Self-Study (Sw adhyay), a Necessity in Daily Life

For individual excellence, the biggest requirement is of that thinking which besides being fully soaked with idealism is also inter-woven with our liking and faith. This purpose can be fulfilled in two ways. One is long-term close contact of great men of great integrity and character, and the second one is daily study and reflection on their thoughts. The first way is very difficult in present day conditions. As it is, philosophical great men are fast disappearing. Crooked, fraudulent, deluded and fallen men have taken hold of religion. A person in their contact, instead of receiving guidance, goes astray. Those who are proper, are so very busy in trying to reform the current situation in the society that it is not possible for them to allow their time and contact for satsang (religious discourse). Therefore those lucky ones who can get the contact of honest great men, they have to be content with whatever little time available. In to-day's conditions the possibilities of long-term contact with good, honest, great men are few and far between.

That atmosphere which can give us the proper light for leading a profound and excellent life can be kept around us through Swadhyaya (regular daily study of scriptures). Much more than our efforts for food and clothing, we will have to be more eagerly involved in Swadhyaya for satisfying the mental and spiritual requirements. The moral principles gleaned from daily study of scriptures should be applied in our daily deeds, because from our conclusion regarding the conditions all around us, we are tempted to adopt base beliefs in our activities. If this bad influence is not cut away, then a person with ordinary morale will see benefit only in wickedness, intelligence and using it in applying to bad deeds.

Good literature has given the opportunity to innumerable persons to be elevated spiritually and to become spiritually strong. Inspiring literature always helps in the development of personality, character, and morale and in spiritual development. Thus inspired, innumerable persons have been able to break away from the bonds of inferiority and become great. Well, Swadhyaya (regular study of scriptures) too has been given a status equal to worship, rituals, keeping fasts and charity etc.) People accept story-books of irrelevant and absurd ancient stories as religious books and with the background of "old is gold", repeat them regularly by rote. But for proper Swadhyaya only that selected literature will be proper which provides practical guidance for cleansing a person's qualities, deeds and nature. The conditions of to-day's society and the individual are different from those in the ancient times; therefore their solutions too should be in accordance with them. In every era, thinkers, philosophers, visionaries and angles in human form are born to guide the people according to the prevailing conditions.