Buddha, Volume 4: The Forest of Uruvela Book

Stumbled into this book at a local library. This is the first Japanese manga that I am reading and it is about Buddha, so needless to say I was excited in reading this book.
And this book did justice to my excitement, couldn't keep it down until I was done with the book.

This book describes in detail of the phase of life that Siddhartha went through in the forest of Uruvela as a seeker of truth and to overcome the dread of death.

I always thought being a saint or leaving routine life and going to the forest was fun.
No more traffic. No more rush. No more gossips. No one to judge you. No more chores.
No more working days. No more exams.
No more responsibilities. No more pollution. No more bills.
No more loans/EMI. No more inflation. No more taxes.
Well… A lot of no more's and finally peace!!!
That''s what I thought going to the forest as a monk meant.
You know, having a relaxed time, living a simple, peaceful and happy life.

But then reading this book I got a glimpse of the hardship that the people renouncing their regular life go through.
Siddhartha goes to the forest of Uruvela seeking the truth and goes through innumerable amount of confusions and problems.

This books tells stories that dated aeons ago when monarchy was in the prime.
The lives of kings, queens, peasants and how the system of caste hugely influenced their lives.

My favourite characters in this book are Assaji and Tatta

Assaji - a cute little monk, friend of Siddhartha, a seer, who could predict the time of death accurate to the seconds. What strikes me the most about this person is that, despite knowing that he is going to die in few years, he always maintains a positive and happy spirit and embraces his death in the most graceful way.

Tatta - a strong man of the lowest caste, perceived as rogue and shunned by the villagers. A man who immensely loves his fragile dying wife, he loves her so much that he wouldn't think twice before plunging into a burning house to save his sick dying wife.

It has so many other interesting and amazing characters as well.

We wouldn't think that a book titled 'Buddha' would have so much of violence and gore. The life of an ascetic is not calm, peaceful as one might think. The phase of life that Siddhartha went through in the forest of Uruvela is sure filled with pain, suffering, torture and agony. But despite all of that what kept Siddhartha on track was his burning determination to find out the truth about suffering and death, perhaps the way to eternal happiness as well.

And as the world knows he not only succeeds in finding the answers but also ends up sharing his wisdom to the world, leaving behind his legacy that survives for centuries.

'Siddhartha' by Herman Hesse is also yet another well known book that is an amazing and soothing read.
That book tells us the wisdom of Buddha, what he thinks and how it feels like to being Buddha.
We see a calm, composed enlightened Buddha in Herman Hesse's work.
But this book tells us about the unwavering commitment and determination in search of the truth that he had and the unimaginable things that 'Siddhartha' went through to eventually become the 'Buddha'

Needless to say definitely a good read indeed