The Bhagavad-Gita is known as one of the most influential text forms in the Hindu religion. Hinduism is the world's oldest religion, dating back over 4,000 years. The Siddhartha is a book written by Hermann Hesse. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The Gita suggests that Hinduism is a way of life that parents are supposed to teach their children, passing down the lessons, from generation to generation. This alone creates an “oral” tradition. Over the course of a person's life, they encounter things that could potentially move them further from or closer to self-awareness. The farther away they get, the more karma they will ultimately have to eliminate. Both Hinduism and Buddhism share common life principles, but the Bhagavad-Gita suggests that enlightenment is taught while Siddhartha suggests that it is something one learns from one's experiences throughout the life. The Gita, in all, is a conversation between a man named Krishna and a man named Arjuna. Arjuna doesn't want to fight or shed his family's blood for a kingdom he simply doesn't want. For Krishna, killing is a very bad sin and killing one's family would be the greatest sin of all. He ultimately decides that none of this is worth it in the end. Arjuna tells Krishna that it is his "dharma duty" to kill them to restore his karma. Krishna disagrees with Arjuna that the mind must be controlled and that it is crucial for the performance of duty. Krishna then begins to tell Arjuna that there are three main concepts for mind, body and soul. In the book, Siddhartha begins practicing meditation, inspired by the Samanas. During his stay with the Samanas, he realized that he wanted to find that inner peace and enlightenment of mind and soul that he so longed for. Without success, he quickly realized that to find what he was looking for, he would simply have to find it on his own. He then decided to find and interpret the teachings of Buddha himself, only to discover the same result: seeking one's own enlightenment in someone or something else cannot lead to personal peace. One of the literary devices used in the novel is symbolism. Siddhartha is captivated by the river and its meaning, as well as its simplicity and peace. The new voice he found within him speaks to him and says: “Love the river, stay near it and learn from it” (p. 84). Siddhartha then begins to think about his life and realizes that his life could also be symbolized by a river, teaching him to "go with the flow" and accept things as they are. In Hinduism, Vasudeva was the father of Krishna and in the novel we can see the ferryman Vasudeva acting as a father figure to Siddhartha. His advice to Siddhartha is that a father must eventually let go and his son must experience his own suffering, just as Siddhartha's father once experienced. This illustrates one of the important themes of the novel, that knowledge can be taught but wisdom comes from experience. From the river, Siddhartha hears various voices that form the single word “OM”. In this process he gains peace and he comes to realization with the feeling of oneness. Towards the end of the novel, Siddhartha's friend Govinda, a Buddhist monk, seeks enlightenment and meets him to inquire about the teachings that brought him peace. From there, Siddhartha responds that knowledge can be communicated but wisdom cannot. Lifting a stone from the ground, Siddhartha explains to Govinda.