svadhyaya
देहबुद्ध्या तु दासोऽस्मि जीवबुद्ध्या त्वदंशकः। आत्मबुद्ध्या त्वमेवाहमिति मे निश्चिता मतिः॥
“Lord, while I identify myself with my body, I am Your servant.
When I consider myself as Jiva, I am a part of You.
But when I look upon myself as the Atma, I am You.”
svadhyaya is the practice of self study. The way I understand it is that it is a study of the Vedantic prasthana-traya (Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, and Brahma Sutras). However, this study is not just an intellectual study but is combined with samyama to perceive the teachings. However, jumping straight into the prasthana-traya is not something any of the gurus recommend.
There is a gradual process of study that starts with an overview and then gets deeper and deeper. Before we start the study of the prasthana-traya, we need to understand the concepts as laid out by Adi Shankaracharya. It is from here that we can dive into the prasthana-traya to truly understand the nature of reality.
This is a lifetime of work and there is no rush to get to the prasthana-traya. The important thing is to start the study and then keep it going. Once a study is completed, do it again until the teachings are realized.
- Introduction to Vedanta: Understanding the Fundamental Problem by Swami Dayananda Saraswati(Arsha Vidya)
- Exploring Vedanta by Swami Dayananda Saraswati(Arsha Vidya)
- Teaching Tradition of Advaita Vedanta by Swami Dayananda Saraswati(Arsha Vidya)
- Teaching of the Bhagavad Gita by Swami Dayananda Saraswati(Arsha Vidya)
- Kindle Life by Swami Chinmayananda
- Self Unfoldment by Swami Chinmayananda
- Practice of Vedanta by Swami Chinmayananda
- Sweeping Look At The Vedanta by Swami Chinmayananda
- First Lessons in Vedanta by Swami Sivananda
- Lectures on Yoga and Vedanta by Swami Sivananda
- Essence of Vedanta by Swami Sivananda
- Essays In Philosophy by Swami Sivananda
- Brahma Vidya Vilas by Swami Sivananda
- Holy Geeta by Swami Chinmayananda
- Ethics of the Bhagavad Gita by Swami Sivananda
- Essence of Gita in Poems by Swami Sivananda
- The Bhagavad Gita by Swami Sivananda
- The Bhagavadgita Explained by Swami Sivananda
- Bhagavad Gita Book 1 by Swami Dayananda Saraswati
- Bhagavad Gita Book 2 by Swami Dayananda Saraswati
- Bhagavad Gita Book 3 by Swami Dayananda Saraswati
- Bhagavad Gita Book 4 by Swami Dayananda Saraswati
- Bhagavad Gita Book 5 by Swami Dayananda Saraswati
- Bhagavad Gita Book 6 by Swami Dayananda Saraswati
- Bhagavad Gita Book 7 by Swami Dayananda Saraswati
- Bhagavad Gita Book 8 by Swami Dayananda Saraswati
- Bhagavad Gita Book 9 by Swami Dayananda Saraswati
- Art of Man Making Vol 1 by Swami Chinmayananda
- Art of Man Making Vol 2 by Swami Chinmayananda
- Drg-Drśya Viveka
- Drk-Drsya-Viveka by Swami Dayananda Saraswati(Arsha Vidya)
- Vedanta Lecture for Drg-Drsya / https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDqahtm2vA728mT-GFH6F-vN2YsS1h72x
- Vedanta Sara
- Tattvabodhaḥ / https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXE0ny857B-oDuJeCZhkXrWhGXZUALRRw&si=p4zos8-WuonaOk3W
- Aparokṣānubhūti
- https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDqahtm2vA710Q4PA2yKn8kqS0y-SZNo7&si=tWSTnUdWPF9DNiI9
- Aparokshanubhuti/Intimate Experience Of The Reality by Swami Chinmayananda
- Atma Bodha
- Self Knowledge by Nikelananda
- Essence of Principal Upanishads by Swami Sivananda
- Mahavakya Vichara by Swami Dayananda Saraswati(Arsha Vidya)
- The Principal Upanishads by Swami Sivananda
- Upanishads Book 1 - Nikilananda
- Upanishads Book 2 - Nikilananda
- Upanishads Book 3 - Nikilananda
- Upanishads Book 4 - Nikilananda
- Vakya Vritti by Chinmayananda
- Dialogues From The Upanishads by Swami Sivananda
- Vivekachudamani: Talks On 108 Selected Verses by Swami Dayananda Saraswati(Arsha Vidya)
- Vivekachudamani by Chinmayananda
- Kena (KeUp), Samaveda
- Kenopanishad by Swami Dayananda Saraswati(Arsha Vidya)
- Kenopanishad by Chinmayananda
- We Must by Chinmayananda
- Kaṭha (KaUp), Yajurveda
- Kathopanishad by Chinmayananda
- Kathopanishad by Swami Sivananda
- Īśā (IsUp), Yajurveda
- Isavasya Upanisad by Chinmayananda
- Isavasya Upanishad by Swami Sivananda
- Purnamadah Purnamidam by Swami Dayananda Saraswati(Arsha Vidya)
- Muṇḍaka (MuUp), Atharvaveda
- Mundakopanishad (2 volume set) by Swami Dayananda Saraswati(Arsha Vidya)
- Mundakopanishad by Chinmayananda
- Kaivalya Upanishad by Chinmayananda
- Taittirīya (TaiUp), Yajurveda
- Taittiriya Upanishad (2 volume set) by Swami Dayananda Saraswati(Arsha Vidya)
- Taittiriya Upanishad by Chinmayananda
- Aitareya, (AiUp), Rigveda
- Aitareya Upanishad by Chinmayananda
- Aitareya Upanishad by Swami Sivananda
- Praśna (PrUp), Atharvaveda
- Prashnopanishad by Chinmayananda
- Māṇḍūkya (MaUp), Atharvaveda
- Mandukya Upanishad (4 volume set) by Swami Dayananda Saraswati(Arsha Vidya)
- Mandukya Upanishad by Chinmayananda
- Chāndogya (ChhUp), Samaveda
- Bṛhadāraṇyaka (BṛUp), Yajurveda
- Bṛhadāraṇyaka by Gambhirananda
- The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad by Swami Sivananda
- Yoga Vāsiṣṭha
- Ashtavakra Gītā
- Bhagavad Gita by Gambinanda
- Gambhirananda
- Upanishads 1
- Upanishads 2
- Ramanuja Gita Bhayasa
- Bhagavad-Gita by Madhusudana Saraswati
- Brahma Sutras
- Brahma Sutras by Swami Sivananda
Study Plan (Chinamayananda)
| S.No. | Title of the Book | Dose | Unit | No. of times | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kindle Life | 10 | Pages | 3 | |
| 2. | Manual of Self Unfoldment | 10 | Pages | 2 | |
| 3. | Bhaja Govindam | 4 | Stanzas | 2 | |
| 4. | Tattva Bodha | 5 | Pages | 2 | |
| 5. | Ātma Bodha | 3 | Stanzas | 2 | |
| 6. | Vedānta Through Letters | 10 | Pages | 2 | |
| 7. | Art of Man Making (Gītā Talks) | 12 | Pages | 3 | |
| 8. | Vivekacūdāmani (Stanzas: 1-200) | 4 | Stanzas | 3 | |
| 9. | Meditation and Life | 1 | Chapter | 3 | |
| 10. | Nārada Bhakti Sūtra | 5 | Sūtras | 3 | |
| 11. | Gītā Introduction | 10 | Pages | 3 | |
| 12. | We Must | 10 | Pages | 5 | |
| 13. | Sādhanā Pañcakam | 1 | Stanza | 3 | |
| 14. | Kenopaniṣad | 2 | Mantras | 3 | |
| 15. | Gītā Chapter 1, 2 & 3 | 3 | Stanzas | 3 | |
| 16. | Vivekacūdāmani (Stanzas: 201-300) | 4 | Stanzas | 3 | |
| 17. | Kaṭhopaniṣad | 2 | Mantras | 3 | |
| 18. | Dakṣiṇāmūrti Stotram | 2 | Mantras | 3 | |
| 19. | Gītā Chapter 4, 5 & 6 | 3 | Stanzas | 3 | |
| 20. | Upadeśa Sāram | 2 | Stanzas | 3 | |
| 21. | Īśāvāsyopaniṣad | 3 | Mantras | 3 | |
| 22. | Gītā Chapter 7, 8 & 9 | 3 | Stanzas | 3 | |
| 23. | Muṇḍakopaniṣad | 2 | Stanzas | 3 | |
| 24. | Gītā Chapter 10 & 11 | 3 | Stanzas | 3 | |
| 25. | Kaivalyopaniṣad | 2 | Mantras | 3 | |
| 26. | Vivekacūdāmani (Stanzas: 301-581) | 4 | Stanzas | 3 | |
| 27. | Puruṣa Sūktam | 4 | Mantras | 3 | |
| 28. | Gītā Chapter 12 | 3 | Stanzas | 3 | |
| 29. | Taittirīyopaniṣad | 2 | Mantras | 3 | |
| 30. | Hymn to Badrināth | 5 | Stanzas | 3 | |
| 31. | Gītā Chapter 13,14 & 15 | 3 | Stanzas | 3 | |
| 32. | Aitareyopaniṣad | 3 | Mantras | 3 | |
| 33. | Gītā Chapter 16 & 17 | 3 | Stanzas | 4 | |
| 34. | Praśnopaniṣad | 2 | Mantras | 3 | |
| 35. | Gītā Chapter 18 | 3 | Stanzas | 3 | |
| 36. | Revise Gītā Chapter 1 to 18 | 5 | Stanzas | 2 | |
| 37. | Aṣṭāvakra Gītā | 3 | Stanzas | 2 | |
| 38. | Māṇḍūkya and Kārika | 2 | Mantras | 3 |