Wisdom through self-knowledge and the study of scripture: the principle of svádhyáya is not just to read spiritual literature but to understand it, passing every idea through logic, intuition and experience.
*Svádhyáya (from Sanskrit: **"sva" means **"by oneself," **"adhyáya*" means **"to read," "to educate oneself") is a yogic principle that includes studying spiritual scriptures and understanding their meaning. Besides the study of spiritual literature and the books of great spiritual masters, this principle also includes watching videos on spiritual subjects — that is, everything that elevates the mind.
For a spiritual seeker, and for anyone, philosophy — an ideology of life — is very important. If a person does not try to work out how to live in harmony with themselves and the world, does not cultivate good, noble ideas in the mind, and does not build a logical, coherent, rational view of the world, their mind becomes overgrown with weeds like a neglected garden.
False ideas give rise to disharmonious and crude behavior, which leads a person to suffering.
To keep the mind pure, one needs to work on oneself regularly — to gain new knowledge that lets one stay on a high wave and keep one's inspiration. To absorb this knowledge, our mind has to do some hard work. The knowledge in spiritual books is not dogma; that is, it is not a set of facts to be simply taken on faith. Each person must pass it through themselves, test it, and only then accept the truth. When studying spiritual literature, one needs to go deeply into every paragraph, analyze it carefully and ask oneself questions.
If the author puts forward a thesis, one needs to consult one's intuition and apply logic and experience. You can go on reading, but until the answers to the questions you have asked are found and understood, you need to keep analyzing the information the text presents.
Such work of the mind makes it possible to build a worldview in harmony with the inner and the outer world, and it moves a person toward right thoughts and actions. This in turn improves the quality of life not only at the individual level but at the level of society — a person brings progress and good to all beings.
It is important to understand that all knowledge must be logical and rational. Authority matters, but even the texts of an authoritative author need to be passed through the prism of logic and rationality. This is the yogic approach to acquiring any knowledge.
Even if the lotus-born Brahmá, the Creator of the universe, says something absurd and illogical, it should be thrown away like a weed. But if a little boy says something wise, rational and inspiring, it should be accepted.
The basics of the principle of svádhyáya (to think things through, to analyze, to check any information) matter not only in studying spiritual books but in everyday life too. If these basics are not cultivated in society, propaganda begins to take up a large place in the information space. Misleading information is released into society, and people are ready to believe it. People begin to believe even the most absurd ideas that appeal to them, although they cannot rationally explain why they react this way.
The principle of svádhyáya does not only let a person gain knowledge and understand the truth. It gives inspiration and helps a person evolve further.
The words of great spiritual masters set down in books contain, besides knowledge, a blessing, and they awaken in a person the wish to become better. When reading such books, a spiritual seeker establishes a direct connection with the Supreme Consciousness, because spiritual masters are people who are in unity with It. And when a person reads such books, they absorb the positive energy of the Supreme Consciousness and are inspired to good deeds, to right actions.
Yet the study of spiritual scriptures demands much effort and a great deal of mental work, because the ideas set out in them are broad and deep, which makes them hard for our consciousness to take in. In the process of studying spiritual texts, the mind comes into contact with lofty ideas, and an "intellectual conflict" takes place: the small mind tries to embrace an infinite idea and unite with it, rising and expanding in order to take in the new notions and concepts described in the books.
But even a thoughtful reading of just two paragraphs, which you pass through yourself, reflect on, fully take in and understand, will lead to significant changes in your mind. As a result, in everyday life you will be able to avoid mistakes you would have made before, because by widening the mind's perception you have widened your view of the possible ways to resolve the matter in that particular case.
The wisdom gained by studying spiritual books is reached in ordinary life through trial and error over several lifetimes. In this way svádhyáya moves the spiritual seeker forward on the path of evolution.