By Nora Reda
In one of the most quoted books on yoga, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the term svadhyaya is put into context in the second chapter (pada), under the term kriyayoga. Kriya means action and so the practice points to eight yogic disciplines that are further organized into three tiers within which the practices come in pairs. The first two tiers encompass spiritual practices (tapas): yama and niyama or ethical disciplines; asana and pranayama or posture and breath. In the second tier there is pratyahara and dharana or the withdrawal of the senses and focus, which fall under self-study or svadhyaya. The third tier is dhyana and samadhi, which are the vehicles to complete surrender of the individual self to the Universal Spirit, or God (Isvara pranidhana).
With kriyayoga Patanjali offers no less than the provision of a practical means to “strive for knowledge, and to gather hope and confidence to begin yoga: the quest for self-realization”. Svadhyaya has two aspects: studying the scriptures (ancient texts of yoga) and gaining insight into one’s inner self. Tapas, the burning desire to practice, comes in as a third aspect, so svadhyaya, Isvara pranidhana, and tapas supposed to help the practitioner to overcome the challenges of life and end suffering as he nears the state of samadhi, (profound meditation), a total liberation from earthly problems.
The self-inquiry of samadhi requires courage and strength, and it includes purification as well as appeasement of the self through which such emotions as lust, anger, greed can be converted into balance, poise, peace, and harmony. But to attain this goal svadhyaya cannot be overstepped; it has to be applied on a regular basis to eradicate deep-rooted inflictions rather than masking them and staying ignorant to them.
But what is it that we want to observe in ourselves? While yama is the observation of our social manifestation, niyama deals with the world within us. “Cleanliness, contentment, religious zeal, self-study, and surrender of the self to the supreme Self” are the five observations that are in accordance with the five sheets of man: the anatomical (earth), physiological (water), psychological (fire), intellectual (air), and spiritual (ether) layers. Only through cleansing out hindrances such as anger, greed, jealousy, and arrogance can one balance the mind without which emotions are misleading.
“The study of the Self has two paths. One is for communicating from the skin, through the inner sheaths towards the seer; the other from the seer to the outer layer of his abode. Though consciousness exists in the body, it needs to be tapped through the practice of asana and pranayama, in which the intelligence alone brings harmony of body, mind and soul, and intimacy with the Supreme Soul (Istadevata).”
Here is a story to put all of this into practical perspective. A man walked to the foot of a tall mountain with the intention of climbing up to the top. He met another traveller and asked him, “How did you climb up this mountain and what did you see from there?” After receiving his answer, he kept on walking along the foot of the mountain. He saw another traveller and asked him the same question, as he did 30 others. All of those men gave him a perspective, and they all accounted for a treacherous journey to the top. So the man decided not to climb up.
Words can describe many things but they cannot give you the first-hand experience you would acquire by going through the experience.
As we each go through life we encounter challenges along the way. Each difficulty requires us to examine our mind for the right decision to be made. After all, we are here to learn, to gain experience, and to discover our divine purpose, until we see it very clearly through an unobstructed inner vision. And we are also here to live our fullest, most desirable destiny of all.