Part One: "The Brahmin's Son," "With the Samanas," "Gotama," "Awakening" .
The young Brahmin Siddhartha spends his days in meditation and contemplation, enjoying the love and admiration of his family, best friend, Govinda, and all who lay eyes on his beautiful, regal form. However, although he brings joy to all, Siddhartha feels no joy himself. In fact, his discontent grows as he comes to believe that he can learn nothing more from the wise men with whom he debates, for though they know much, they do not know the only important thing--they have not found Atman. A group of Samanas, or wandering ascetics, passes through Siddhartha's town, and he decides to join them. His father is unhappy with his choice, but after Siddhartha stands patiently in his father's room all night long, the elder man relents, realizing that he cannot change his son's mind. Siddhartha, faithfully followed by Govinda, is accepted by the Samanas and begins a life in which he wanders through the world in nothing but loincloths, fasts for days on end, suffers the weather without flinching, and learns self-denial, until his soul can enter the body of a heron passing overhead, or a jackal corpse. Very quickly, however, he comes to see this lifestyle as nothing but a series of temporary tricks for escaping the Self, and feels that he already knows all that he can learn from the Samanas.
The prompt to leave comes when he hears word of Gotama Buddha, who has been walking the land performing wonders and bestowing wise teachings. The eldest Samana is angered by this but Siddhartha uses his superior willpower to hypnotize him until he submits and allows the two friends to leave. Siddhartha and Govinda find Gotama, and his hundreds of followers, in Jetavana grove in the town of Savathi, and are enchanted by the aura of complete peacefulness and knowledge that emanates from his body. One night, after listening to the Buddha speak, Govinda is so struck that he swears allegiance to him.
