is the rich merchant whom Siddhartha works for when he comes into town. He teaches Siddhartha how to trade and gamble, but he is frustrated when Siddhartha’s wisdom and lack of interest in profits detract from the deals he wants to make. He is an anxious man, prone to anger, and is a symbol of the greed and tiredness of the unspiritual town.
Kamaswami Quotes in Siddhartha
The Siddhartha quotes below are all either spoken by Kamaswami or refer to Kamaswami. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 2, Chapter 6
Quotes
Siddhartha replied: “Stop scolding, dear friend! Scolding has never achieved anything. If there has been a loss, then let me bear the burden. I am very content with this trip. I have met all sorts of people, a Brahmin has become my friend, children have ridden on my lap, farmers have shown me their fields. No one took me for a merchant.”
Related Characters:
Siddhartha (speaker), Siddhartha, Kamaswami
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Kamaswami Character Timeline in Siddhartha
The timeline below shows where the character Kamaswami appears in Siddhartha. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part Two, Chapter 5 – Kamala
...looking up for him. She tells him he has been invited to visit the merchant, Kamaswami. She tells him not to be too modest, and if Kamaswami likes him, he will...
(full context)
Part Two, Chapter 6 – Among the Child People
The next day, Siddhartha meets Kamaswami in his big house. Kamaswami asks Siddhartha why he has left scholarship and philosophy for...
(full context)
This doesn’t seem like much to Kamaswami, but Siddhartha explains that from fasting, he has learned to laugh at and rise above...
(full context)
...a woman, and this becomes the purpose of his life, not the business activity of Kamaswami’s house.
(full context)
Though Siddhartha is a peer in Kamaswami’s house and seems to have a lucky touch with business transactions, the merchant senses that...
(full context)
...and spends the trip getting to know the rice workers and the local area. When Kamaswami scolds him for losing money, Siddhartha claims to have not wasted anything, that his experiences...
(full context)
Siddhartha continues to confuse and anger Kamaswami. He refuses to eat Kamaswami’s bread, never sympathizes with Kamaswami’s frustration over business, and when...
(full context)
As much as Kamaswami is dissatisfied by Siddhartha, Siddhartha also does not find any joy in business. He loves...
(full context)
...into the house, treating rich tradesmen and poor peddlers exactly the same. He listens to Kamaswami’s worries, but treats the whole thing like a game, sympathizing and cheating and trading just...
(full context)
Part Two, Chapter 7 – Samsara
...had learned about things like lust and power. He had a material life similar to Kamaswami’s, a house and his own servants, but he never entered this life fully. As the...
(full context)
...ill at ease with this life. He stays in bed, feels lazy, loses patience with Kamaswami, and though he still wears the spiritual expression of the samanas slightly, his face has...
(full context)
...feels hunger, but says goodbye to this too. He leaves the town. For a while, Kamaswami searches for him, but Kamala has expected his departure. She knows that he still has...
(full context)
Part Two, Chapter 10 – The Son
...young samana, of the proud way he had entered the world of love lessons and Kamaswami’s riches, of the songbird and his desire for death. He feels it all anew. Now...
(full context)
