The Deeper Meaning of the Word स्वाध्याय svādhyāya

The word स्वाध्याय svādhyāya literally means self-learning or reading for oneself. It is usually understood as regular study of some sacred texts like the Veda, Upanishads, Gita etc. Whether स्वाध्याय svādhyāya confined only to this meaning or there is something beyond this surface meaning is the subject of discussion in this small note.

Before getting into the word स्वाध्याय svādhyāya which is a combination of two words: स्व sva and अध्याय adhyāya, let us concentrate on the word अध्याय adhyāya. The word अध्याय adhyāya basically refers to a lesson or a lecture, or more commonly, a chapter. This word is formed by the combination of the prefix अधि adhi and the root ‘अय् ay ’, like that of अध्ययन adhyayana. When we go through any text of Sanskrit we find that a chapter in a text is called अध्याय adhyāya, as we see it, say, in the Gita or Bhagavatam etc.

The ancient Indian idea of arranging a theme into various chapters or अध्याय-s adhyāya-s was not merely to present the theme in separate sections but in a deeper sense it referred to a wide, undulating and encircling movement of ideas leading step by step (each time a step beyond), towards the total understanding of the theme or even towards a greater synthesis. When the word स्व sva is compounded with अध्याय adhyāya then the above process becomes an inner process of moving towards a proper understanding in our consciousness of all that is being read. By स्वाध्याय svādhyāya one allows the text sinking down into the depth of consciousness.

In a deeper sense स्वाध्याय svādhyāya is ज्ञानयज्ञ jñānayajña in which one creates a space in one’s own consciousness for the forces which have to come through the process of reading a text, and by observing its meaning silently, giving it a possibility to be fully expressed, in terms of experience.

In fact, the Mother of Sri Aurobindo Ashram suggested a similar method for reading Sri Aurobindo’s epic poem Savitri. It is to be very still and peaceful and to let the text sink down into the depth of consciousness. The text itself has a transformative power and builds in time a proper understanding of itself in the consciousness of the person who sincerely strives for it.

This then is the deeper meaning of स्वाध्याय svādhyāya.