves for quite some time, but I became even more interested in it when I learned that it is one of the few books Andrew has read that I have not! So it was an easy inclusion for my TBR pile challenge, and to be the first I read from that list.

My livejournal friends predicted I would like this book, and they were right. Really, what I knew about Buddhism is mostly limited to what I read in a year's subscription to Tricycle magazine, and reading the first two books in Osamu Tezuka's Buddha series. (I really need to get the next one!) That is to say -- not much.

Siddhartha is a very enjoyable, fairly quick read. Like the title character, I've come from an intellectual background and would like to believe that the secret of life could be taught by book or by some great teacher, but suspect also that it must be lived. Though as a mother, I am frustrated by the repeated teachings of detachment by Western Buddhist men. Perhaps I should seek out a Buddhist mother as an example. Or I could simply acknowledge that I am not Buddhist and move on. Or perhaps, like Siddhartha, I need to live in the muck of attachment a while longer, and hope that lesson is realized in my life at a later date.

It is a beautiful book with lovely ideas. I will definitely keep it on my shelf to reread at a later date.

[dr_cicle · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book is very enlightening! I really liked the plot but the way the author wrote bothered me so much. That is why I rated this as a 3

[dreesie-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked this much more than I expected to. As a young man the Brahmin Siddhartha leaves his father to be a samana, a monk of sorts, searching for truth and enlightenment. He then begins to follow one man known as a Buddha. After much time with him, he decides he is ready for something else, knowing nothing of women or the ways of the world. He becomes a successful businessman and a lover--and years later realizes how much of his wisdom and skill has been lost (how to wait, how to fast...). He leaves his lover and business and becomes a ferryman, with the man who ferried him years before. There he gains happiness and wisdom, and knowledge of the cycle and sameness of all life and time.

[reluctanttechie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Considered a classic, but very repetitive in English. Perhaps it is better in the original German. It touches on the paradoxes of life and is difficult to truly understand, which I guess is the point.

[razinha-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I seem to remember writing a book report for this in junior high or high school, but I don't recall that I ever actually read it. I wonder what the then me, being naive and impressionable, would have thought if I had read it. I know that I couldn't then, as now, read into a book and pull out what the author was thinking - or at least make up some nonsense about what I think the author was thinking. Regardless, the current me found this to be rather simple and preachy...with yet another, "oh, please" ending.

[brakketh-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The journey to enlightenment travelled by Siddhartha as demonstrated through living his life rather than learning about enlightenment.