Search for courses

ESSAY

Significance of Knowing the

'Fourth'
Turiya is pure consciousness and is the background that underlies and
transcends the three common states of consciousness.

by Arundhati Mukherjee

Posted On: 13 May 2019

T he life of a human being
encompasses all that he or she can
experience in this lifetime. A life
driven by the senses and desires runs
Arundhati Mukherjee is after sense objects: objects of desire
Superintending Engineer in a
Thermal Power plant in West
which can be wealth, power, or
Bengal, India. She has been hedonism.
working in the Power Sector
for the last 23 years but has  
a passion for writing on
Science and Spirituality. She
also loves writing poems and
is the author of books such
as- "Rainbows: Colours of
feelings",  "The Light Within",
"Transformation: The Thirst
and the way" and " Nature
Rejoices: In Independence or
In Dependence". She is
interested in Vedic Sciences,
Vedanta and other ancient
philosophies. Arundhati is
also interested in Quantum
Physics and the latest
development in science and
technology.
3217 words
Share
Subscribe to our
monthly newsletter
email address
Subscribe
More from Author:
Perspective
How science meets
spirituality to co-
create the New Age
Write for us
Somewhere between this drama of
life, we take a pause as we become
tired of the rat race and reflect
fleetingly on what it is that we are
running after? When this pause
becomes more frequent, we turn our
sense of perception from the outside
to inside as we realise that each and
every moment we are moving closer
to the pyre and have very little time on
earth to unearth the secret of our
being.
Our desires are never fulfilled by
external objects, thus a sense of
incompleteness engulfs us and we
want to expand our horizon and gaze
onto an unchartered pathway, the
territory of spirituality. This is the
ultimate fate of each human being on
earth. The only difference is the time
at which one feels this urge to know
the limitless. Thus, the first line of
Patanjali Yoga sutra starts with the
sutra  “Atha yoga anusashanam.”
‘Atha’ means now. It is a very powerful
word. It is the present moment, the
'Now', that really matters. We have
this moment, this 'Now', to be utilised
fully. If only we were to look deeply,
that the mystery of the universe would
unfold within us. This can happen
'Now', i.e. atha, at this very moment,
we only need the will.
 
When one wants to move into the
spiritual path, the sense of perception
needs to be refined. This is possible by
purification of the heart through
disciplines such as control of the
senses, concentration, performing
one’s rites or duties combined with
devotion, being dispassionate, and
free of sin or deceit. The secret of
moving from a limited entity bound by
our physicality and mentality to
boundless limitless formless pure
consciousness is revealed only to those
who have made necessary
preparation, and have prepared the
soil before sowing the seed.
 
This knowledge of reality or the
highest truth or Atman or Brahman,
whatever one calls it, is eternally
existent. It is obscured by the
ignorance in the Jiva. The aim of
Sadhana is to remove this obstruction,
to break this wall.
 
We become eligible for knowledge of
Atma (Brahma Vidya) only when we
understand the relationship between
Brahma and humanity in the cosmic
cycle of creation and destruction.
‘Brahma’ means the vast, infinite
principle. The element of sound
(Akasa) emanated from this infinite
expanse of Brahma. From sound
emerged air (Vayu), fire (Tejas) from
air, wind from fire, earth (Prithvi)
from wind, oceans from earth, food
from oceans, and finally, humans from
food. Ponder this sequential cycle and
you will arrive at the truth that
humanity has emerged from the
infinite Brahma.
 

The purpose of enquiry

Now the question that arises in our
minds is that why should I learn about
the nature of reality, why should I
inquire? How would it help me in my
day to day life? The answer given by
Vedanta is when we realise the truth,
our fundamental outlook on how we
look at life changes, and so we can
have a better handle on our life. We
have two ways of enjoying a theatrical
show. The actors who take part in it
and the spectators, both enjoy the
show. The actors identify themselves
with the characters and take the show
as real. Therefore, they cannot enjoy
the show in reality. But the spectators
know the unreality of the show and
are detached from it, and so they
really enjoy it. So, we have two ways
to look at life. When we are spectators
or witness to this drama of life, we will
really enjoy it. In the language of
Shankara, the knowledge of reality
cuts through our ignorance and
dehypnotises our mind so that it
destroys our hankering for objects
which are unreal. The elimination of
ego is the basic requirement for
acquiring any knowledge. When a
glass is empty you can fill it. If we pour
water in glass which is full,  it will only
overflow. So, the first step is to make
our conditioned mind empty of all
preconception and eliminate our ego.
The whole of life is thus an ongoing
process or, yoga, or discipline or path
to realise the truth. The goal is as
important as the way, the path. The
Sadhana Chatusthay for this is
discrimination, renunciation, self-
control and an irrepressible urge for
the realisation of truth.
 
Thus, our sense of perception is the
doorway to this mystery of our being.
If we closely observe our lives, we find
that we move seamlessly between
three states of awakening, dream,  and
deep sleep on a daily basis. The well-
known method of Vedanta to arrive at
reality is what is known as “vichara”
or contemplation and discrimination.
In Mandukya Upanishad, we find the
problem of handling the ultimate
reality straightforward. Thus, it goes
on to illustrate the three states of our
existence and also posits a fourth state
and its significance. The experiencer
of the three states, also known as
‘Viswa’, ’Taijasa’, and ‘Prajna’, or,
 Waking (Wakefulness), Dream and
Deep Sleep is only one. The fourth,
or the ‘Turiya’ is the Atman or
Brahman.
 
Now let us explore in detail the three
states of our being and inquire about
the fourth state in the light of the
Mandukya Upanishad with
Goudapada’s Karika and commentary
of Shankara. Goudapada lays
emphasis on the fact that it is
impossible to reach the highest truth
until and unless the totality of human
experience or knowledge can be taken
into consideration. The Upanishads
show us that unless the three states of
Waking, Dream and Deep Sleep are
coordinated, there cannot be adequate
data for the inquiry of the ultimate
truth. According to Goudapadacharya
and Shankaracharya, philosophy is an
interpretation of the totality of human
experience, or of the whole of life
from the standpoint of truth. It does
not only relate to the waking state.
Gourapadacharya was the Guru of
Govindacharya who was the Guru of
Shankaracharya. In that sense,
Goudapadacharya was the great-
grand-Guru of Shankaracharya.
 
 Get monthly Are you You can follow
updates following us us
from Pragyata on Twitter yet? on Facebook
too
SUBSCRIB FOLLOW
LIKE

Brahman is Aum
The phenomena of the world consists
of ideas or the mental states. The ideas
can be expressed as words. The
utterance of the word AUM is the clue
to the pronunciation of all the words
used by human beings. It is the
substratum of all the sounds. As“Sabda
Brahman, Brahman is also the
substratum of all objects, animate or
inanimate and is all pervading. Not
only this, it is the substratum of all
phenomena. The sound signifying the
phenomena is non-different from the
phenomena. Hence, Brahman is AUM.
The AUM which represents the
phenomena of Brahman has three
mantras. A (The waking state), U (The
dream state) and M (The deep sleep
state). It has one Amatra, which is the
silence after AUM. This is the fourth,
The Turiya. This Turiya is Brahman.
 
In Kathopanishad, it is mentioned that
when Aum is uttered with
concentration, there arises the
consciousness of Brahman in the
mind. Through the meditation on
AUM, one can realise both the para
(attributeless) Brahman and apara
(name and forms) Brahman. One who
seeks to realise the self with one point
concentration on Aum feels that the
gross universe (A) is absorbed into the
subtle (U) and (U) then into the causal
(M), and finally the universe,
dependent on the causal relation is
withdrawn into the transcendental,
which is known as Amatra, and which
cannot be designated by any letter or
sound. It is this stillness which is ‘the
fourth’, the Turiya or The Brahman.
 
 
The Upanishads elaborate on the
principle of Brahman through three
names: Viraat, Hiranyagarbha, and
Avyaakruta or Iswara. These three
forms relate to Gross(Sthulam), Subtle
(Sukshmam), and Causal (Kaaranam)
and to the three states of  Waking,
Dream, and Deep Sleep. The
transcendental Brahman or the
Turiya i.e. The Fourth is beyond all
causal relations and is the ultimate
substratum of all appearances i.e.
Virat, Hiranyagarbha and Iswara.
 
In Agama Prakarana, the first chapter
of Mandukya Upanishad, it is said
”All this is verily Brahman. This
Atman is Brahman. This Atman has
four quarters or four padas.”
These four padas are not like the legs
of cows which are unrelated to each
other. These four padas are the
quarters of a coin or Karshapana.
The quarter is merged in the half
coin. The half is merged into three
fourths and the three-fourths is
merged in the full. So the Viswa or
Waking State is merged in Taijasa,
The Dream State and Taijasa are
merged in Prajna or Deep Sleep
State. Finally, Prajna is merged in
Turiya, The Fourth. So, the Fourth
or Turiya is realized by merging the
three states in it. This fourth state
or Turiya is the object of enquiry.
 

The four Padas or quarters

1. The first quarter is the Viswa, the
Waking State: It is said in the
Mandukya Upanishad that,
“The first pada is Vaiswanara, whose
sphere of activity is the waking state,
who is conscious of external objects, who
has seven limbs and nineteen mouths,
and whose experience consists of gross
objects.”

His sphere of activity is the

Jagritsthana or Waking State.
Because of ignorance or Avidya,
consciousness appears as related to
outward objects other than himself. So
he is Bahishprajna. He is Saptanga i.e.,
having seven limbs in his body. "Seven
limbs": The word ‘limbs’ is used here
to denote parts of the body. The seven
limbs are The Head, The Eyes, The
Mouth, The Breath, The Middle Part of
the Body, The Kidney, and The Feet.
They have their counterparts in the
universe, namely, The Heavens, The
Sun, Fire, Air, Akasa (space), Water,
and Earth. He has nineteen mouths,
which means, five organs of
perceptions (Buddhindriyas), five
organs of actions (Karmendriyas),
five aspects of vital breath (Prana,
etc), the mind (Manas), the intellect
(Buddhi), egoity (ahankara), mind-
stuff(Chitta). These are the
instruments by which Vaiswanara
experiences objects. He is non-
different from the totality of gross
bodies or Virat. He is the first
quarter, as the subsequent quarters
are realized through him. He is
called Vaiswanara,i.e. All Beings since
he encompasses all beings by virtue of
his being non-different (in reality)
from the self i.e. Virat comprising all
the gross bodies.
 
The Parallelism Between
Microcosmic And Macrocosmic
 
He exists in everyone but is
undetected. He performs all actions
but behaves as if He does not. He
experiences everything but does not
reveal it. Therefore, Viraat is the
principle that manifests as the
external, gross, visible world. The
universe may be seen from two
standpoints: The Microcosmic and
The Macrocosmic. The Microcosmic
(subjective) entity (Adhyatma) is
endowed with four quarters, namely,
Vaisvanara (or Visva), Taijasa,
Prajna, and Turiya. Likewise, the
macrocosmic (objective) universe,
comprising the sphere of the sun, the
moon, the stars, etc., has four quarters.
The first three are known as Virat
(the totality of gross physical
bodies), Hiranyagarbha (the totality
of subtle bodies), and Isvara or
Avyakrita, the unmanifested (the
totality of causal bodies). The
attributeless Brahman, like Turiya,
is the fourth. It is transcendental,
beyond all causal relations, and is the
unrelated substratum of all
appearances. A parallelism runs
through the subjective and the
objective. The macrocosm is
superimposed upon Brahman, and the
microcosm upon Atman (Self),
through Avidya (ignorance). Both are
illusory appearances. On account of
the non-difference between the
subjective and the objective, the limbs
of Vaisvanara are described in terms
of the objective universe. The purpose
is to show the illusory nature of the
entire phenomenal world and
establish the non-duality of Atman
(Self) and Brahman (Supreme Reality).
 
2. The second quarter is Taijasa or
The Dream State: It is the second
quarter and its sphere of activity is the
dream state whose consciousness is
internal, who is possessed of seven
limbs and nineteen mouths, and also
enjoys subtle objects.”
 
Thus, the sphere of activity is
Swapnasthanah. The waking
consciousness as it is associated
with many means and being
conscious of objects as if external,
are nothing but states of mind,
leaves in the mind corresponding
impressions. Under the illusion of
ignorance, desire, and past action, the
mind thus possessed of the
impressions like a piece of painted
canvas makes its appearance in The
Dream State just as in the waking state
but without any external means. The
mind is aware of internal objects or
Antah (internal) Prajna ( awareness). 
Here the enjoyment is subtle. He is
called Taijasa or luminous  since he
becomes the witness of the cognition
that is bereft of objects and appears
only as a luminous thing. The object of
experience is consciousness consisting
of Vasanas, Ie impressions of past
experiences.
 
The second form of Brahman is
Hiranyagarbha: the basis, the source
of all wisdom. All knowledge —
worldly, ethical, dharmic, spiritual,
scientific— has emanated from
Hiranyagarbha. Therefore, He is also
called the Sun of Knowledge (Jnana
Bhaskara). When the Sun rises, He
appears golden (Hiranya) and colours
the world with a golden hue.
 
Hiranyagarbha is a Sanskrit term
that translates to ‘golden
embryo’,’golden womb’ or ’golden
egg’. It is derived from the root
words ‘hiranya’, meaning golden or,
wealth, and ‘garbh’a, meaning womb,
germ/seed or essence. Creation
emerged from Hiranyagarbha, which
is oval in shape like an egg. The mouth
was the first to emerge from this
shape. From the mouth, sound. Then,
the nose, through which air began
flowing. Eyes came next, with fire
emanating through them. Ears arrived
next. Therefore, Hiranyagarbha is
the origin of the human form.
Hiranyagarbha, like Viraat, has two
other names: Sutraatmaka and
Praana. Just as a thread (sutra) passes
through a necklace of gems,
Sutraatmaka is the principle that
underlies all beings and brings bliss to
them. This unifying thread-like
principle is also called Brahma Sutra.
 
Hiranyagarbha assumes a subtle
(sukshmam) form during the dream
state —the form of the Atma. This
means that Hiranyagarbha is one who
is awake during the dream state.
Viraat creates everything in the
waking state. Hiranyagarbha creates
everything in the dream state by mere
willing. Every object is created by will
alone. Whatever is seen in dreams is
created by Hiranyagarbha.
 
The reflection of the body (Deham) is
the external world (Desam).   
 “Outside is a reflection of the inner
Being.”

 
3. The third quarter is the Prajna or
The Deep Sleep State: That state is
Deep Sleep where the asleep
individual does not desire anything
and hence does not see any dream.
The third state is called Prajna i.e.
where all experiences become
undifferentiated, which is a mass of
mere consciousness, which abounds in
bliss, where one is surely an enjoyer of
bliss, and who is the doorway to the
experience of the two other states of
waking and dream.”
 
The sphere of the Deep Sleep state is
Susuptasthana. He is said to be eki
bhutah i.e. undifferentiated.
Conscious experiences that are but
vibrations of the mind in the waking
and dream states, become as they
were. This state is called
Prajnanaghanah, a mass of
consciousness, since it is
characterised by the absence of
discrimination. The word ‘eva’
denotes verily i.e. the absence of any
other thing except consciousness. He is
Anandamayah, full of joy, his
abundance of joy being caused by the
absence of misery involved in the
effort of the mind vibrating as the
objects and their experiencer. But he
is not bliss itself as the joy is not
absolute and the bliss is not infinite.
He is Anandabhuk, the experiencer of
joy. What is common to all the three
states is the absence of the knowledge
of reality. He is Cetomukhah, since he
is the doorway to the consciousness of
the experiences in the dream and
waking states.
 
The third form of Brahman is
Avyaakruta. He is absolutely
formless. He exists in the causal body
and enjoys the state of deep sleep. He
has no limbs but does all actions. He
travels to distant places.  He has no
eyes but sees everything. He has no
ears but listens to everything. He
performs the act in Creation, but
possesses no form.  He also has two
more names:
 
Antaraatma and Iswara.
Antaratma is the inner voice as all
inspiration, urge and every motive
comes from this antaratma. Iswara
is the embodiment of all forms of 
prosperity (Sakala Aisarwa
Swarupa)
                    
Jagrat, Swapna and Sushupti are the
three states where the perceiver
experiences the three states. The
common term used for them is Supta
which denotes the absence of
knowledge of reality. ‘Sushupti’ is
designated as the state of causal unity
of waking and dream state from the
stand point of a waking man. But this
is also a ‘vritti’ in the mind of a waking
man to find the cause of waking and
dream state. The perceiver in the
‘jagrat’ and ‘swapna’ states, who
always experiences subject-object
relationship, finds its absence in
Sushupti.
 
Atman The Witness
 
Goudapada says, “It is only one alone
who is thus known in the three
states.” It denotes the Atman (the
witness) is distinct from these three
states (i.e. the witnessed). As a
powerful fish swims from one bank of
the river to the other unimpeded by
the currents of the river, so also
Atman moves in the three states
totally unaffected by them. No
experiences of the three states affect
the pure Atman.
 
4. The Fourth state TURIYA: It is
sought to be indicated by the
negation of all attributes - Brahman
appears as the world without
forfeiting its essential nature just like
the classic Advaitic example of a rope
that appears to be a snake. The fourth
is not the fourth state or condition in
which Atman has to be viewed.
Turiya which is indicated here as
the “fourth” and which actually
means the fourth step, comes into
consideration only when all the
other three states have been
considered. Atman itself does not
admit of any condition or state.
Waking, dream and deep sleep are its
three states or quarters, but Turiya,
the fourth is actually present in all
these three states.
 
“Turiya is not that which is conscious
of the internal (subjective) world nor
it is conscious of the external
(objective) world. Neither that which
is conscious of both nor a mass of
consciousness.  Neither conscious nor
unconscious.  It is unseen (by any
sense organ), incomprehensible (by
the mind), beyond the grasp (of the
organs of action), un-inferrable,
indescribable, unthinkable, essentially
of the nature of the consciousness,
constituting the self alone, in which all
phenomena cease, which is
unchanging, peaceful, auspicious, all
bliss and the non-dual. That is what is
known as the “Fourth” (Turiya). This
is the Atman and it has to be
realised.”
 
Thus, ultimately, it is said that Duality
cannot exist, when Gnosis , the highest
truth (Non duality) is realised. It is
shown that the meaning of the  Vedic
statement,
"That thou art” points to the
relationless Atman (Turiya), which is
like the rope, different from the snake.

The Way To Know Turiya, The

Fourth
Goudapadacharya, according to the
scriptures, prescribes Asparsa Yoga
as the means to realise this Turiya.
The term ‘"Äsparsa Yoga” means
“yoga of non-contact”. Here, ‘yoga’ is
not used in the sense of union, but as
discipline or path. The word ‘asparsa‘
denotes freedom from relationships
and refers to the Non-Dual Brahman
alone. So, the Asparsa Yoga is the
path or discipline which leads to the
freedom from relationships or non-
dual Brahman. This alone is beneficial
to all beings and can bring joy to all
 References / Footnotes
1. Eight Upanishads, Vol Ii, Swami Gambhirananda

2. Mandukyoponishad With Karika, Swami

Nikhilananda.

Read or Write Comments +

You may also like:

Essay

स त षय के नाम के अथ: वयं

स त षय के अनुसार (भाग १)