I wanted to write this piece on the occasion of Buddha's 2,557th
birthday. But it is written after delay of some days. His birth place Nepal and
many other countries were celebrating his birthday with different programs when
I just finished 'Siddhartha'.
Many people who love to read books refer
'Siddhartha' when someone asks them to recommend others their favorite book. I
had a curiosity for that book on why many people recommended this book for
others. I had already known some things about that book. I had known that
Hermann Hesse, a German writer has written this book and this book is spiritual.
I had already read about Siddhartha, the person, in my school
classes. He was a prince and left his palace in quests of why people suffer
many kinds of pains, why they grow old and why they die. He became Buddha when
he gained knowledge about those questions. Many people followed him and they
became Buddhists.
My friend Yubaraj Lama gifted that book to me when I met him in
Pokhara at a training program. When I started to read that book, at first, it
didn't take my attention. But the text about Siddhartha and Buddha's
conversation deeply concentrated me.
The main character of this novel is Siddhartha, who wants to
know about what truth is. He is from the Brahman society where he studies Vedas,
Puranas and other many holy books. But he doesn't find what truth is in those
types of books. Then he decides to become a Samana and leaves home. His close
friend Govinda is with him. They join Samana group but Siddhartha doesn't get
his questions' answers. He leaves that and wants to meet Buddha. Ho joins
there. After sometimes Siddhartha wants to leave there but Govinda refuses.
When Buddha and Siddhartha talk to each other, this scene is very
heart touching. Buddha asks Siddhartha, "why did you want to leave this
place?" Siddhartha replies, "I did not find my questions' answers here."
"Many people find that question's answer here. Why don't you?" "It
is not my place to another person's life. Only for myself, myself alone, I must
choose, I must decide, I must refuse." Siddhartha's answer leaves an
effect here while reading. This also indicates us that we are responsible only for
our life, but not for others.
He experiences different kinds of lifestyles. The writer expresses
different kinds of lifestyle within one character, and this is very effective.
A merchant, a call girl, a boat man have come naturally in this novel. We can
understand all character's psychology and their spirituality at one time. When
Siddhartha meets his dearest friend Govinda, he says that we can't express our
feelings through words. That is true, but in this novel a reader feels much
spirituality through words. At the end of this book we realize that the world's
beauty depends on our attitude, not on the objects themselves.
This book also helps us to know something about eastern
philosophy and Lord Buddha. The writer is the son and the grandson of
Protestant missionaries and is educated in Christian schools but this is not
reflected in the book. He is not biased in his writing. I salute the writer for
his literary work.
apawad@hotmail.com
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