Resumo de Siddhartha - Hermann Hesse

This book tells the story of Siddhartha, the only son of an hindu spiritual leader, and Govinda, his pure best friend, who aim at achieving Nirvana, the Pure Energy of Atman, by meditation and the destruction of their egos. Firstly, they go to live three years with the samanas who teach them how to cope with hunger, thirst and pain as mediums to escape the body and reach the Pure Essence. However, after this period, they leave the ascetic community and meet Gotama, the Buda, the Perfect and only One to be able to liberate himself from the wheel of reincarnation. Govinda becomes so fascinated with his doctrine that he stays with Gotama and his followers at Jetavana woods. Siddhartha doesn´t stay- he believes that Atman and the Eternal Essence of Braman can only be found and lived in his own self. The samanas have taught him to reach them by the power of mind over the body but he knows now that neither rationality nor sensuality can lead him to the Supreme Meaning. He goes alone to the city, crossing the river by boat conducted by Vasudeva, a poor, plain but very spiritual man who believes the river is the real source of wisdom. At the city Siddhartha sees Kamala, a beautiful and rich woman whose way of living is giving pleasure to powerful men. He is so fascinated by her beauty that he goes to her house and ask her for her company. She says she only attends rich men. Sansara, the World of Senses, is now conquering Siddhartha´s soul. Kamala introduces him to one of her clients- Kamaswami-, a rich and powerful business man who becomes fascinated by the powerful mind of Siddhartha, which leads him to success in trade affairs. Siddhartha spends so many years in this luxurious life that he gradually forgets his initial search for Atman and Braman within his own self. However, one day, disappointed with all this materialistic life, he escapes again and finally realises that he was escaping his goal in life. When crossing the river he talks once more to Vasudeva and realises that his place is beside this plain but holly man who, without deep thoughts or complex words and sentences, found authentic purity, peace of mind, serenity and kindness. One day, Kamala escapes from the city with her son. Her beauty and youth are now disguised by the wrinkles of time and she had converted herself to the doctrine of Buda. However death is waiting for her- when she falls asleep, a snake bites her. Siddhartha and Vasudeva find them both and take them to the hut where they live near the river, the source of knowledge. Kamala dies but first she tells Siddhartha that the child is his. The boy stays with them but as he grows older his hate for his father and that kind of simple living gets stronger. He leaves, the memories of a luxury and mundane style of living lead him to the city. Siddhartha is heart broken- for the first time he experiences real unconditional love and extreme pain. He goes after the boy, but he can´t find him. He gives up. Now he knows what his father suffered with his absence, now he understands that each one of us has his own path in life, that nobody can tell us how to walk through it. Siddhartha perceives that Vasudeva is going to die because he is with Buda´s serene expression but, before his so joyful death at the forest, Siddhartha is certain that he contains already everything in him, he has already reached Nirvana. Siddhartha also finally reaches Atman and Braman and understands that every living being has these sacred dimensions in himself/ itself and that as there is no past, present or future, even the most sinful person someday is going to reach Nirvana and be liberated from the dynamics of reincarnation, by gradually evolving as a human being. He dies and Govinda watches him going away with the same Vasudeva and Buda´s serene expression.

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