River in “Siddhartha” by Herman HesseThe river is a source of knowledge. It symbolizes a teacher, a guru, someone who knows and is aware of this knowledge and who transmits it to those who seek knowledge of it. In the short story Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, the protagonist Siddhartha is deeply mystified by the secrets and riddles of the river. He seeks to untangle them and gain knowledge about the river in order to achieve his goal of achieving nirvana, enlightenment. He is helped in his journey by a ferryman Vasudeva, who has lived all his life near the river, transporting people from one bank to the other. He too learned a lot from the river. He helps Siddhartha understand the river and, at times, clarifies his doubts. Knowledge of the river, for Siddhartha, is the last knowledge with which he can achieve nirvana. It was the only thing that could help him take the final step toward salvation. When Siddhartha approaches the river for the second time in his life, after enjoying all the worldly pleasures of wealth, love, power, he is deeply attracted to it, he is enchanted by it. He says “Love this river, stay near it……..many secrets, all secrets” on page 166. Siddhartha wants to learn from the river, he wants to listen to it; he wants to unravel its secrets. Siddhartha looks at the river as an abundance of knowledge that he wishes to seek. He believes that by understanding the knowledge and secrets of the river, one can learn about other different things, other secrets, all secrets. River knowledge is like a gateway to other types of knowledge. He has already understood a secret; the river is omnipresent. It flows continuously but it is always there. This statement foreshadows that Sid... middle of paper ... imparted all his knowledge to him at that very moment which transformed Siddhartha from an ordinary man into a spiritual soul. In conclusion, the whole story has a greater meaning for that which is applicable to our world today. The story doesn't ask us to follow Siddhartha's path or spend hours by the river trying to understand it. The main meaning of the story is that in order to achieve a goal, we are the ones who must take the path. We may or may not accept the teachings; we may or may not reject the teachers who are our guides. However, it is our Self that will have to reach its final destination. Our guides, who are experienced, who have walked the path we are about to take, who are full of knowledge. and wisdom can tell us everything they need to know, but they can only show us the way to achieve our goal. It is only us who must travel the final path to reach our goal..