'For centuries the river has been a sign of eternity and has served as a symbol of spiritual awareness for many people' (Rahula 39). The river in Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha is an important symbol. Hesse provides many references to the river throughout his novel, and it serves many purposes in his writing. Siddhartha, who is the main character, grows up with his father and mother on the bank of a river in India. He decides to leave the world of Brahmins to seek his own path. Govinda, Siddhartha's companion, follows him into the world of Samana. After a few years spent with the Samanas, Siddhartha decides he wants to move on once again. He and Govinda go to listen to the Buddha's teachings. Siddhartha once again decides to move forward, but Govinda chooses to stay with the Buddha. Later Siddhartha experiences Kamala's world, a world of lust. Siddhartha leaves this world and finally ends up on the bank of a river, where he learns about the importance of the river from the ferryman Vasudeva. He finally reaches Nirvana by listening to the river. Throughout Siddhartha's life, the river takes on many important meanings, making it the most important symbol in the novel. The river represents the circularity of life. This is illustrated by the fact that Siddhartha grew up "In the shade of the house, in the sun, on the river bank by the boats, in the shade of the yellowish forest and the fig tree" (Hesse 3) and that he spent the last years of his life living on the bank of a river. Circularity is evident here, as he returns to the riverside, where he began his life. The river also shows how, even though everything moves, everything stays the same. “He saw that the water flowed continuously and yet was always in…the center of the paper…to find Nirvana, and guides him through his many journeys. It serves many purposes and is deeply emphasized in Hesse's writings. The river remains a symbol of spiritual awareness and eternity Works Cited Fickert, Kurt J., Hermann Hesse's Quest York Press, 1978. Freedman, Ralph, "Romantic Imagination: Hermann Hesse as a Modern Novelist," PMLA 73 June 1958. Hesse, Herman. Siddhartha. Dover Publications, 1998. Mileck, Joseph, "The Prose of Hermann Hesse: Life, Substance and Form," German Quarterly 27 May 1954. Otten, Anna, ed. A Hesse Companion Suhrkamp, ​​1970. CA Moore, A Sourcebook of Indian Philosophy Princeton University Press, 1957.Rahula, Walpola, What the Buddha Taught Grove Weidenfield, 1959.Tusken, Lewis W., Hermann Hesse: Man, His Myth, His Metaphor University of S. Carolina, 1998.