“On meurt deux Source fois, je le vois bien : > > Cesser d’aimer & d’être aimable, > > C’est une mort insupportable : > > Cesser de vivre, ce n’est rien.”
This 18th-century French verse speaks of two deaths. The first is a spiritual one: to stop loving and being lovable. The writer calls this an unbearable end. The second death is merely physical, ceasing to live, which is comparatively nothing. While not from Hermann Hesse, this sentiment captures the very soul of his masterpiece, Siddhartha. The novel is a profound journey toward enlightenment. It argues that the path is not a straight line but a series of painful, unbearable deaths of the self. Each ending, however, makes way for a powerful rebirth and deeper wisdom.
Hesse’s novel does not exist in a vacuum. Source It is deeply rooted in the rich soil of Eastern philosophies that captivated him throughout his life. . To understand Siddhartha’s quest, we must first look to its primary influences: Hinduism and Buddhism. These traditions provide the framework for his spiritual odyssey, even as he ultimately forges his own unique path.
The Hindu Foundation: The Search for Atman
Siddhartha begins his life as a Brahmin’s son, immersed in the teachings of Hinduism. He learns the sacred verses and masters the rituals. At the core of his early belief system lies the concept of Atman, the individual soul or self. Hindu philosophy posits that this Atman is identical to Brahman, the universal, all-encompassing spirit. Therefore, the ultimate goal of life is to achieve this realization—to understand that your individual self is one with the entire cosmos. This is the knowledge Siddhartha initially seeks.
He feels an intense dissatisfaction despite his learning. He believes that the wisdom of the Vedas and the teachings of his elders are secondhand knowledge. They are words, not experiences. Consequently, he feels the divine Atman within him, yet he cannot grasp it. This profound spiritual thirst compels him to leave his comfortable home. This departure marks his first symbolic death: the death of the obedient son and the promising Brahmin. He sheds a life of inherited doctrine to seek a life of direct experience.
The Buddhist Encounter: Rejecting a Perfect Path
Siddhartha’s journey then leads him to the Samanas, ascetics who practice extreme self-denial. He masters their techniques of fasting and meditation, but finds this path hollow as well. It is merely another form of escape from the self, not a true understanding of it. Subsequently, he encounters Gotama, the Buddha, a man who has achieved enlightenment. Siddhartha deeply respects the Buddha and recognizes the perfection of his teachings, the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. His friend Govinda stays to become a disciple, but Siddhartha moves on.
This decision is a pivotal moment in the novel. Siddhartha explains that while the Buddha’s teachings are flawless, they represent the Buddha’s own experience. Wisdom, he argues, cannot be transferred through words. It must be lived. He must make his own mistakes and find his own truths. This rejection of even a perfect doctrine is another death. He kills the part of himself that seeks a teacher or a pre-made system for salvation. From this point forward, Siddhartha resolves that the world itself will be his teacher.
The Life of the Senses: A Necessary Death
Freed from spiritual dogma, Siddhartha dives into the material world. He crosses a river and enters the city, where he meets the courtesan Kamala and the merchant Kamaswami. Kamala teaches him the art of love, while Kamaswami teaches him the ways of business. For years, Siddhartha embraces this life. He accumulates wealth, enjoys pleasure, and becomes entangled in the worldly game he once despised. He excels at it, yet a part of him knows he is only playing a role. This period represents his deepest spiritual slumber.
Eventually, the life of wealth and pleasure becomes a prison. The constant pursuit of desire leaves him feeling empty and disgusted. He sees the lines of weariness on his face and feels the spiritual death creeping in. This is the unbearable death from the opening verse—the slow decay that comes from a life without true meaning, a life where love is a transaction. His escape from this life is abrupt and filled with despair. He leaves everything behind, contemplating suicide by the very river he once crossed. This marks the death of Siddhartha the materialist, a necessary and painful end that clears the way for his final transformation.
The River’s Wisdom: Finding Unity in All Things
At his lowest point, Siddhartha is saved by a single, sacred sound: “Om.” This sound, representing the unity of the universe, awakens him from his despair. He falls into a deep, restorative sleep by the river and awakens a new man. It is here he reunites with the humble ferryman, Vasudeva, who becomes his final guide. Vasudeva does not teach with words but instead encourages Siddhartha to listen to the river. The river becomes Siddhartha’s greatest teacher.
From the river, Siddhartha learns the novel’s central truths. He learns that time is an illusion; the past, present, and future all exist simultaneously in the eternal now. The river is always itself, yet it is always changing. It contains the voices of all living things. In listening, Siddhartha finally begins to understand the interconnectedness of all existence. He sees that every sin contains grace, every child contains an old man, and all opposites are part of a divine unity. This is the experiential wisdom—Weisheit—that he could never find in books or doctrines.
His final test comes when his estranged son, whom he had with Kamala, briefly enters his life. The boy is rebellious and rejects Siddhartha’s simple life, eventually running away. The pain of this love and loss is immense. However, it allows Siddhartha to feel a profound, selfless love for the first time. It is the last attachment he must release. In doing so, he achieves enlightenment. He no longer sees himself as a separate individual but as a part of the river, a part of the eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth.
In conclusion, Siddhartha is a timeless parable about the search for truth. It champions personal experience over received knowledge and intuition over intellect. The journey, as the French verse suggests, requires multiple unbearable deaths of the ego, of identity, and of attachment. Yet, each of these endings is not a failure but a crucial step toward a greater awakening. Hermann Hesse shows us that enlightenment is not found by escaping the world, but by embracing it in its totality—its pain, its beauty, and its profound, underlying unity.