Sva'dhya'ya

Sva'dhya'ya means the clear understanding of any spiritual subject. In ancient days students carried on their day-to-day Sva'dhya'ya in the hermitage of the rs'is. But the circumstances have changed and the term Sva'dhya'ya has also lost its meaning with passage of time. Nowadays reading religious scriptures without grasping the meaning is also considered to be Sva'dhya'ya. Religious professionals have misguided the public by their misinterpretation of the term sva'dhya'ya. They say, "These are the results of reading such-and-such books; it matters little whether you understand the meaning or not. If you cannot find time to read books, simply touch your head with them thrice; or if you have no time to hear religious sermons, offer fruits or sweets to the deity. This will yield the same result. This is the real thing".

Sva'dhya'ya means not only to read or hear a subject, but also to understand its significance, the underlying idea. Acceptance of the outward or crude meaning has only led to the corruption of spiritual life, and this ultimately greatly distorted people's religious belief.

To understand the underlying meaning of what is laid down in scriptures, the idea is to be grasped first; otherwise the proper spirit will never be realized.

Those with vested interest seek to keep the public away from the true spirit of the scriptures, because this facilitates their exploitation.