Study, know yourself
Svadhyaya becomes increasingly pertinent in a world that constantly seeks external gratification and validation.
Derived from Sanskrit words, 'sva' means self and 'adhyaya' means study, education. Svadhyaya encapsulates the practice of self-study, introspection and the exploration of one's inner being. It is a transformative process of personal exploration.
Maharishi Patanjali, in his Yog Sutras, presents Svadhyaya as one of the Niyamas, ethical observances, in his Ashtanga Yog path. Svadhyaya encompasses various dimensions of self-exploration and learning. It involves studying texts and philosophical treatises, but more important is its focus on knowing our own thoughts and emotions; cultivating an awareness of the Self. According to Svadhyaya, this is the more potent means to self-realisation. The idea: all knowledge is futile till there is a thorough knowledge of the Self. Svadhyaya is not dissimilar to the philosophical maxim espoused by ancient Greek theologians or Immanuel Kant during the Age of Enlightenment.
In Sutra 2.44, Maharishi Patanjali delineates Svadhyaya as 'svadhyayat ishta-devata-samprayogah'. Here, Patanjali suggests that through study of our own self, we establish a connection with our ishta-devta, loved deity. That is, when we begin to know ourselves, we also begin to know Divinity.
