Siddhartha continues on his journey and becomes a pilgrim, a lover, a rich man, and a man in the world of fashion, all in order to find one’s true self. Siddhartha leaves all these aspects of his life and wonders back to the countryside contemplating suicide as he struggles to understand his unique path to spiritual enlightenment. As a Samana, Siddhartha was able to refrain from bodily pleasures, and as rich man he was able to full his physical desires, yet neither of these states had brought upon spiritual enlightenment. He goes to the river where he had once met Vasudeva, and as he is about to drown himself, his spiritual soul awakens. He is later greeted by Vasudeva and invited to share the river with him once more. Evidently, the overall theme of the cycle of life is presented to the reader. As Siddhartha had once met Vasudeva, he has now come back to the ferryman to ultimately find his spiritual enlightenment. With Siddhartha now wanting to live with Vasudeva, the ferryman knows that the river had spoken to Siddhartha, and insists on becoming Siddhartha’s teacher.
Rather than aiding in Siddhartha’s unique path to spiritual enlightenment, Vasudeva emphasizes that Siddhartha must learn from the river and allow it to explain its wisdom. In a sense, Vasudeva acts as a teacher who does not teach. Vasudeva does not push Siddhartha to spiritual accustoms like the Samanas. He moves Siddhartha in the right direction by proclaiming to just simply listen.
As Vasudeva becomes of important significance to Siddhartha, the novel thus begins to unravel its true tone and theme. From Vasudeva’s “teachings”, Siddhartha has come to understand that the river acts as constant, never-ending flow of time, hence a circle of life. With the river, Siddhartha sees the shadows of his son and father, and initially recognizes that past, present, and future act as one. His father symbolizes the past, he symbolizes the present, and his son symbolizes the future. Just as Vasudeva has told him to do, Siddhartha listens to the river and acknowledges that the river personifies and represents each generation. Siddhartha knows that river can be all places simultaneously, and in this sense, the river reflects Siddhartha as a whole. With no worry of time or boredom, Siddhartha achieves enlightenment.
While Siddhartha finally achieves his enlightenment, Vasudeva states that it is time for him to leave the river. Siddhartha’s spiritual achievement corresponds with the ending of Vasudeva’s time on the river. Just as Siddhartha realized by the river, there will always be a constant cycle of life, and this is illustrated with the Vasudeva’s departure. By aiding Siddhartha to his spiritual enlightenment, Vasudeva can now leave while Siddhartha takes over as ferryman. Once again the cycle of life is apparent, and Vasudeva’s teaching live on through Siddhartha.
Ultimately, Vasudeva acts a friend, brother, and mentor who leads Siddhartha to spiritual enlightenment. Interacting with Vasudeva enabled Siddhartha to understand the cycle of life, while not only listening to the river, but also listening to the teachings of Vasudeva. As Siddhartha achieves enlightenment, Vasudeva’s time comes to end, signifying that the circle of life will always be present no matter the time: past, present, or future.
