# Kamaswami — Siddhartha character guide

> Kamaswami in Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse.

**Role:** minor

**First appearance:** 0007-part-ii-with-the-childlike-people

## Who they are

A wealthy merchant who employs Siddhartha and teaches him business.

## Relationships

### [Siddhartha](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/siddhartha_se/characters/siddhartha)

_professional_

Kamaswami is Siddhartha's wealthy employer and business partner in the material world.

### [Gotama](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/siddhartha_se/characters/gotama)

_social_

Gotama and Kamaswami are unrelated figures from Siddhartha's spiritual and material phases.

### [Govinda](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/siddhartha_se/characters/govinda)

_social_

Govinda and Kamaswami have virtually no meaningful interaction in the narrative.

### [Siddhartha](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/siddhartha_se/characters/siddhartha)

_professional_

Kamaswami is Siddhartha's wealthy employer and business partner in the material world.

### [Siddhartha](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/siddhartha_se/characters/siddhartha)

_professional_

Kamaswami is Siddhartha's wealthy employer and business partner in the material world.

## In the story

### [Kamala](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/siddhartha_se/chapters/part-ii-kamala)

The rich merchant of the city. Kamala arranges for Siddhartha to meet him, intending for Siddhartha to become his equal in business, not his servant.

### [With the Childlike People](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/siddhartha_se/chapters/part-ii-with-the-childlike-people)

The shrewd merchant who employs Siddhartha. He is passionate and worried about business, frustrated by Siddhartha's calm, detached approach to profit and loss.

### [Sansara](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/siddhartha_se/chapters/part-ii-sansara)

Siddhartha serves him and watches his merchant worries with mockery, which slowly fades as Siddhartha himself becomes consumed by business and greed.

### [By the River](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/siddhartha_se/chapters/part-ii-by-the-river)

Mentioned in Siddhartha's reflection as part of his life in Sansara, where he learned trading and piled up money.

### [The Ferryman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/siddhartha_se/chapters/part-ii-the-ferryman)

Not present in the chapter excerpts.

### [The Son](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/siddhartha_se/chapters/part-ii-the-son)

Mentioned in Siddhartha's memory as he reflects on his past life of wealth and sensuality while standing at the garden gate.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/siddhartha_se/characters/kamaswami
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/siddhartha_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/siddhartha_se/characters