He felt he now regarded Vasudeva as the people regarded the gods and that this could not last" Chapter 11, pg. Vasudeva had done nothing more than listen to Siddhartha's words and to show him how to listen to the river, and now Siddhartha sees that he is like this old wise man. With this last flurry of words to his old mentor, Siddhartha has finished understanding himself and is now ready to listen to the stories others have to share with him.
Glad, old Vasudeva walks with Siddhartha to the river and they again hear its laughing voice, laughing at the silliness and the unity of everything. Why worry about things, when it all has a place and a meaning? Siddhartha sees faces from his life reflected in the water: Kamala , Govinda , and so many others he had known. They are all within the river, and Vasudeva is in the river, too.
Siddhartha sees that the river is inside of him now, as he had seen it in Vasudeva; it is his life, and it is Atman. He sees a cycle there in the water as the river evaporates into rain, which falls again to make water. Everything in the world is a cycle around him; everything is circles and does not change. The river's voices laugh and lament at all of this, at life. Siddhartha realizes the insignificance of his own silly fears and worries and how self-centered they are.
They are feelings already experienced before by thousands, by everyone. Why is he so special as to be pitied for his loss? Gazing into the water, "all the voices, all the goals, all the yearnings, all the sorrows, all the pleasures, all the good and evil, all of them together was the world. All of them together was the stream of events, the music of life Siddhartha surmounts this final obstacle.
He has yet another awakening here, near the river. Vasudeva smiles, for he knows that Siddhartha now understands everything. Everything in life makes sense now: "From that hour Siddhartha ceased to fight against his destiny. There shone in his face the serenity of knowledge, of one who is no longer confronted with conflict of desires, who has found salvation, who is in harmony with the stream of events, with the stream of life, full of sympathy and compassion, surrendering himself to the stream, belonging to the unity of things" Chapter 11, pg.
His old Self is at last defeated as he realizes his own individual insignificance in the faces of eternity and the river. When Siddhartha reaches the town, he recalls when he came to the town and when he was with Kamala. Vasudeva listens carefully. Listening is the ferryman's great virtue. Siddhartha feels that Vasudeva is absorbing all that he is telling him, without judgment, and when he comes to the most recent chapter of his story, about finding the 'om' by the river, the ferryman listens so carefully that he closes his eyes.
The river in Siddhartha represents life itself, time, and the path to enlightenment. As a representation of life, it provides knowledge without words, and Siddhartha's reward for studying it is an intuitive understanding of its divine essence. He wakes Siddhartha up, and the two men go back to the river. This lesson teaches it is impossible for one to impose his or her knowledge of the timeless on one who remains subject to the limits of time. Siddhartha thinks restlessly about it.
He knows Vasudeva is right, but his love is stronger than this knowledge and he is terrified of losing the boy — he has never loved anyone so painfully and happily at once, and he cannot let his son go. Vasudeva is enlightened and he is going to die be with the unity of all things. What does Siddhartha ultimately realize the river is saying?
Siddhartha says Govinda is a seeker. By cultivating his ability to listen to what the river has to say metaphorically about life, he's gained spiritual insight. These qualities make Vasudeva the perfect teacher for Siddhartha—he's able to offer guidance, companionship, and support without the rigidity of doctrine and methodology.
Lauren Willson, M. Mini Essays Suggested Essay Topics. Characters Vasudeva. Previous section Govinda. Social studies. Ben Davis December 19, What did Siddhartha learn?
What does Siddhartha learn from his father? Why does Siddhartha struggle to parent his son? Why does the river laugh at Siddhartha? What is the significance of the final scene with Vasudeva Why is Vasudeva going into the woods? Previous Article Where does self identity come from? Next Article What is the time signature of the first example?
0コメント