Ignorance-Knowledge: 53

The original source of this statement is the second verse of the Mandukya Upanishad: "Sa eṣa catuṣpāt"—meaning "This Self has four quarters." From the third to the seventh verses, we find a detailed analysis of these four states.


The first quarter is Viśva—the waking state, where the Self gains outward-directed knowledge through the senses and mind and experiences gross objects. The Upanishad states: "jāgaritasthānaḥ bahiḥprajñaḥ... sthūlabhogī viśvaḥ"—meaning, in the waking state, the Self establishes relationship with the gross world through outward-directed consciousness.


The second quarter is Taijasa—the dream state, where the Self gains inward-directed knowledge and experiences subtle objects (thoughts, imagination, memory). The Upanishad states: "svapnasthānaḥ antaḥprajñaḥ... sūkṣmabhogī taijasaḥ"—in this state the senses rest, but the mind creates its own world.


The third quarter is Prājña—suṣupti or deep sleep, where all discrimination and flow of thoughts dissolve. Then the Self remains merely as consciousness, in a knowledge-dense and blissful state. The Mandukya Upanishad says: "yatra supto na kañcana kāmaṃ kāmayate na kañcana svapnaṃ paśyati tat suṣuptam... prājñānaghana ānandamayaḥ." This means, in this state desire and dreams vanish, leaving only a knowledge-filled blissful consciousness.


The fourth quarter is Turīya—which is beyond the three states, unthinkable, non-dual, unmanifest, pure consciousness. The Upanishad states: "nāntaḥprajñam, na bahiḥprajñam, na ubhayataḥprajñam... prapañcopaśamam, śāntam, śivam, advaitam—caturtham, sa ātmā, sa vijñeyaḥ." This means, Turīya is neither outward-directed nor inward-directed; it is unmanifest, unthinkable, the cessation of all phenomenal existence, eternally peaceful, auspicious and non-dual—this Turīya is the Self, it should be known.


The philosophical significance of these four states is that the Self never changes—in waking, dream and deep sleep, only the modes of manifestation differ. Turīya is that Self who is the witness of all states. Śaṅkarācārya says in his commentary on the Kārikā: "turīyaṃ sarvāvasthābhyaḥ ananvayānupapannam"—Turīya has no connection with any state; it is beyond all states.


Both Ramana Maharshi and Swami Vivekananda unveiled the nature of the Self through profound spiritual realization, which is the center of Upanishadic philosophy. The Maharshi, as a result of his deep self-inquiry, says: "Waking, dream, and deep sleep come and go, but you, the Witness, remain. That immutable awareness is the Turīya, the Self." This statement points to the imperishable and unchangeable nature of the Self. Waking, dream and deep sleep—these three states are part of our daily experience. In waking we remain connected to the external world, in dream our mind is absorbed in internal creation, and in deep sleep we are enveloped in profound slumber, where there is no knowledge of dreams or external experience. In each of these states different manifestations of our consciousness occur, but through all these states an unchanging being remains present, which witnesses all these experiences. This witness is the 'seer', and this unchanging awareness is the 'Turīya' state. Turīya is the fourth state, which is beyond waking, dream and deep sleep, and this is our true Self-nature. It is immutable, pure and beyond all duality.


This statement of the Maharshi is deeply connected to the 'seer-seen' distinction in Yogavāsiṣṭha and the Self-doctrine of the Mandukya Upanishad. In Yogavāsiṣṭha, the world is seen as a creation of the seer's mind, where seer and seen are inseparable from each other. According to this philosophical concept, the external world is a reflection of our consciousness itself. As our mind conceives, so the world takes shape. This division, that is, the apparent difference between seer and seen, is actually mere maya. When this division ceases, the realization dawns that everything visible is different manifestations of the seer itself.


On the other hand, the Mandukya Upanishad describes the Self as the 'Turīya' state, which is beyond the three states of waking, dream and deep sleep. This Turīya state is the symbol of unity with Paramātman or Brahman. This Upanishad explains that the Self manifests in four quarters: enjoyment of gross objects in the waking state, experience of subtle objects in the dream state, undivided blissful knowledge in deep sleep, and in the fourth state the non-dual, unmanifest and peaceful Turīya. It is in this Turīya state that complete realization of the Self-principle occurs, where no duality remains.


The Maharshi's statement unifies the core messages of these two philosophies. Through this it is shown that just as the non-difference between seer and seen is perceived in Yogavāsiṣṭha, similarly when one reaches the Turīya state of the Self-doctrine in the Mandukya Upanishad, this non-difference becomes clear. Both point toward Self-realization and ultimate truth, where there is no division between the individual soul and the universal Soul. Through this connection, the Maharshi unveiled a profound aspect of the spiritual path, which teaches us to think anew about the true nature of our being and its connection with the universe.


Swami Vivekananda also explained the same truth from a different perspective. Calling the Mandukya the most illuminating among all Upanishads, he said: "The Mandukya is the most illuminating of all Upanishads; it shows that the Self is beyond all states—ever pure, eternal, and free." Swamiji considered that though the Mandukya Upanishad is extremely brief, its depth is immeasurable. It explains the four states of the Self (waking, dream, deep sleep and Turīya) through Oṃkāra (A-U-M) and shows that the Self is beyond all these states.


The Self is eternally pure, ancient and ever-free. It is not bound by any worldly bondage and is not affected by any transient state. In Swamiji's explanation, to realize the Self means to realize this eternal purity and freedom, which is our true being. According to him, the ultimate goal of human life is to attain this Self-knowledge and, severing all bonds of maya, to merge into ultimate truth. The Mandukya Upanishad is a principal foundation of Advaita Vedanta, which establishes the identity of the Self with Brahman.


The words of both great souls emphasize this fundamental truth that though our external experience and physical existence are transient, our true Self-nature is unchanging, eternal and free. Ramana Maharshi spoke of merging into the Self-nature through self-inquiry, where the individual finds only the deepest answer to the question 'Who am I?' On the other hand, Swami Vivekananda emphasized realizing this Self through spiritual knowledge and yoga, which liberates man from all kinds of suffering and bondage. Their teachings continue to inspire millions of people today on the path of Self-realization, which is the ultimate purpose of human life and the only path to supreme peace.


The four quarters of the Self does not mean four different Selves, but rather four levels of manifestation of one Self. Waking, dream, deep sleep—these are activities of mind and maya; and Turīya is the Self's own nature—pure, non-dual, eternal consciousness. This is why the Mandukya Upanishad concludes by declaring: "Om ityetadakṣaram idaṃ sarvaṃ; Om ityetad brahma; Om ityetad ātmā." That is, Om is this entire universe, Om is Brahman, and Om is the Self—where the four quarters merge to become one.


The concept of "catuṣpād ātmā" in the Mandukya Upanishad does not merely describe different levels of human consciousness, but provides a profound philosophical explanation of entire existence. These four states—waking, dream, deep sleep, and Turīya—are considered different manifestations of an unbroken being, which extends from gross to subtle and beyond to a supreme level.


Viśva (Waking State)—The External World and Gross Physical World: "Viśva" is the waking state of the Self, which is connected to our daily experience and the external world. In this state we experience the gross physical world through the five senses. Everything we see, hear, touch, taste and smell belongs to this Viśva-state. This is the clearest and most direct level of our reality, where we directly interact with material existence. In this state the Self perceives and gains knowledge of the external world through the senses. Most of our actions and reactions occur at this level.


Taijasa (Dream State)—The Subtle World, the World of Thought, Desire, Imagination: "Taijasa" is the dream state of the Self, which is more subtle than the waking state. At this level we enter the inner world, where thought, desire, imagination, memory and emotion play the primary role. During dreams we experience various scenes, events and feelings, which may not be directly connected to our waking experience. This world is not gross, but is created and governed by the mind. In the Taijasa state the Self is illuminated by its own light (teja, tej) and creates its own world of subtle experience. This is the source of our creativity, imagination and deep aspirations.


Prājña (Deep Sleep State)—The Causal World, the Level of Potentiality: "Prājña" is the state of deep sleep or suṣupti of the Self, where all experience dissolves and only bliss (ānandamaya kośa) remains. In this state there are no dreams or worldly awareness. This is the causal world, where the seeds of all experience remain dormant. Here there is no perception of gross or subtle objects, only unbroken unified consciousness exists. In the Prājña state the Self abides in 'ekībhūta' (unified) form, where duality dissolves. This level exists as the cause and potentiality of all knowledge and experience. This is that deep rest where the mind, freed from all its activities, remains in supreme peace.


Turīya (Fourth State)—The Foundation of All, Unborn and Transcendent: "Turīya" is the fourth and supreme state, which is beyond Viśva, Taijasa and Prājña and is the foundation of all three. It is not a state, but an eternal, unborn and attributeless consciousness that exists through all states. Turīya is not an object of any experience or realization, it is realization itself. It is non-dual, where there is no duality or division. It is peace (śāntam), auspiciousness (śivam) and non-dual (advaitam). This is the purest form of the Self, which is not limited by any quality or characteristic. Turīya is the realization of the unity of jīvātman with Paramātman. This is that level where all delusion is removed and the Self realizes its true, limitless nature. This is supreme liberation and knowledge.


The main purpose of this concept of four quarters is to take man beyond his limited personal consciousness and connect him with a cosmic consciousness, where each level is merely different manifestations of Brahman. This realization guides man on the path of self-inquiry and spiritual liberation.


Turīya is the fourth state of consciousness, which is situated beyond the three states of waking (gross body), dream (subtle body) and deep sleep (causal body). Śaṅkarācārya in his philosophy described Turīya as the 'direct witness of the three states', meaning—Turīya is the witness or seer of these three states, but is itself not affected by them.