What does Siddhartha accomplish with the help of Kamala?
In chapter 5, Siddhartha meets a beautiful women named Kamala. Siddhartha has just left the path of becoming a Samana and runs into Kamala and he wants her to be his teacher of love and his friend. " I am already beginning to learn from you. I already learned something yesterday. Already I have got rid of my beard, I have combed and oiled my hair" (Hesse, 54). Siddhartha wishes to satiate Kamala with his love for her. Kamala says to Siddhartha, "Many young men come to me, including Brahmin's sons, but they come to me in fine clothes, in fine shoes; there is a scent in their hair and money in their purses." (Hesse, 54). So when Siddhartha comes again to learn from her, but this time he comes to her in fine clothes, fine shoes and money in his purse. He also tells Kamala that he knows how to do three things that will take you far in life; he knows how to think, wait and fast. Kamala is impressed at Siddhartha that he has the ability to recite good poetry and read and write, therefore she gives him a white gown. Siddhartha is suddenly overwhelmed with ardent feelings in which he was no longer a Samana and that he should no longer beg for food and that living here, in Kamala's town is going to be simpler than living as a Samana. "The life that is lived here is simple, thought Siddhartha. It has no difficulties. Everything was difficult, irksome and finally hopeless when i was a Samana. Now everything is easy..". (Hesse,58). Kamala does aid in helping Siddhartha find make his way into her town and her heart. Kamala introduces Siddhartha to Kamaswami, who is the richest merchant in town. She tells Siddhartha that if he pleases him, he will take Siddhartha into his services, but not to be made into his servant but equal to him. Kamala soon realizes that Siddhartha is having an easy time getting what he needs to in order for Kamala to accept him. "You have been lucky, one door after the other is being opened to you. How does that come about? Have you a charm?"(Hesse, 59). Kamala makes a point when she says that Siddhartha would be no where without her. Siddhartha refutes this in saying, " When I came to you in your grove i made the first step. It was my intention to learn about love from the most beautiful woman. From the moment I made that resolution I also knew that I would execute it. I knew that you would help me; I knew it from your first glance at the entrance to the grove". (Hesse, 60). Kamala does not understand, but Siddhartha explains to her that he goes after his goal like a stone sinking into the water. The stone finds the quickest way to the bottom; Siddhartha finds the quickest way to his goal. Siddhartha allows nothing to get into his mind that opposes his goal. This is what he has learned from the Samana's, in which people call magic and what other people think is caused by demons. "Everyone can preform magic, everyone can reach his goal, if he can think, wait, and fast". (Hesse, 60).
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Before Kamala, Siddhartha was a simple Brahmin-turned-Samana who was seeking his own personal happiness. Kamala taught him the art of love, gave him friendship, helped him become a rich merchant and land owner, and many other qualities. These attributes were not what he was seeking until he laid eyes upon her. While he enjoyed his life with Kamala for quite a while, it eventually made him feel ill and unhappy. However, these upsetting feelings helped him regain his holy Om. Siddhartha's accomplishments from Kamala can be seen as a gift or a curse. On one hand, she ultimately led him to great unhappiness and caused him to stray from his path to peace. But on the other hand, she pleased him for many years and gave him the determination to return to his journey for Nirvana.
Siddhartha thought of nothing but finding his own inner peace until he met Kamala. With her help he learned the ways of love and friendship. It was also because of her that he became everything that he hated, a rich land owner. He lived the life of a common man with her in happiness for many years, but eventually became tired of the life and became disgusted with the person he had become. However, it was through this life that he was able to destroy his old inner self and develop and new one that he was truly happy with
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