Siddhartha's Doubts About the Samanas

Siddhartha confides in Govinda that their path has not led to wisdom. He argues that the Samanas' exercises are merely a flight from the self, akin to the numbing effects of alcohol. He questions whether anyone among them has ever reached Nirvana, and he begins to believe that true knowledge cannot be learned from teachers. Govinda is troubled by these words, but Siddhartha's thirst for truth remains unquenched.