- Siddhartha feels warm toward the ordinary people whom he transports across the river. Rather than the contempt that he previously felt, he now sees their troubles as understandable and honorable.
- Siddhartha considers the possibility that his awareness of the unity of the universe, too, is mere childishness, but this idea doesn’t bother him.
- Although Siddhartha grows wiser and wiser, he still feels wounded by his son.
- One day, Siddhartha intends to go into the town to look for his son. Then Siddhartha remembers that he himself wasn’t exactly a model son. He had left his own father the way his son left him.
- He hears the river laugh at the repetition of life’s patterns.
- Siddhartha returns to his hut and tells Vasudeva of his experience in the town where Vasudeva had found him and about his intention of going into the town earlier that day.
- Siddhartha recognizes Vasudeva as God himself. Whoa.
- Vasudeva brings Siddhartha out to the river and tells him there is something he has still not heard.
- With Vasudeva’s guidance, Siddhartha listens intently. For the first time he hears all the voices of the river as one single continuum of all life.
- Siddhartha feels his soul merge into unity.
- Vasudeva touches Siddhartha on the shoulder.
- Now that Siddhartha has reached enlightenment, Vasudeva plans to leave the river and enter into the unity of all things.
- Vasudeva takes off for the forest, leaving Siddhartha as the ferryman.