The meaning of svādhyāya in the Pātañjalayogaśāstra and its early commentaries: Evidence from unstudied manuscript sources

As is well known, the Sanskrit term svādhyāya prominently appears in the Pātañjalayogaśāstra (that is, the Yoga Sutra along with the so-called Yoga Bhāṣya) in contexts related to practice. In addition to being one of the three components of ritual yoga (kriyāyoga), it also forms one of the five obligations (niyama) that, according to Patañjali, yogis must observe during their spiritual practice. Moreover, svādhyāya plays an essential role in theistic meditations. Considering the varied contexts in which svādhyāya occurs and taking into account the explanations provided in Patañjali's yoga text, modern translators tend to render the term into English as either “study” or “recitation.” Clearly, “study” and “recitation” refer to different kinds of engagement with different types of texts. While “study” involves understanding of text, recitation mainly concerns the oral or mental realisation of mantras. These differing readings of svādhyāya raise the question of whether Patañjali's concept of svādhyāya was uniform or if he used a homonym to indicate different aspects of yoga practice in various contexts. Through analysing the different contexts in which svādhyāya is used – incorporating manuscript materials that have not yet received scholarly attention – and by closely examining the earlier commentaries on the Pātañjalayogaśāstra, this presentation aims to enhance scholarly understanding of the role and significance of mantra recitation and the study of soteriological śāstras within Patañjali's system of yoga thought.