Chapter 6 - With The Childlike People - Siddhartha - Hermann Hesse

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Chapter six, with the childlike people, said Arthur. Went to Kamaswami,
the merchant. He was directed intoa rich house. Servants led him between
precious carpets into a chamber where heawaited the master of the house. Kamaswami
entered, a swiftly, smoothly movingman with very gray hair, with very

(00:25):
intelligent, cautious eyes, with agreedy mouth. Politely, the host and
the guest greeted one another. Ihave been told, the merchant began,
that you were a Brahman, alearned man, but that you seek to
be in the service of a merchant. Might you have become destitute Brahman,

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so that you seek to serve No, said Sir Arthur. I have not
become destitute, and have never beendestitute. You should know that I am
coming from the Samanas, with whomI have lived for a long time.
If you're coming from the Samanas,how could you be anything but destitute.

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Aren't the Samanas entirely without possessions?I am without possessions, said said Arthur.
If this is what you mean,surely I am without possessions. But
I am so voluntarily, and thereforeI am not destitute. But what are
you planning to live of being withoutpossessions? I haven't thought of this yet,

(01:34):
sir. For more than three yearsI have been without possessions and have
never thought of what I should live. So you've lived of the possessions of
others. Presumably this is how itis. After all, a merchant also
lives of what other people own.Well said, But he wouldn't take anything

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from another the person for nothing.He would give his merchandise in return.
So it seems to be Indeed,everyone takes, everyone gives. Such is
life. But if you don't mindme asking, being without possessions, what
would you like to give? Everyonegives what he has. A warrior gives

(02:24):
strength, the merchant gives merchandise,the teacher teachings, the farmer rice,
the fisher fish. Yes, indeed, and what is it now that you've
got to give? What is itthat you've learned, what you're able to

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do? I can think, Ican wait, I can fast. That's
everything. I believe that's everything.And what's the use of that? For
example? The fasting? What isit good for? It is very good,

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sir. When a person has nothingto eat, fasting is the smartest
thing he could do. When,for example, Sir Arthur hadn't learned to
fast, he would have to acceptany kind of service before this day is
up, whether it may be withyou or wherever, because hunger would force
him to do so. But likethis, Sir Arthur can wait calmly.

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He knows no impatience, He knowsno emergency for a long time. He
can allow hunger to besiege him andcan laugh about it. This, Sir,
is what fasting is good for.You're right, Sir Maana, wait
for a moment. Kamaswami left theroom and returned with a scroll, which

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he handed to his guest while askingcan you read this? Sir Arthur looked
at the scroll on which a salescan tract had been written down, and
began to read out its contents.Excellent, said Kamaswami, And would you
write something for me on this pieceof paper. He handed him a piece

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of paper and a pen, andSir Darthur wrote and returned the paper.
Kamaswami read, writing is good.Thinking is better, Being smart is good,
Being patient is better. It isexcellent how you're able to write.
The merchant praised him. Many athing we will still have to discuss with

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one another. For today, I'masking you to be my guest and to
live in this house. Sir Arthurthanked and accepted and lived in the dealer's
house. From now on. Clotheswere brought to him and shoes, and
every day a servant prepared a bathfor him. Twice a day a plentiful

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meal was served, but Siddhartha onlyate once a day, and ate neither
meat, nor did he drink wine. Kamaswamy told him about his trade,
showed him the merchandise and storage rooms, showed him calculations. Saddartha got to
know many new things. He hearda lot and spoke little, and,

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thinking of Kamala's words, he wasnever subservient to the merchant, forced him
to treat him as an equal,yes even more than an equal. Kamaswami
conducted his business with care and oftenwith passion, but Saddartha looked upon all
this as if it was a game, the rules of which he tried hard

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to learn precisely, but the contentsof which did not touch his heart.
He was not in Kamaswami's house forlong when he already took part in his
landlord's business, but daily at thehour appointed by her. He visited beautiful
Kamala wearing pretty clothes, fine shoes, and soon he brought her gifts as

(06:08):
well. Much he learned from herred a smart mouth. Much he learned
from her tender supple hand, himwho was regarding love still a boy,
and had a tendency to plunge blindlyand insatiably into lust, like into a
bottomless pit. Him. She taughtthoroughly, starting from the basics, about

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that school of thought which teaches thatpleasure cannot be taken without giving pleasure,
and that every gesture, every caress, every touch, every look, every
spot of the body, however smallit was, had its secret which would
bring happiness to those who knew aboutit and unleash it. She taught him

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that lovers must not part from oneanother after celebrating love without why admiring the
other, without being just as defeatedas they have been victorious, so that
with none of them should start feelingfed up or bored, or get that
evil feeling of having abused or havingbeen abused. Wonderful hours he spent with

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the beautiful and smart artist became herstudent, her lover, her friend.
Here with Kamala was the worth andpurpose of his present life. Knit with
the business of Kamaswami, the merchantpassed to duties of writing important letters and
contracts onto him, and got intothe habit of discussing all important affairs with

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him. He soon saw that Siddharthaknew little about rice and wool shipping and
trade, but that he acted ina fortunate manner, and that Siddartha surpassed
him the merchant in calmness and equanimity, and in the art of listening and
deeply understanding previously unknown people. ThisBrahman, he said to a friend,

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is no proper merchant, and willnever be one. There is never any
passion in his soul when he conductsour business. But he has that mysterious
quality of those people to whom successcomes all by itself. Whether this may
be a good star of his birth, magic, or something he has learned

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amongst Somanas. He always seems tobe merely playing with our business affairs.
They never fully become a part ofhim, They never rule over him.
He is never afraid of failure,He is never upset by a loss.
The friend advised the merchant give himfrom the business he conducts for you a

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third of the prophets, but lethim also be liable for the same amount
of the losses. When there isa loss, then he'll become more zealous.
Kamaswami followed the advice, but said, Arthur cared little about this.
When he made a profit, heaccepted it with equanimity. When he made

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losses, he laughed and said,well, look at this, So this
one turned out badly. It seemed, indeed, as if he did not
care about the business. At onetime, he traveled to a village to
buy a large harvest of rice there, but when he got there, the
rice had already been sold to anothermerchant. Nevertheless, Siddartha stayed for several

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days in that village, treated thefarmers for a drink, gave copper coins
to their children, joined in thecelebration of a wedding, and returned extremely
satisfied from his trip. Kamaswami heldagainst him that he had not turned back
right away, that he had wastedtime and money, said Arthur answered,

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stop scolding, dear friend. Nothingwas ever achieved by scolding. If a
loss has occurred, let me bearthat loss. I am very satisfied with
this trip. I've gotten to knowmany kinds of people. A Brahmin has
become my friend. Children have saton my knees, Farmers have shown me

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their fields. Nobody knew that Iwas a merchant. That's all very nice,
exclaimed Camiswami indignantly. But in factyou are a merchant after all,
one ought to think, or mightyou have only traveled for your amusement?
Surely, said Arthur laughed. SurelyI have traveled for my amusement. For

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what else? I've gotten to knowpeople and places. I have received kindness
and trust. I have found friendship. Look, my dear, if I
had been Camiswami, I would havetraveled back, been annoyed and in a
hurry as soon as I had seenthat my purchase had been rendered impossible,

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and time and money would indeed havebeen lost. But like this, I've
had a few good days. I'velearned, had joy. I've neither harmed
myself nor others by annoyance and hastiness. And if I'll ever return there again,
perhaps to buy an upcoming harvest,or for whatever purpose it might be,

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friendly people will receive me in afriendly and happy manner, and I
will praise myself for not showing anyhurry and displeasure at that time. So
leave it as it is, myfriend, and don't harm yourself by scolding.
If the day will come when youwill see this Sir d'Arthur is harming

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me, then speak a word andSir d'Arthur will go on his own path.
But until then let's be satisfied withone another. Futile were also the
merchant's attempts to convince Siddartha that heshould eat his bread Siddartha ate his own
bread, or rather they both ateother people's bread, all people's bread.

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Siddartha never listened to Kamaswami's wiries,and Kamaswami had many wiries, whether there
was a business deal going on whichwas in danger of failing, or whether
a shipment of merchandise seemed to havebeen lost or a debtor seemed to be
unable to pay. Kamaswami could neverconvince his partner that it would be useful

(12:33):
to utter a few words of wireor anger to have wrinkles on the forehead
to sleep badly. When one dayKamaswami held against him that he had learned
everything he knew from him, hereplied would you please not kidney with such
jokes. What I've learned from youis how much a basket of fish costs

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and how much interests can be chargedon loaned money. These are your areas
of expertise. I haven't learned tothink from you, My dear Kamaswami,
you ought to be the one seekingto learn from me. Indeed, his
soul was not with the trade.The business was good enough to provide him

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with the money for Kamala, andit earned him much more than he needed.
Besides, from this, Sirdarthur's interestand curiosity was only concerned with the
people whose businesses, crafts, wiries, pleasures, and acts of foolishness used
to be as alien and distant tohim as the moon. However, easily

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he succeeded in talking to all ofthem, in living with all of them,
in learning from all of them.He was still aware that there was
something which separated him from them,and this separating factor was him being a
Samana. He saw mankind going throughlife in a childlike or animal like manner,

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which he loved and also despised.At the same time, he saw
them toiling, saw them suffering andbecoming grave. For the sake of things
which seemed to him entirely unworthy ofthis price, for money, for little
pleasures, for being slightly honored.He saw them scolding and insulting each other.

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He saw them complaining about a painat which a samana would only smile,
and suffering because of deprivations which asamana would not feel. He was
open to everything these people brought hisway. Welcome was the merchant who offered
him linen for sale. Welcome wasthe debtor who sought another loan. Welcome

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was the beggar who told him forone hour the story of his poverty,
and who was not half as pooras any given Samana. He did not
treat the rich foreign merchant any differentthan the servant who shaved him, and
the street vendor whom he let cheathim out of some small change when buying

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bananas. When Kamaswami came to himto complain about his worries or to reproach
him concerning his business, he listenedcuriously and happily was puzzled by him,
tried to understand him, consented thathe was a little bit right, only
as much as he considered indispensable,and turned away from him. Towards the

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next person who would ask for him. And there were many who came to
him, many to do business withhim, many to cheat him, many
to draw some secret out of him, many to appeal to his sympathy,
many to get his advice. Hegave advice, he pitied, he made

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gifts, He let them cheat hima bit, And this entire game,
and the passion with which all peopleplayed this game, occupied his thoughts just
as much as the gods and Brahmansused to occupy them. At times,
he felt deep in his chest adying, quiet voice which admonished him quietly,

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lamented quietly, he hardly perceived it, And then for an hour he
became aware of the strange life hewas leading, of him, doing lots
of things which were only a gameof though being happy and feeling joy at
times, real life still passing himby and not touching him. As a

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ball player plays with his balls,he played with his business, deals with
the people around him, watched them, found amusement in them, with his
heart, with the source of hisbeing. He was not with them.
The source ran somewhere far away fromhim, ran and ran invisibly, had

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nothing to do with his life.Anymore, And at several times he suddenly
became scared on account of such thoughtsand wished that he would also be gifted
with the ability to participate in allof this childlike naive occupations of the daytime,
with passion and with his heart really, to live, really, to

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act, really, to enjoy,and to live instead of just standing by
as a spectator. But again andagain he came back to beautiful Kamala learned
the art of love, practiced thecult of lust, in which more than
anything else, giving and taking becomesone. Chatted with her, learned from

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her, gave her advice, receivedadvice. She understood him better than Govinda
used to understand and him she wasmore similar to him. Once he said
to her, you are like me. You are different from most people.
You are Kamala, nothing else,and inside you there is a peace and

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refuge to which you can go atevery hour of the day and be at
home at yourself as I can alsodo. Few people have this, and
yet all could have it. Notall people are smart, said Kamala.
No, said, said Arthur.That's not the reason why Kamaswami is just

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as smart as I and still hasno refuge. In himself. Others have
it who are small children with respectto their mind. Most people, Kamala,
are like a falling leaf which isblown and is turning around through the
air and wavers and tumbles to theground. But others a few are like

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stars. They go on a fixedcourse. No wind reaches them. In
themselves. They have their law andtheir course. Among all the learned men
and samanas of which I knew many, there was one of this kind,
a perfected one. I'll never beable to forget him. It is that

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Gautama, the exalted one, whois spreading that teachings. Thousands of followers
are listening to his teachings every day, follow his instructions every hour. But
they are all falling leaves, notin themselves. They have teachings and a
law. Kamala looked at him witha smile. Again, you're talking about

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him, she said. Again,you're having a samana's thoughts. Sadd Arthur
said nothing, and they played thegame of love, one of the third
to your forty different games. Kamalaknew her body was flexible like that of
a jaguar, and like the bowof a hunter. He who had learned

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from her how to make love,was knowledgeable of many forms of lust,
many secrets. For a long time, she played with Siddhartha, enticed him,
rejected him, forced him, embracedhim, enjoyed his masterful skills until
he was defeated and rested, exhaustedby her side the Courtizan bent over him,

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took a long look at his face, at his eyes, which had
grown tired. You are the bestlover, she said thoughtfully. I ever
saw You're stronger than others, moresupple, more willing. You've learned my
art well, said Arthur. Atsome time, when I'll be older,

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I'll want to bear your child.And yet, my dear, you've remained
a samana. And yet you donot love me. You love nobody,
isn't it so? It might verywell be so, said Arthur, said
tiredly, I am like you.You also do not love. How else

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could you practice love as a craft. Perhaps people of our kind can't love
the childlike people can. That's theirsecret. End of chapter six