Turiya – Beyond the States of Consciousness

In the vast tapestry of Vedantic philosophy, the Mandukya Upanishad holds a unique place. It explores the nature of reality through the symbol of AUM and dives deep into the layers of human consciousness. The seventh verse stands as a profound pointer toward Turiya, often described as the “fourth” — but that label is only in relation to the three familiar states of waking (jagrat), dreaming (svapna) and deep sleep (susupti).

न अन्तःप्रज्ञम्। न वहिःप्रज्ञम्। न उभयतःप्रज्ञम्। न प्रज्ञानधनम्। न प्रज्ञम्। न अप्रज्ञम्। अदृष्ट्म् अव्यवहार्यम् अग्राह्यम् अलक्षणम् अचिन्त्यम् अव्यपदेश्यम्

एकात्मप्रत्यसारं प्रपज्चोपशमम् शान्तं शिवम् अद्वैतं चतुर्थ मन्यन्ते विवेकिनः। सः आत्मा सः विज्ञेयः॥

Turiya is not the waking state, where we experience the external world. It is not the dream state, where the mind dances with imagination. It is not even the deep sleep state, where nothing is known but the seed of experience remains. Nor is it a combination or sum of these. Turiya transcends them all.

Importantly, Turiya is not a state among others. It is called “the fourth” only for the sake of understanding. In truth, it is the eternal substratum of all three states — the silent witness, the unchanging reality in which all experiences appear and disappear. It is not conscious of internal or external things. It is not a blend nor a void. It is not something the mind can grasp, not something language can describe. It is unseen, unthinkable, beyond inference and untouched by duality.

Yet, it is the very ground of being — pure Consciousness, Peaceful, Blissful, Non-dual. It is the Self (Atman) in its truest essence. The wise call it Turiya. It cannot be known through thought, but it is that by which all is known.

And here lies the invitation: to realize this Turiya is to awaken to our true nature.

May we turn inward, beyond thought and perception and rest in that stillness which is ever present — not a passing state, but the changeless foundation beneath all experience. The Fourth, the Self, the Real.