I have been reading much more spirituality recently, and I often find myself in the midst of lofty thoughts and intense conversations that preach about people who lived idealistic lives, making it very hard for a beginner like me to relate, or even understand. Many of these figures renounce all pleasures of life without ever experiencing them, which makes me wonder if some of them did it out of escapism.
A friend of mine suggested this book to me, Siddhartha. At first, I thought it would be a religious book, maybe about the life of Gautama Buddha (since he was originally called Siddhartha), or at least inspired by his life. However, my friend mentioned that this is a fictional book, and knowing me, he really thought I would enjoy it. That was enough to spark my curiosity, and I ordered it immediately.
A Brief Dive into the Story
The Beginning
Siddhartha, the young son of a Brahman, was born blessed with spiritual prowess and tendencies. He was well-versed in all religious scriptures and was dear to everyone in his village, especially his best friend Govinda. Despite mastering all that he was taught, he never felt at peace. He was always restless and believed that his teachers and elders had already taught him all they could, but he needed to experience the truth rather than just being told about it.
So, together with Govinda, he left his home to join the Samanas — wandering ascetics who live in renunciation.
The Exile
For years, he practiced hard discipline among them. Long stretches of silence, hunger, and meditation dominated his life. He was able to project his astral consciousness into other beings, dead or alive, but was dissatisfied even with this, because he hated that he ultimately had to return to his own body. The release from the body felt temporary, while he sought permanent freedom and peace.
He then heard of the enlightened Gautama, who was regarded as the Perfect One by everyone around him. He and Govinda left in hopes of learning from this venerable teacher. Meeting the Enlightened One face to face, he felt profound respect for his serenity and presence. But Siddhartha noticed something: Gotama had attained liberation, yet what he offered were teachings, doctrines, words. Siddhartha believed true awakening cannot be taught, it must be lived.
Govinda chose to stay with the Buddha, but Siddhartha walked away alone, beginning a new chapter.
The Indulgence
It was then that he turned toward the world he had once rejected. By the river, he met the ferryman Vasudeva, who took him across the river for free. Siddhartha continued on and encountered Kamala, a courtesan of extraordinary beauty. From her, he learned the art of love. To win her, he also learned the ways of wealth and success from the merchant Kamaswami. Slowly, Siddhartha sank into the pleasures of the senses : gambling, luxury, indulgence.
The fire of seeking within him slowly got replaced by the darkness of lust and greed. One day, looking at his reflection, Siddhartha was struck by how far he had fallen into emptiness. He had become the very thing he once despised and was disgusted by what he saw. The glitter of the world had dulled him. Having lost himself to the filth, he walked away from the city in despair, even considering ending his life in the river. But as he leaned into the darkness, he heard the sound of Om, the eternal syllable, and it pulled him back.
The Knowledge
He fell into a deep sleep by the river, and when he woke, it felt as if he had been reborn. He met Govinda, who failed to recognize him since Siddhartha had clearly abandoned the ways of asceticism and embraced materialism. Somewhat disappointed, Govinda bid him farewell.
Siddhartha stayed with the ferryman Vasudeva, learning to live simply and listening to the river. The river became his true teacher. It laughed, it flowed, it united all things. In its waters, Siddhartha began to understand timelessness, the oneness of all existence, and the futility of attachment.
The Relapse
Later, Kamala, now a devotee of the Buddha, came traveling with her young son. She was bitten by a snake near the river and died in Siddhartha’s care, leaving the boy with him, who was later known to be Siddhartha’s son. For the first time, Siddhartha knew the pain of attachment; he loved his son fiercely, but the boy resented him and eventually ran away.
This heartbreak taught Siddhartha the compassion he had lacked before: to truly feel the suffering of others. However, with this he fell back into the circle of attachment once again, blanketing his peacefulness and gravity.
Om
Vasudeva once again helped him listen to the river, where now Siddhartha could hear the all-encompassing sound; the sound of nature heard on the outside but echoing within: the sound of Om.
In his final years, Siddhartha became one with the river. Govinda visited him once more, still searching for enlightenment. When Govinda asked him for wisdom, Siddhartha did not give speeches or doctrines. Instead, he invited Govinda to rest by him and experience. In a moment of grace, Govinda saw in Siddhartha’s face the unity of all things : birth, death, joy, sorrow, everything flowing together like the river.
Through this, Siddhartha achieved the peace he sought all along. Not by escaping the world, nor by drowning in it, but by embracing it fully, and listening to its eternal flow.
What Struck Me the Most
🌊 The River That Flows Downstream
The river is Siddhartha’s ultimate teacher, a teacher he finally accepted. Sitting by it, he learned that life is not a straight path but a flow. Every drop is part of the whole, every sound part of a larger symphony. The river showed him that time is an illusion; past and future merge in the eternal present.
For us, the river is a reminder: whatever stage we are in, we are still flowing, still part of the whole. We don’t need to resist life; we need only to listen.
🙏 Encounters with Gotama and Govinda
Siddhartha met the Buddha, Gotama, and was struck not by his teachings but by his presence. He realized that wisdom cannot be given, it must be lived. Years later, when Govinda, his lifelong friend, asked him for the secret at the river’s edge, Siddhartha did not give doctrines. He let Govinda experience the truth through a kiss, showing that enlightenment cannot be explained, only embodied.
In our lives too, perhaps the deepest truths are not in words but in the way we are. Our presence may teach more than our arguments ever could. Truth is not limited to the expression of words, but the embodiment of them.
🕉 The Sound of Om
In Siddhartha’s darkest moment, when despair pushed him toward the river’s depths, he heard the sacred syllable: Om. It saved him. Om represents unity, the eternal sound that holds all things together. It reminds him that no moment is separate from the whole, that even pain and failure are embraced in the oneness of existence.
In many Hindu texts, Om is referred to as the sound of the universe, the representation of the divine frequency. Swami Vivekananda described Om as transcending the boundaries of language and expression:
- Om is the essence of all mantras. Every prayer and chant in Hinduism begins with it, because it symbolizes the whole of existence.
- It represents the three states of consciousness, waking (A), dreaming (U), and deep sleep (M), and the silence beyond them is the state of pure consciousness (Turiya).
- Om is not just a sound but a symbol of the Absolute (Brahman). Meditating on it connects the mind with the eternal reality.
- He also said that by repeating and meditating on Om, one can quiet the restless mind and realize unity with the infinite.
💰 Attachment and Detachment
Siddhartha did not walk a perfect path. He became entangled in desire, wealth, and pleasures of the senses. For years he lived as a rich merchant, indulging in greed and lust, until he felt the same emptiness as before. Yet these “falls” were not mistakes; they were necessary. Through excess, he learned balance.
We too fall into attachment, to success, love, or ambition. Siddhartha’s journey teaches us not to judge these phases harshly. They are part of our growth, stepping stones toward wisdom.
In one of my favourite shows, Ted Lasso, Ted says: “I hope that either all of us or none of us are judged by the actions of our weakest moments… but rather by the strength we show when, and if, we’re ever given a second chance.”
✨ “I Can Wait. I Can Think. I Can Fast.”
Early in the novel, when Siddhartha describes his strengths, he says: I can wait, I can think, I can fast. These are not ascetic tricks, they are profound skills that need to be developed by everyone, from a Samana to a businessman.
- To wait is to trust time, to be patient with the unfolding of life. To have faith and to surrender.
- To think is to reflect deeply, not rushing into blind action. To find reason before everything you do.
- To fast is to master desire, to know we are not slaves to every craving. To have control over the temptations of the senses.
If we cultivate just these three abilities in our daily lives, we gain resilience and freedom.
🌌 A Life Like the River
In the end, Siddhartha did not become a saint who escaped the world. He became someone who had lived it fully, the highs and the lows, and returned to the river within. His peace was not rejection, but acceptance.
And perhaps that is the greatest teaching: to live, flow, and listen, until we hear the Om that unites us with everything. Freedom does not necessarily lie in renunciation; it lies in acceptance and peace with our circumstances and who we are.