QUEST FOR MEANING OF LIFE: A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OF SIDDHARTHA

Abstract

The present paper deals with the spiritual journey of Siddhartha in search of the meaning of life. The work chosen for this study is Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha. In the novel Hermann Hesse has tried to portray protagonist’s quest for self-discovery and spirituality, existential elements are quite remarkable. For instance, seeking spiritual wisdom through practical experience, exercise of free-will to bring meanings to his life, sublime faith in concrete existence, thorough deviation from the teachings of conventional religion and strong sense of individuality are relevant factors in Siddhartha’s life which give an existential look for his life. Influence of Buddhist philosophy on Herman Hesse and elements of autobiography in Siddhartha reflects the spiritual knowledge of one self and this physical world. The novel demonstrates Hesse’s engrossment with India at a time of personal crisis and his search for complete freedom which he could not find in his Occidental sensibilities, which he found too intellectual and far from reality. Hesse’s final conclusion on religion and his idea of enlightenment are splendidly engulfed in this masterpiece which is widely read all over the world. The novel in many ways is autobiographical and analyses the inner struggle of a man brought up in a comfortable house but takes up individualistic path to find redemption. There is an interminable flow of life which enters and exists at its primary time. Siddhartha’s Journey in search of life represents the question of human existence. Throughout his journey, he met with the lot of illusion which we encounter in our daily life. This paper, through Hermann Hesse’s tremendous novel Siddhartha, tries to scrutinize the essential existence of human being, the reason of this absurd show, ultimate goal of the journey and the path through which Nirvana can be attained. Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha presents a journey of soul to attain the ultimate truth of universe.

Keywords

philosophy, self-realization, consciousness, salvation, ultimate truth.

References

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Frankl, Viktor. Man’s Search for Meanin. India: A Random House company ltd. 2004. p.8.
Hesse, Herman. Siddhartha. Translated by Hilda Rosner, General Press, 2017.
Joshi, Abhay. 2011. Review of Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha. May 12, 2011.
Unattributed. “Gita Supersite” in ‘Slokas of Gita’ tab.June 2015. web.www.gitasupersite.iitk.ac.in

To cite this article

Devarshi Modi. (2019).Quest for Meaning of Life: A Spiritual Journey of Siddhartha. John Foundation Journal of EduSpark, 1(2), 37-44.