Commandment 9: Swadhyaya (Self-Study)
Pawaka Nah Saraswati —RigVeda 1-3-10
Purport: You will achieve purification through the study of Holy Science given through Vedas and
others.
Commentary:
Swa is Self: Adhyaya is study. Swadhyaya is Self study. You say, “My leg is hurt; my finger is cut”.
This clearly implies that you are not the leg; you are not the finger. Continuing the search further you
will notice that you are not the body. Who is this “I” which says “my leg, my finger”? Who am I?
Search him. This is Swadhyaya.
Someone hurled abuses at you. Someone played a dirty trick on you. Someone picked up the prize
you aimed at getting. Someone stole a march over you. How are you going to react? Is it anger,
hatred, envy, jealousy, greed? Or is it love, forgiveness, kindness? Intensify the search. Follow the
Fivefold Path. Then you will establish yourself in the attitude of doing actions in unison with the
Spirit that resides within. This is Yoga. This is Swadhyaya.
You cannot remain without action even for a moment. The action may be physical or mental. The
law of Karma states “Reap as you sow”. With every action you forge a fetter around you. The chain
may be golden or iron but it is a chain. This ties you down to the cycle of birth and death. By non-
attachment to the fruit of your action, you can transcend this law and cleave through the mountain
load of past Karma. This is liberation. This is Swadhyaya.
The all-pervading Spirit could be cognized only through TAPA (self-discipline, austerity, purification).
Tapa is the third aspect of the Fivefold Path. When the desires dry up soul vision dawns.
“When you wish to hear, IT assumes the function of the ear; when you wish to see, IT assumes the
function of the eye.”
TAPA intensifies your conductance for the voltage of Grace to manifest.
“The Spirit, the size of a thumb, resides in the hearts of men. He is deathless.
Even as you take out the blades of a reed separate Him from the bodily sheath.”
—Kathopanishad 617
The Supreme Spirit is designated in the Vedas as THAT. Words cannot limit IT and hence IT could
only be described as “not this, not this”. THAT is perceived when the mind conditioning is blasted.
THAT is perceived when the trinity of knower, knowledge and known is no more.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” —Matthew 5:8
“No man hath seen God at any time.” —John 1:18
These apparently contradictory statements are really not so. They connote the same thing. How?
Study of Vedas will illumine us on the subject. This is Swadhyaya. Vedas are the first revelation
given at the time of creation. All the Divine Messengers that came later reiterated the same
message in the language suited to the conditions in which they graced our planet by their
manifestation. Vedas were revealed in Sanskrit. Sanskrit was nobody’s mother tongue at any time.
All the languages of the world contain words that could be traced to Sanskrit. Sanskrit contains no
words from any other language. European scholars call Sanskrit the mother of European
languages. The word Vedas comes from the Sanskrit root VID, to know. Hence, Vedas means
knowledge. Vedas contain knowledge from amoeba to Almighty. But again, even if you know all the
Vedas it is not enough. That which is to be achieved is beyond Vedas, beyond all scriptures, beyond
words. Vedas serve as the total guide.
“Intellect is beyond the senses or the mind but THAT is beyond intellect.”
—Bhagavat Geeta 3-42
“Self realization is established neither through intellect nor through sermons or discourses.”—
Mundakopanishad 4-3
Mundakopanishad states that Vedas are high knowledge but again it is lower knowledge. For
higher knowledge you have to go to a qualified GURU who is not only versed in Vedas but has
experienced the state of eternal bliss. This is Swadhyaya.
We may intellectually understand by reading all the scriptures that Almighty power is ever present
but our intellect will never be able to lay its grasp on it. These are the intrinsic limitations of the
intellect. This is
Swadhyaya. This is Grace.
A mere intellectual may be able to dish out discourses on Almighty, soul and Karma while his own
life may be a negation of his proclaimed principles. A saintly person, a man of wisdom, lives his life
according to his tenets knowing fully well that bad Karma will bring forth evil results. He therefore
avoids evil Karma as anyone would avoid poison. To know the difference is Swadhyaya.
A study of problems involved in the adherence to Yoga way of life, the solutions offered by Vedas
and all Divine Messengers like Krishna, Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, Moses and others is
Swadhyaya. Swadhyaya unlocks the door to the treasure of higher knowledge that is within us. Tapa
and Swadhyaya give us the ability to draw on this source of knowledge whenever we wish. Then, we
begin to do the right thing automatically. This step enables us to notice the subtle effects of our
actions.
“The Truth shall make you free.” —John 8:32
Through freedom you achieve tranquility, happiness and realize the Supreme Self. Swadhyaya is
the intellectual understanding of the Truth that makes us free. The Truth is GRACE ALONE. Tapa
prepares us for the unfoldment of Grace within us. This is the “Kingdom of Heaven within you”
“In the beginning was the Word.” —John 1:1
Vedas call it SHABDA in Sanskrit. It is sometimes described as NADA. How could this vast universe
with tangible objects be based on an integrated vibration? Discoveries in pure physics are a pointer
in this direction. Can we establish communion with this WORD? Vedic discipline explains all this.
This is Swadhyaya. The unstruck music of the universe could be heard with unfoldment of Grace.
This helps your concentration. OM, the initial vibration, is meditated upon. The word OM does not
belong to any language, not even Sanskrit.
“Before Abraham was I AM.”—John 8:58
What does this mean? The words Abraham, Ebrahim and BRAHMA come from the same Sanskrit
root BRIH meaning to expand. This leads us to the Divine principle that pervades all creation. This
is Swadhyaya.
“Be thou perfect as thy Father in Heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)
This is the ideal to be realized. Fivefold Path is the means. What is perfection? How do I cognize
that I am perfect and made “in the image of my Father”? This is Swadhyaya.
Unwittingly, we have handed ourselves over on a silver platter of technology into the jaws of death.
Begin AGNIHOTRA, the first aspect of the Fivefold Path. This is the Divine blueprint for human
survival given through Vedas. YAJNYA is purification through the agency of fire. AGNIHOTRA is the
smallest form of YAJNYA. Practice of this purification will culminate in surrender to His will. All your
load of anxiety and tension is reduced. A new substance is formed in the atmosphere which
undoes pollution, cleanses the water resources on earth and nourishes plant life. With added
doses of pollution we are adding to tension on the mind. We are in the grip of deadly bacteria on
land, air and water. Agnihotra is an antidote to all this and it puts us harmoniously into the energy
cycle of the universe. All this is stated in the Vedas. Atmospheric purification leads to pranic
purification and thus to mind purification. This is Swadhyaya.
What is Karma (action), what is Akarma (evil action), what is Vikarma (specific allotted task of a
person)? Swadhyaya throws light on all this.
What is bliss? A child is engrossed in playing with his toys and is happy. An adolescent is happy
but the toy changes. The mind gets attached to a thing and a person becomes happy. The
consequences of this attachment push us into the unending dualities of pleasure and pain. Why
not train the mind to get attached to something which will deliver us from this duality? What is the
best method for this? This is Swadhyaya. Sugar is sweet. But what is “sweet”? You will not know
until the tastebuds come into contact with the object. What is bliss? You will not know until you meet
a genuine Master. He grants you the state of soul vision and this is bliss.
What is destiny? What is free will? Destiny is a cheque drawn on the bank of accumulated Karma.
By exerting free will you can override the pangs of destiny. Free will is the biggest boon granted to
humankind. By judicious use of free will you can get over the cycle of birth and death. Maybe you do
not swear by rebirth. It does not matter. By proper use of free will you will get rid of the cycle of a few
pleasurable sensations followed by many moments of unpleasurable ones. This is Swadhyaya.
Learn to control PRANA (Life Force). PRANA conquered is mind conquered. This is Swadhyaya.
Buddha said in his last days to Ananda, “Be ye lamp unto yourself. Be ye refuge unto yourself. Hold
fast to Dharma as a lamp”. Buddha stated at Benaras, “He who strives after holiness must avoid
the two extremes. Which two? A life addicted to pleasure for it is enervating, worthless, and mean.
Also the life given to self mortification, for it is painful, vain and profitless ....
“By avoiding both these extremes has the THATAGATA arrived at the Middle Path”. Pondering over
this is Swadhyaya.
“It is the promise of God But most men understand not
They know but the outer (things)
In the life of this world.
But of the End of things
They are heedless.” -Quran XXX-6, 7
Pondering over this is Swadhyaya.
Occult sciences bring home the fact that there are subtler regions beyond the electron microscope,
telescope or the scalpel of the surgeon. It is merely probing into another subtler world with which
the average person is not familiar. Spiritual seances deal with departed people and disembodied
spirits. This is not the Holy science of the soul. Spirituality is beyond this. This is Swadhyaya.
“Love thy neighbor as thyself.” Matthew 22:39
Only in the company of holy persons do we realize the main significance of this sentence. We blurt
out equality, liberty, fraternity. Sermons are poured out en masse on this subject. Reflect deeply and
you will realize that all this is skin deep. We have to grasp that the same Spirit pervades all and
further that we have the freedom to be free. Then alone will we be able to implement “Love thy
neighbor”. Again, we should not forget the latter half of the command which says, “as thyself”. To
perceive a subject correctly the intellectual faculty has to be unclouded. Non-attachment, practice of
Tapa, brings this about. This is Swadhyaya.
We go through vicissitudes of life as the pattern of destiny fructifies in time. We may have to witness
the marriage of a dear one day and his funeral some other day. It is not given unto you what to see.
However, it is given unto you how to see by proper use of free will. This is Swadhyaya.
After what you have read above, you may think Swadhyaya is a very difficult thing and maybe it is only
for the intellectuals. If you do think thus you are not thinking in the right direction. You start practicing
Agnihotra, Tapa and the other aspects of the Fivefold Path and automatically the clouding of the
intellect will disappear and you will be enabled to perceive things the right way. This is unfoldment
of GRACE. In due course your intellect and your volition will be given proper bent and you will be
thrown into the company of holy persons. Circumstances shall be so arranged that you will be given
a link with a liberated soul, Master. If you choose to exert your free will and be devoted to him your
progress will be quick. If the Master is an AVATAR mere concentration on his physical form brings
back gift waves to you. Our purification is thus aided.
If you talk to your auto for three hours and tell it, “Listen, do not leave the highway and dash against
a tree,” it is of no use. If the steering wheel is turned it is bound to leave the highway and dash
against a tree. Even so is our mind. It works in grooves of habits and conditioning. A thrust in some
other direction is required. Devotion to the Master gives this thrust and our journey is made easy.
Almighty is the Guru of all Gurus. It is the Divine plan that the chain of Sadgurus continues. Every
Master has an allotted period to do his work. When the period is over he departs from this world. It
is important to respect this Guru tradition. Even the great AVATARS respect it. John the Baptist said,
“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but he that cometh after me is mightier than I,
whose shoes I am not worthy to bear; he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with FIRE.”--
Matthew 3:11 “Then cometh Jesus unto John to be baptized of him. But John forbade him saying, ‘I
have need to be baptized of thee and comest thou to me?’ “--Matthew 3:13, 14
“And Jesus answering, said unto him, ‘Suffer it to be so now; for thus it becometh us to fulfill all
righteousness.”--Matthew 3:15
“And Jesus, when he was baptized went up straightaway out of the water; and lo, the heavens were
opened unto him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him.”--
Matthew 3:16
Like all Avatars, Jesus respected the Guru tradition and was baptized by John. The words of John,
“whose shoes I am not worthy to bear,” represent the ancient Eastern tradition which Jesus fulfilled.
It is not given unto you what so see; however, it is given unto you how to see. This is Swadhyaya.
Without a living Master we can progress thus far but not further. By loving thy neighbor the Master
will pick you up. This is Divine will. Swadhyaya knows no vacation. Purify yourself and be at your
Swadhyaya all the time until Reality dawns. “THAT, knowing which everything is known” is
Swadhyaya.
If you like to arrange a workshop or like to learn advanced healing yagnyas please contact
yogni@agnihotrausa.net
Pawaka Nah Saraswati —RigVeda 1-3-10
Purport: You will achieve purification through the study of Holy Science given through Vedas and
others.
Commentary:
Swa is Self: Adhyaya is study. Swadhyaya is Self study. You say, “My leg is hurt; my finger is cut”.
This clearly implies that you are not the leg; you are not the finger. Continuing the search further you
will notice that you are not the body. Who is this “I” which says “my leg, my finger”? Who am I?
Search him. This is Swadhyaya.
Someone hurled abuses at you. Someone played a dirty trick on you. Someone picked up the prize
you aimed at getting. Someone stole a march over you. How are you going to react? Is it anger,
hatred, envy, jealousy, greed? Or is it love, forgiveness, kindness? Intensify the search. Follow the
Fivefold Path. Then you will establish yourself in the attitude of doing actions in unison with the
Spirit that resides within. This is Yoga. This is Swadhyaya.
You cannot remain without action even for a moment. The action may be physical or mental. The
law of Karma states “Reap as you sow”. With every action you forge a fetter around you. The chain
may be golden or iron but it is a chain. This ties you down to the cycle of birth and death. By non-
attachment to the fruit of your action, you can transcend this law and cleave through the mountain
load of past Karma. This is liberation. This is Swadhyaya.
The all-pervading Spirit could be cognized only through TAPA (self-discipline, austerity, purification).
Tapa is the third aspect of the Fivefold Path. When the desires dry up soul vision dawns.
“When you wish to hear, IT assumes the function of the ear; when you wish to see, IT assumes the
function of the eye.”
TAPA intensifies your conductance for the voltage of Grace to manifest.
“The Spirit, the size of a thumb, resides in the hearts of men. He is deathless.
Even as you take out the blades of a reed separate Him from the bodily sheath.”
—Kathopanishad 617
The Supreme Spirit is designated in the Vedas as THAT. Words cannot limit IT and hence IT could
only be described as “not this, not this”. THAT is perceived when the mind conditioning is blasted.
THAT is perceived when the trinity of knower, knowledge and known is no more.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” —Matthew 5:8
“No man hath seen God at any time.” —John 1:18
These apparently contradictory statements are really not so. They connote the same thing. How?
Study of Vedas will illumine us on the subject. This is Swadhyaya. Vedas are the first revelation
given at the time of creation. All the Divine Messengers that came later reiterated the same
message in the language suited to the conditions in which they graced our planet by their
manifestation. Vedas were revealed in Sanskrit. Sanskrit was nobody’s mother tongue at any time.
All the languages of the world contain words that could be traced to Sanskrit. Sanskrit contains no
words from any other language. European scholars call Sanskrit the mother of European
languages. The word Vedas comes from the Sanskrit root VID, to know. Hence, Vedas means
knowledge. Vedas contain knowledge from amoeba to Almighty. But again, even if you know all the
Vedas it is not enough. That which is to be achieved is beyond Vedas, beyond all scriptures, beyond
words. Vedas serve as the total guide.
“Intellect is beyond the senses or the mind but THAT is beyond intellect.”
—Bhagavat Geeta 3-42
“Self realization is established neither through intellect nor through sermons or discourses.”—
Mundakopanishad 4-3
Mundakopanishad states that Vedas are high knowledge but again it is lower knowledge. For
higher knowledge you have to go to a qualified GURU who is not only versed in Vedas but has
experienced the state of eternal bliss. This is Swadhyaya.
We may intellectually understand by reading all the scriptures that Almighty power is ever present
but our intellect will never be able to lay its grasp on it. These are the intrinsic limitations of the
intellect. This is
Swadhyaya. This is Grace.
A mere intellectual may be able to dish out discourses on Almighty, soul and Karma while his own
life may be a negation of his proclaimed principles. A saintly person, a man of wisdom, lives his life
according to his tenets knowing fully well that bad Karma will bring forth evil results. He therefore
avoids evil Karma as anyone would avoid poison. To know the difference is Swadhyaya.
A study of problems involved in the adherence to Yoga way of life, the solutions offered by Vedas
and all Divine Messengers like Krishna, Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, Moses and others is
Swadhyaya. Swadhyaya unlocks the door to the treasure of higher knowledge that is within us. Tapa
and Swadhyaya give us the ability to draw on this source of knowledge whenever we wish. Then, we
begin to do the right thing automatically. This step enables us to notice the subtle effects of our
actions.
“The Truth shall make you free.” —John 8:32
Through freedom you achieve tranquility, happiness and realize the Supreme Self. Swadhyaya is
the intellectual understanding of the Truth that makes us free. The Truth is GRACE ALONE. Tapa
prepares us for the unfoldment of Grace within us. This is the “Kingdom of Heaven within you”
“In the beginning was the Word.” —John 1:1
Vedas call it SHABDA in Sanskrit. It is sometimes described as NADA. How could this vast universe
with tangible objects be based on an integrated vibration? Discoveries in pure physics are a pointer
in this direction. Can we establish communion with this WORD? Vedic discipline explains all this.
This is Swadhyaya. The unstruck music of the universe could be heard with unfoldment of Grace.
This helps your concentration. OM, the initial vibration, is meditated upon. The word OM does not
belong to any language, not even Sanskrit.
“Before Abraham was I AM.”—John 8:58
What does this mean? The words Abraham, Ebrahim and BRAHMA come from the same Sanskrit
root BRIH meaning to expand. This leads us to the Divine principle that pervades all creation. This
is Swadhyaya.
“Be thou perfect as thy Father in Heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)
This is the ideal to be realized. Fivefold Path is the means. What is perfection? How do I cognize
that I am perfect and made “in the image of my Father”? This is Swadhyaya.
Unwittingly, we have handed ourselves over on a silver platter of technology into the jaws of death.
Begin AGNIHOTRA, the first aspect of the Fivefold Path. This is the Divine blueprint for human
survival given through Vedas. YAJNYA is purification through the agency of fire. AGNIHOTRA is the
smallest form of YAJNYA. Practice of this purification will culminate in surrender to His will. All your
load of anxiety and tension is reduced. A new substance is formed in the atmosphere which
undoes pollution, cleanses the water resources on earth and nourishes plant life. With added
doses of pollution we are adding to tension on the mind. We are in the grip of deadly bacteria on
land, air and water. Agnihotra is an antidote to all this and it puts us harmoniously into the energy
cycle of the universe. All this is stated in the Vedas. Atmospheric purification leads to pranic
purification and thus to mind purification. This is Swadhyaya.
What is Karma (action), what is Akarma (evil action), what is Vikarma (specific allotted task of a
person)? Swadhyaya throws light on all this.
What is bliss? A child is engrossed in playing with his toys and is happy. An adolescent is happy
but the toy changes. The mind gets attached to a thing and a person becomes happy. The
consequences of this attachment push us into the unending dualities of pleasure and pain. Why
not train the mind to get attached to something which will deliver us from this duality? What is the
best method for this? This is Swadhyaya. Sugar is sweet. But what is “sweet”? You will not know
until the tastebuds come into contact with the object. What is bliss? You will not know until you meet
a genuine Master. He grants you the state of soul vision and this is bliss.
What is destiny? What is free will? Destiny is a cheque drawn on the bank of accumulated Karma.
By exerting free will you can override the pangs of destiny. Free will is the biggest boon granted to
humankind. By judicious use of free will you can get over the cycle of birth and death. Maybe you do
not swear by rebirth. It does not matter. By proper use of free will you will get rid of the cycle of a few
pleasurable sensations followed by many moments of unpleasurable ones. This is Swadhyaya.
Learn to control PRANA (Life Force). PRANA conquered is mind conquered. This is Swadhyaya.
Buddha said in his last days to Ananda, “Be ye lamp unto yourself. Be ye refuge unto yourself. Hold
fast to Dharma as a lamp”. Buddha stated at Benaras, “He who strives after holiness must avoid
the two extremes. Which two? A life addicted to pleasure for it is enervating, worthless, and mean.
Also the life given to self mortification, for it is painful, vain and profitless ....
“By avoiding both these extremes has the THATAGATA arrived at the Middle Path”. Pondering over
this is Swadhyaya.
“It is the promise of God But most men understand not
They know but the outer (things)
In the life of this world.
But of the End of things
They are heedless.” -Quran XXX-6, 7
Pondering over this is Swadhyaya.
Occult sciences bring home the fact that there are subtler regions beyond the electron microscope,
telescope or the scalpel of the surgeon. It is merely probing into another subtler world with which
the average person is not familiar. Spiritual seances deal with departed people and disembodied
spirits. This is not the Holy science of the soul. Spirituality is beyond this. This is Swadhyaya.
“Love thy neighbor as thyself.” Matthew 22:39
Only in the company of holy persons do we realize the main significance of this sentence. We blurt
out equality, liberty, fraternity. Sermons are poured out en masse on this subject. Reflect deeply and
you will realize that all this is skin deep. We have to grasp that the same Spirit pervades all and
further that we have the freedom to be free. Then alone will we be able to implement “Love thy
neighbor”. Again, we should not forget the latter half of the command which says, “as thyself”. To
perceive a subject correctly the intellectual faculty has to be unclouded. Non-attachment, practice of
Tapa, brings this about. This is Swadhyaya.
We go through vicissitudes of life as the pattern of destiny fructifies in time. We may have to witness
the marriage of a dear one day and his funeral some other day. It is not given unto you what to see.
However, it is given unto you how to see by proper use of free will. This is Swadhyaya.
After what you have read above, you may think Swadhyaya is a very difficult thing and maybe it is only
for the intellectuals. If you do think thus you are not thinking in the right direction. You start practicing
Agnihotra, Tapa and the other aspects of the Fivefold Path and automatically the clouding of the
intellect will disappear and you will be enabled to perceive things the right way. This is unfoldment
of GRACE. In due course your intellect and your volition will be given proper bent and you will be
thrown into the company of holy persons. Circumstances shall be so arranged that you will be given
a link with a liberated soul, Master. If you choose to exert your free will and be devoted to him your
progress will be quick. If the Master is an AVATAR mere concentration on his physical form brings
back gift waves to you. Our purification is thus aided.
If you talk to your auto for three hours and tell it, “Listen, do not leave the highway and dash against
a tree,” it is of no use. If the steering wheel is turned it is bound to leave the highway and dash
against a tree. Even so is our mind. It works in grooves of habits and conditioning. A thrust in some
other direction is required. Devotion to the Master gives this thrust and our journey is made easy.
Almighty is the Guru of all Gurus. It is the Divine plan that the chain of Sadgurus continues. Every
Master has an allotted period to do his work. When the period is over he departs from this world. It
is important to respect this Guru tradition. Even the great AVATARS respect it. John the Baptist said,
“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but he that cometh after me is mightier than I,
whose shoes I am not worthy to bear; he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with FIRE.”--
Matthew 3:11 “Then cometh Jesus unto John to be baptized of him. But John forbade him saying, ‘I
have need to be baptized of thee and comest thou to me?’ “--Matthew 3:13, 14
“And Jesus answering, said unto him, ‘Suffer it to be so now; for thus it becometh us to fulfill all
righteousness.”--Matthew 3:15
“And Jesus, when he was baptized went up straightaway out of the water; and lo, the heavens were
opened unto him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him.”--
Matthew 3:16
Like all Avatars, Jesus respected the Guru tradition and was baptized by John. The words of John,
“whose shoes I am not worthy to bear,” represent the ancient Eastern tradition which Jesus fulfilled.
It is not given unto you what so see; however, it is given unto you how to see. This is Swadhyaya.
Without a living Master we can progress thus far but not further. By loving thy neighbor the Master
will pick you up. This is Divine will. Swadhyaya knows no vacation. Purify yourself and be at your
Swadhyaya all the time until Reality dawns. “THAT, knowing which everything is known” is
Swadhyaya.
If you like to arrange a workshop or like to learn advanced healing yagnyas please contact
yogni@agnihotrausa.net
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