Siddhartha's Supernatural Aid

 

    In class, we shortly discussed who Siddhartha’s supernatural aid was. Govinda could have been his supernatural aid as he encouraged him to go on his journey of finding enlightenment. Siddhartha himself could have been his own supernatural aid. He was constantly rejecting the idea of being a student and receiving help from anyone, so it would make sense that he would have no supernatural aid than himself. I think that Gotama was Siddhartha’s supernatural aid because it was not until he met him that he figured out his plan for enlightenment. Siddhartha had left his home with the goal to become a Samana. After spending time learning and mastering their ways, he still felt unfulfilled and sought out Gotama in hopes of discovering the secret to enlightenment. It was not until his conversation with Gotama that he realized the only way to his own enlightenment was to go on his own journey, just as Gotama did.

Supernatural aid in the hero’s journey has two substeps. First, the hero must commit to their journey, whether it is conscious or unconscious. It may seem like Siddhartha was committed to his journey since the first chapter when he left his home to become an ascetic. At that point, though, Siddhartha's journey hadn’t truly started. Siddhartha is always committed to what he is doing, but he only figured out his journey once he met Gotama and heard his teachings. Only then was he able to realize that enlightenment cannot be taught, and instead has to be found. Govinda cannot be Siddhartha’s supernatural aid because he does not contribute to that first substep. The supernatural aid appears once the hero has committed, but Govinda was a part of Siddhartha’s journey since the beginning. Once the two friends meet Gotama and hear his teachings, Govinda says “I also wish to pay my allegiance to the Illustrious One and his teachings” (Hesse 29). Govinda decides to join Gotama and leave Siddhartha, and as they part ways he does not help Siddhartha to start his own journey. Although, I think it can be argued that Siddhartha helps Govinda start his own journey. He insists that Govinda leaves him, to follow Gotama, and when they meet again in the last chapter he teaches Govinda what he has learned. Had the book been about Govinda’s journey, Siddhartha could have been his mentor and supernatural aid.

Once the hero commits to their journey, their mentor becomes known as they help them start their voyage. I think it is hard to pinpoint an exact place where Siddhartha commits to his journey, but I think it is definitely within the Gotama chapter. It could be when he turns down Govinda to join Gotama, or it could be while he is talking to Gotama. It could also be a combination of both, where he realizes joining Gotama is not the path for him, and he is able to articulate his plan to Gotama later during their conversation. Siddhartha’s five-page conversation with Gotama reveals a lot about Siddhartha. He lets the reader know what his plan for enlightenment is, and he gives the reader some expectations of him in the future. He also explains some of his viewpoints, and his tone can make the reader view him as arrogant. But it also gives us a good way to track his growth by comparing this scene with the last conversation in the book between Siddhartha and Govinda. At the end of the conversation with Gotama, he says “you know how to speak cleverly, my friend. Be on your guard against too much cleverness” (Hesse 35). Gotama quietly listens while Siddhartha explains his reasoning for forging his own path. Much like Vasudeva, Gotama gives Siddhartha someone to listen to, and he only speaks when he has something of importance to say. At the moment it may not seem like Gotama gave Siddhartha anything, but seeing his relationship with Vasudeva later on in the book it becomes clear that Gotama helped Siddhartha in the same ways Vasudeva later helps him.

Siddhartha’s relationship with Gotama influences him throughout the rest of the book as well. Gotama becomes his supernatural aid by helping him start his journey, and Siddhartha often looks back at him with more admiration than he gives anyone else. During his time with the Kama people, Siddhartha remembers Gotama and their conversation, and he uses the wisdom he gave him to pass it on to Kamala. Even though he started his life as a merchant, he was still subconsciously aware of the effect Gotama had on him, otherwise, he would not teach Kamala about him. Govinda could not have been Siddhartha’s supernatural aid as he never had such a big effect on him as Gotama did. I think Siddhartha remembers both of them a similar amount, but he doesn’t think of them in the same way. He admires Gotama, as one admires a mentor, and he thinks of him and their short time together fondly. He remembers Govinda as a child and compares other childlike people to him. Gotama may not physically be with Siddhartha for very long, but he has a larger impact than most of the other characters in the book.