136.
In the womb of 'I' lies the awakening of slumbering consciousness. The knowledge 'I am' remains dormant within the womb—then it dwells in latent form merely as a generative principle. This sense of 'I' is deeply rooted in nature itself—a forceful and clear self-proclamation, operating everywhere without cease.
In the ovum that is released from a woman's body, too, there dwells this silent 'I'. In the billions of sperm cells in a man, rushing toward the womb—each one carries that intense yearning: 'I am'. They gather in vigorous animation around the ovum—for this purpose alone, so that a single 'I' might take form.
Then one sperm enters the ovum, conception is accomplished—and in that instant, the seed of a new 'I' is sown. What follows is cellular division, transformation, differentiation—which shapes the embryo and slowly grows a body in the womb. In every cell of this embryo dwells that slumbering 'I'—which will later awaken at birth and manifest—and then throughout all of life mistakes itself for 'this body'. Yet it was born only as 'I am'—and within that 'I' lay all possibility, all creation, all the world.
'I' is the first unfolding of consciousness—it is certainly not a person or a body, but rather a motionless, self-manifesting power—rooted at the source of birth. At the moment of birth this 'I' lies dormant, yet its yearning—"I am", "I live", "I am this body"—this itself is the primal inspiration of creation flowing through nature.
The presence of 'I' in sperm and ovum is not that of a personal self, but rather the expression of a fundamental consciousness. This consciousness, after birth, comes to believe itself a bodily entity, and falls into delusion—"I am this body, this name, this identity." Yet before this delusion existed a pure 'I'—bearing no relation whatsoever to bodily identity. To restore this 'I' to its source is self-knowledge or liberation.
In the womb, 'I' lies dormant—but with birth itself, it manifests as a self-proclaiming power. Within the union of sperm and ovum lies hidden that yearning—"I am, I am born." This 'I' is born, and after birth mistakenly believes—"I am this body, this name, this person." Yet the true reality is this—'I' was merely the pure manifestation of consciousness, which existed before birth, and shall exist after the body's death—formless, non-dual, the all-pervading Self.
137.
'Turiya'—the silent ground of the generative principle. The generative principle or 'birth principle'—this is turiya—meaning that fourth state, wherein consciousness dwells. In nature, whatever forms of reproduction or birth exist—such as sexual reproduction or other natural methods—when observed deeply, one perceives a powerful self-proclamatory principle active everywhere.
All beings desire—to live, to proliferate, to be born in new forms. At the heart of this intense yearning for birth lies one forceful inner power—"I am"—this self-proclamation. This very sense of 'I' is that 'generative principle' which operates in every living being, and this principle is so fundamental, so inexplicable that the ancient seers, placing it in no category, named it—'Turiya'.
The word 'Turiya' means—the fourth, that is, the stratum of consciousness which is the foundational ground of waking, dream, and sleep—these three states. Its meaning further is: "that where consciousness itself exists, exists in silence."
'Turiya' is such a state of consciousness—which though perceptible cannot be described through thought. The three ordinary manifestations of consciousness—waking, dreaming, and deep sleep—behind all these lies one fundamental stratum, which though not directly known, moves everywhere.
That stratum is 'Turiya'—which is not, yet is; which is the backdrop of all states; which is nothing in itself, yet from which all things arise. This very 'Turiya' operates in the depths of all nature's reproductive processes, where self-knowledge—"I am"—itself functions as the generative principle.
# Turiya and Beyond
The ancient sages did not name it body, mind, soul, or God—they called it “Turiya”—the true nature of consciousness itself.
Within the living being, the principle of genesis is a self-proclaiming force—”I am, I live, I grow.” This force is the sense of ‘I,’ which acts not only at birth but as the prime mover in all existence. In seeking the source of this awareness, the ancient sages identified a unique dimension and named it—Turiya.
It is that stratum of consciousness—which forms the foundation of all states, yet is itself beyond states. Turiya means—where consciousness alone exists, but nothing has become—without judgment, without form, an all-pervading existence.
## 138.
Let us contemplate the silent interior of ‘Turiya’ and ‘Turiyatita’ existence. “I am”—this perception, this sense of your own being—this is ‘Turiya,’ that fourth state of consciousness. This Turiya state is the very bedrock of your existence—yet ordinarily you do not know it, because you are always cycling through waking, dream, and deep sleep. You know these three states, but that consciousness which persists behind all of them—that silent ‘I’—you cannot recognize.
This pure, undisputed, soundless feeling of ‘I’—this is ‘Turiya.’ And the person who recognizes this ‘Turiya’ and transcends even it is called ‘Turiyatita’—one who has gone beyond Turiya itself. This is the state of the guru—one who is not merely ‘I,’ but that consciousness within which the ‘I’ itself arises and dissolves.
In Advaita Vedanta, four strata of consciousness are described—1. Waking, 2. Dreaming, 3. Deep sleep, 4. Turiya (pure awareness). We are acquainted with the first three states—but Turiya is that stratum where there is no thought, no form, no name—only silent self-awareness—”I am.”
This Turiya state is the natural foundation of conscious being—without it, the other three states could not exist. But the sage of Advaita or the guru is that person who not only perceives this ‘Turiya’ but transcends it as well—his state is ‘Turiyatita’—where no state of consciousness remains—there is only Parabrahman—silent existence beyond name, form, knowledge.
‘I am’—this silent, formless perception is ‘Turiya.’ It is the fundamental stratum of your being—but it lies veiled in the whirlwind of waking, dream, and sleep. The person who can abide in this ‘Turiya’ awareness and gradually transcends even that reaches the Turiyatita state—where there is no ‘I,’ no state—only the ultimate soundless expression of consciousness.
## 139.
‘Turiya’ consciousness suffuses the inner essence of the five elements and the guru’s witnessing position.
‘Turiya’ or ‘I am’—this awareness is inherent within consciousness itself, and this consciousness is constituted by a mingling of the five elements. Since the guru has transcended even Turiya, he knows—this ‘Turiya’ or sense of ‘I’ is the principle of genesis, it is intrinsic to consciousness. And what is this consciousness? It is that being constituted from the five elements that form the body—and it is the quintessence of the five elements, the mixed expression of the three qualities (sattva, rajas, tamas).
This consciousness hums throughout life as a kind of hidden vibration or tremor—constantly saying, “I am…I am…” The sound of this ‘I’ awareness never ceases—it resonates unbroken through life, in the background, in silence, as self-proclamation.
In Advaita Vedanta it is said that the consciousness we perceive is not itself Supreme, but rather a temporary unfoldment constructed upon the five elements. Within this consciousness arises the sense of ‘I,’ which is ‘Turiya’—that silent stratum of conscious being. But the guru, who is Turiyatita, sees that even this ‘I am’ awareness is merely a corollary of Nature—arising from the constituents of the body, invested with the three qualities.
This awareness is the sign of birth, and it continues to ‘hum’ along with birth—reminding, “I am this body, I am this mind, I am.”
And yet this very awareness itself is nature’s creation—and only by transcending it can one attain the true Self—that which lies beyond the three qualities and the five elements.
The ‘Turiya’ or the sense of ‘I am’ dwells within consciousness—which is constituted by the five elements and three qualities of the body. The Guru who is ‘beyond Turiya’ knows that this ‘I am’ consciousness has been resonating within awareness from birth—but it is not the true Self; it is nature’s creation. This silent sound of ‘I’ hums through your entire life—yet if its source can be recognized, it too dissolves—and then dawns the Self’s silent, formless expression.
140.
To abide in ‘Turiya,’ understanding the doctrine of birth is essential.
To become established in ‘Turiya’ or the sense ‘I am,’ one must first grasp this doctrine of birth deeply. The Guru repeatedly emphasizes—you must trace back again and again, as many times as possible, to understand how this ‘I’ or ‘Turiya’ first arose within you. Recall that moment—when suddenly from the silent depths within, you knew: “I am.”
From the moment of conception, this awareness lay dormant—but then, suddenly, it manifested itself—when there was no name, no form, only a wordless knowing: “I am” and “I am nothing.” This pure Turiya state was your true foundation—but with time, under the weight of society and conditioning, this ‘I’ bound itself to the body—you became a ‘person,’ a named entity, a man or woman—a familiar face dwelling in society.
Then gradually, three states of consciousness came to dominate you—waking, dream, and deep sleep. You forgot that wordless Turiya background—where you existed as mere conscious presence.
Self-knowledge or abiding in Turiya is not merely the fruit of meditation—it requires understanding that ‘doctrine of birth,’ which is the foundation of the ‘I’s’ emergence. This sense of ‘I’ did not arise through effort; rather, it arose spontaneously—as a wordless, pure sensation.
In the Turiya state then, there was no sense of body, no identity—only an experience between existence and non-existence. But society, experience, family—all together bound this ‘I’ to the body—and from that moment, the authenticity of ‘I’ was lost. To free yourself from this distortion, you must return again and again to that first moment—when ‘I’ felt itself without words.
By remaining in that sensation, gradually the state of ‘Turiya’ becomes possible—and then consciousness begins to free itself from the influence of the three states. To abide in ‘Turiya’ or the sense of ‘I,’ you must understand—where this awareness came from, how it came. It was within you from birth, but society and conditioning bound it to the body.
That original ‘I’ was wordless, without identity—which you have forgotten with time. The Guru’s teaching is this—return again and again each day to that first knowing—where you are only ‘I am,’ yet nothing. Only then can you again become established in that Turiya, where there is neither name nor identity—only boundless conscious existence.