SIDDHARTHA : An Indian Tale, Beautiful colored illustrations (Illustrated )

Siddhartha is a spiritual tale written by Hermann Hesse and first published in 1922. This is an allegorical novel which deals with the spiritual journey of an Indian boy called Siddhartha during the time of the Buddha. The word Siddhartha is made up of two words in the Sanskrit language, siddha (gotten) + artha (meaning or wealth) . The two words together mean "one who has found meaning (of existence) " or "he who has attained his goals". The Buddha's name, before his renunciation, was Prince Siddhartha Gautama, later the Buddha. In this book, the Buddha is referred to as "Gotama". Here the spirituality of the East and the West have met in a novel that enfigures deep human wisdom with a rich and colorful imagination.Written in a prose of almost biblical simplicity and beauty, it is the story of a soul's long quest in search of he ultimate answer to the enigma of man's role on this earth. As a youth, the young Indian Siddhartha meets the Buddha but cannot be content with a disciple's role: he must work out his own destiny and solve his own doubt - a tortuous road that carries him through the sensuality of a love affair with the beautiful courtesan Kamala, the temptation of success and riches, the heartache of struggle with his own son, to final renunciation and self-knowledge.The name "Siddhartha" is one often given to the Buddha himself - perhaps a clue to Hesse's aims in contrasting the traditional legendary figure with his own conception, as a European (Hesse was Swiss) , of a spiritual explorer.