Abstract
To see a World in a Grain of Sand, And Heaven in a Wild Flower
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand, And Eternity in an hour
Verily, these Words from William Black’s “Augury of Innocence” are splendiferous which try to convey the very implicit meaning that everything has its own importance; nothing is trivial only our eyes make it so. We should see every object either animate or inanimate with open heart and find out positive sense from it. The present paper deals with the explorations of oneness in the universe through the character study of Siddhartha. Siddhartha is about the journey of eponymous hero searching for the enlightenment and a true way to live a life. At the final point of his journey he listens the river which gives the message of unification, meantime he feels that every object either it is a stone or human all are combinedly giving him utmost happiness. His journey which begins as the son of the devoted Brahmin, he did not aware of this implicit fact. He hates human being for their running after wealth and always lives thoughtlessly. Gradually he realises that each thing (which he came across or right now he faces it) comes for good reason and he begins to see the unification with them. At the end when Govinda asks him about his learning through the whole journey which Siddhartha explains with the object stone, that the stone after sometimes turns into soil then after plant and then human being. In this way each things consist of many things within itself. The article gives limelight to the very essential truth about the unification of all which is exceptionally given by Hesse which helps the reader to follow the path of happiness.
Keywords : Unification, Oneness, Happiness
Introduction
Herman Hesse a German poet, novelist and painter. He was recipient of Nobel Prize in Literature in 1946. His best known works include Steppenwolf, Siddhartha and the Glass Bad Game each of which explores an individual search for authenticity, self- knowledge and spirituality. Siddhartha was written in German in 1922. Then it was translated by Hilda Rosner and was published in the USA in 1951. The word Siddhartha made up of two words in the Sanskrit language. ‘Siddha’ which means ‘achieved’ and ‘Artha’ means ‘what was searched for’; that means “who has found meaning of existence” or “who has attained his goals”. The novel is set in ancient India where the central character born as the son of devoted Brahmin who is best at all levels of offerings the rituals and meditation. But gradually he becomes aware of the triviality of this earthly world which cannot give him inner happiness, so he decides to search for true happiness. Thus he leaves the home for joining a group of ascetics called the Samanas and then after becomes a follower of Gautama, but he fails to accept them as the true indicators of the path which will render him utmost happiness. So he finally enters into the childlike world and becomes a disciple of Kamala the courtesan for learning the art of love and under the roof of Kamaswami he becomes a prosperous merchant. After spending many years into the world of pleasure and senses he suddenly realises the voidness of inner happiness which he actually wants. Thus with the feeling of guilty he determines to drown himself into the river but after peaceful sleep he listens the word OM from the flowing river, which makes him serene and peaceful. Now he can feel unification with the things which were previously ignored. Passing the years with Vasudeva the ferryman (serene person like Gautama) and spending time with the river he feels oneness with each objects of the world. In this way, at the end he attains utmost happiness called Nirvana.
What is oneness?
Oneness is an experience that transcends the mind. When we experience oneness, we feel connection with everything in existence on every level. In other words, we feel ‘at once’ with all things.
When we attempt to isolate anything, we find that it is in some way part of everything else in the universe. Just as it is absurd for a single wave to see itself as separate from the ocean, so it is for any of us not to recognize our oneness with what we know as infinity.
The place that we came from is devoid of dichotomies, unlike our material world, which is dependent on pairs of opposites. In this world, without a concept of up, there can be no down. Without an idea of death, there’s no life. The north pole of a magnet can’t exist without the South Pole. No male, no female. No right no wrong. We think in dichotomies, and we identify ourselves on the basis of opposites. We know what we like, what tastes good, what feels good, and so on, because of our experience with what we dislike.
If we imagine that we are free from all labels, all separation, and all judgment about this world and the life inhabiting it, we can begin to understand oneness. The place we want to enter is of simply being. We can picture the source of being as an energy that’s as available to us as is the sky. There’s no anger towards anyone or anything because everyone and everything is spirit. This spirit is God, our source of being. We discover the meaning of life by being able to return to the oneness and nothingness while still in material form, without having to leave our body in the ritual of death. The closer we get to experience our original nature, the more peace and purpose flows through us.
Siddhartha and unification
“He looked around, as if he was seeing the world for the first time. Beautiful was the world, colourful was the world, strange and mysterious was the world! Here was blue, here was yellow, here was green, the sky and the river flowed, the forest and the mountains were rigid, all of it was beautiful, all of it was mysterious and magical, and in its midst was he, Siddhartha, the awakening one, on the path to himself,...........despicable to the deeply thinking Brahman, who scorns diversity, who seeks unity. Blue was blue, river was river, and if also in the blue and the river, in Siddhartha, the singular and divine lived hidden, so it was still that very divinity’s way and purpose, to be here yellow, here blue, there sky, there forest, and here Siddhartha. The purpose and the essential properties were not somewhere behind the things, they were in them, in everything.”(Hesse 43)
Very first time in his spiritual quest he feels like a new born baby in grove after leaving Gautama. (Because now he realises that even Gautama is not able to tell the experience which he came across at the time of illumination, as no one can put it into the words) And these feelings of oneness with natural beauty are exceptionally described by Hesse in the above words. Through the example of text(book) he grants that if one wants to know the meaning of text, one must goes through it, not scorns the letters and sentence building and others; in this way he feels that he should loves the world, he should embraces the life, and the things among which he is surrounded. Meantime he feels love and respect for everything sun, moon, animals, rocks, River and so on. All these things had always existed but the veil of deception hindered his way to glance at. He feels tremendous joy by watching male ape following female and they are matting which were previously contemptuous for him, as well as joyful goats, soil everything is giving him equal happiness. This sudden reformation backs him to enter into the world of Maya means Sansara.
After spending many years into the world of senses and pleasure, after the realisation of triviality of this world, with the feeling of sin he wants to drown himself into the river. He was feeling guilty of doing such trivial things for many years. Once again he is in search of meaning of life and his true self. But after the transformative sleep suddenly his eyes gaze onto the flowing water and he feels unification with water and listen something which River wants to covey to him. He heard the word OM which is a symbol of unification. Living with Vasudeva the ferryman whose countenance seems adequate, calm and compose his eyes renders cheerfulness of true knowledge and complete serenity, he learns to listen the river which contains many things within. He also becomes a ferryman under his guidance which gives him complete happiness.
After some years Vasudeva realises that still Siddhartha lacks something. The demise of Kamala makes Siddhartha passionate for his child. Siddhartha takes care of his child gently; accept his vices with same feeling. And goes after him when his son leaves him. At that time Vasudeva gives him consolation with simple advice that listen the river she is calling you, she is laughing at him on his stupidly, now he can she one by one, his father, Govinda, Kamala, his son and so on, each images mingles with one another. Siddhartha now mere a listener, he feels that this time it sounds new, he cannot separate one voice to other, not laughter from suffering, not children from men and so on.
“And everything together, all voices, all goals, all yearning, all suffering, all pleasure, all that was good and evil, all of this together was the world. All of it together was the flow of events, was the music of life. And when Siddhartha was listening attentively to this river, this song of a thousand voices, when he neither listened to the suffering nor the laughter, when he did not tie his soul to any particular voice and submerged his self into it, but when he heard them all, perceived the whole, the oneness, then the great song of the thousand voices consisted of a single word, which was Om: the perfection.”(Hesse 139)
At this particular moment he is beyond all things; his forehead renders the divine energy and cheerfulness of knowledge. In this way he feels oneness with cosmos, the universe. And he also helps his friend Govinda to attain the same feeling which he has already got. Govinda kisses Siddhartha’s forehead, after opening his eyes Govinda is unable to see Siddhartha but feels the oneness, unification with the world with whom he is covered as rocks, river, trees and so on which give him utmost happiness.
Conclusion
Thus the intention of this article is to convey the message that Nirvana and illumination are only words as Siddhartha says to Govinda in the final phase of their journey. Each things consists spirit within itself. So try to love everything either animate or inanimate; feel the unification with them which give you everlasting happiness.
References