Student Question

What epithet describes Govinda? What do the rumors about Gotama suggest to Siddhartha? Can you describe Siddhartha's exchange with the old Samana? What does Buddha's teaching offer followers? Why does Siddhartha question salvation and claim Buddha has both robbed and bestowed upon him?

Quick answer:

Govinda is described as "the seeker," indicating his ongoing quest for enlightenment. Rumors about Gotama attract Siddhartha because they promise peace, which Siddhartha seeks but hasn't yet found. Siddhartha's exchange with the old Samana likely involves philosophical discussions on spiritual paths. Buddha's teaching offers followers a path to enlightenment. Siddhartha questions salvation, claiming Buddha both robbed him of dependence on teachings and bestowed the insight that true peace comes from within.

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At the end of the novel, Govinda is still "the seeker." He has not yet found Nirvana, but he realizes that Siddhartha has. The entire novel is about seeking peace within yourself...it is a learning process. This is why the rumors about Gotama are attractive to Siddhartha, because at the time he heard them, he had not yet found peace. Peace is not in any one of the teachers' lessons that Siddhartha had...he had to find it within himself through experience.

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