Siddhartha : Hermann Hesse

The book is a mirror in which i could see events of my own life unfolding in front of me. The psyche that the boy Siddhartha holds seems too familiar to me. Siddhartha was a young boy and a brahmin's son. He learnt the rituals and way of sacrificing diligently. These all things could not satisfy him and he finally got bored of all these chores. He wanted to attain freedom from self. He got influenced by the life of Samanas, left home to follow them and lived the Samana way of life for three years. He learnt how he (what he said) deceive his self. After three years he attended the sermon of Gautam Buddha and got quite influenced by Him. But unlike other people he didn'e want to follow Him or rather he didn't want to follow any teacher. He wanted to learn the essence on his own like Buddha did.
By this time he had already got bored of the Samana way of life because even that life couldn't provide him the satisfaction he needed.That only seemed another way of deception and running away from truth. He decides to drink the beauty and versatility of life. He got involved with life, learnt the art of loving from a lady, got into business and got involved in all the vices consequently. This all continued for years together and suddenly a dream changed his pattern of thought. He wants to commit suicide because he felt he has wasted his life. As soon as he was going to drwon himself in the river, he heard a voice from inside of OM. This helped him to be in deep meditation after and for a long time.Then he goes back to the same boat rower who had previously told him that the river actually talked. The boat rower said that the river had answer to everything.
Both Siddhartha and the boat rower growed spiritually together and learnt to listen to river. Siddhartha is then struck with the love of his long lost child who was born of that lady with whom Siddhartha spent the days in city. The child in return didn't love his father, didn't obey him and finally ran away from him.
Siddhartha finally realizes that the world is as it is, it cannot be changed for better. When we see things relative to time then there is problem. Buddha is with in me right now. One cannot become Buddha, One is already a Buddha. He talked of love. He could see God and listen to each and every object. He could see the beauty of universe and live in it. He could love everybody. For him the time was dead as it was for the river.
Probably this is what enlightenment is...............................................................