Study of religious scriptures, especially the Vedas. (Glossary for the Vahinis)

Svadhyayam does not mean merely study of the Vedas. All the basic scriptures - the Upanishads, the Brahman Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita - should also be studied. One must be acquainted with all sacred literature. Thereby one gets rid of impurities of mind. (D3, p. 86)

Svadhyayam refers to the process by which the Vedas have come down from generation to generation, through father to son, in genealogical succession. Acquisition of Vedic knowledge was not through books. It was transmitted from preceptor to disciple over the years. It is because this knowledge has been handed down directly from preceptor to pupil, it has been described as Svadhyaya. (D3, p. 101)