Siddhartha - An Indian Tale - First Part - The Son of the Brahman

Sep 23, 2026

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Siddhartha, an Indian tale by Hermann Hesse, follows the Brahman’s handsome son as he grows up beside the river, learning sacred practices, debate, and meditation. Though he is deeply loved and honored by family and friends, he discovers that ritual knowledge and devotion do not satisfy his inner longing. Early chapters introduce his restlessness and questioning of worship, gods, and Atman, setting the stage for a spiritual journey beyond inherited teachings. The excerpt includes the opening of the first part, “The Son of the Brahman.”

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages72

Reading Time1 h 51 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

FIRST PART

THE SON OF THE BRAHMAN

WITH THE SAMANAS

GOTAMA

AWAKENING

SECOND PART

KAMALA

WITH THE CHILDLIKE PEOPLE

SANSARA

BY THE RIVER

THE FERRYMAN

THE SON

GOVINDA

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online [at www.gutenberg.org](at www.gutenberg.org) Title: Siddhartha Author: Herman Hesse Translator: Gunther Olesch, Anke Dreher, Amy Coulter, Stefan Langer and Semyon Chaichenets Release Date: April 6, 2008 [EBook \#2500][Last updated: July 2, 2011] Language: English *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SIDDHARTHA *** Produced by Michael Pullen, Chandra Yenco, Isaac Jones SIDDHARTHA An Indian Tale by Hermann Hesse Contents FIRST PART THE SON OF THE BRAHMAN WITH THE SAMANAS GOTAMA AWAKENING SECOND PART KAMALA WITH THE CHILDLIKE PEOPLE SANSARA BY THE RIVER THE FERRYMAN THE SON OM GOVINDA FIRST PART To Romain Rolland, my dear friend THE SON OF THE BRAHMAN In the shade of the house, in the sunshine of the riverbank near the boats, in the shade of the Sal-wood forest, in the shade of the fig tree is where Siddhartha grew up, the handsome son of the Brahman, the young falcon, together with his friend Govinda, son of a Brahman. The sun tanned his light shoulders by the banks of the river when bathing, performing the sacred ablutions, the sacred offerings. In the mango grove, shade poured into his black eyes, when playing as a boy, when his mother sang, when the sacred offerings were made, when his father, the scholar, taught him, when the wise men talked. For a long time, Siddhartha had been partaking in the discussions of the wise men, practising debate with Govinda, practising with Govinda the art of reflection, the service of meditation. He already knew how to speak the Om silently, the word of words, to speak it silently into himself while inhaling, to speak it silently out of himself while exhaling, with all the concentration of his soul, the forehead surrounded by the glow of the clear-thinking spirit. He already knew to feel Atman in the depths of his being, indestructible, one with the universe. Joy leapt in his father's heart for his son who was quick to learn, thirsty for knowledge; he saw him growing up to become great wise man and priest, a prince among the Brahmans. Bliss leapt in his mother's breast when she saw him, when she saw him walking, when she saw him sit down and get up, Siddhartha, strong, handsome, he who was walking on slender legs, greeting her with perfect respect. Love touched the hearts ofthe Brahmans' young daughters when Siddhartha walked through the lanes ofthe town with the luminous forehead, with the eye ofa king, with his slim hips. But more than all the others he was loved by Govinda, his friend, the son of a Brahman. He loved Siddhartha's eye and sweet voice, he loved his walk and the perfect decency of his movements, he loved everything Siddhartha did and said and what he loved most was his spirit, his transcendent, fiery thoughts, his ardent will, his high calling. Govinda knew: he would not become a common Brahman, not a lazy official in charge of offerings; not a greedy merchant with magic spells; not a vain, vacuous speaker; not a mean, deceitful priest; and also not a decent, stupid sheep in the herd of the many. No, and he, Govinda, as well did not want to become one of those, not one of those tens of thousands of Brahmans. He wanted to follow Siddhartha, the beloved, the splendid. And in days to come, when Siddhartha would become a god, when he would join the glorious, then Govinda wanted to follow him as his friend, his companion, his servant, his spear-carrier, his shadow. Siddhartha was thus loved by everyone. He was a source of joy for everybody, he was a delight for them all. But he, Siddhartha, was not a source of joy for himself, he found no delight in himself. Walking the rosy paths of the fig tree garden, sitting in the bluish sh

FAQs

Who are Siddhartha and Govinda in the opening of the story?

Siddhartha is the Brahman’s son, raised in sacred surroundings along the river. Govinda is Siddhartha’s close friend, also the son of a Brahman.

Why does Siddhartha feel dissatisfied despite his privileged upbringing?

He finds that learning rituals, meditating, and receiving others’ love do not bring lasting joy or calm. His thoughts increasingly turn into discontent and spiritual questioning.

What key spiritual ideas does Siddhartha begin to question in the excerpt?

He questions the sufficiency of ablutions and sacrifices, the role and reality of the gods, and where Atman truly resides and how it can be known.

Sep 23, 2026

Uploaded by Logic