The Four States of Consciousness ~ From Mind to the Infinite Self
In the profound silence that lies between thoughts, there exists a state beyond all states, a dimension where the waking world dissolves, dreams cease, and even deep sleep fades into the background. What remains is pure consciousness, the eternal witness of all experience. The ancient sages of India called this realization Turīya, the “Fourth,” for it transcends the other three states of human experience: Jāgrat (waking), Svapna (dreaming), and Suṣupti (deep sleep).
The concept of the Four States of Consciousness is one of the most enlightening revelations in the Mandukya Upanishad, the smallest yet most potent of all Upanishads, consisting of just twelve verses. Despite its brevity, it is said to contain the essence of all Vedantic wisdom, an entire cosmos of insight condensed into a few sacred mantras. It tells us that our entire life, our identity, and our reality unfold through these four states, and that our true Self is beyond them all.
This journey through the four states is not merely philosophical; it is spiritual cartography, a map of consciousness that charts the evolution of awareness from the limited to the infinite. Let us travel through these states, not as distant observers, but as seekers of truth, tracing the path from the mind to the Infinite Self.
Jāgrat, The Waking State: The Theatre of the External World
“Jāgrat” is the waking state, the condition in which we spend most of our active lives. It is the realm where the five senses open like windows, connecting the mind to the external world. We see, hear, touch, taste, and smell, and from these inputs, the mind constructs our version of “reality.”
In this state, the consciousness identifies with the body and the ego. We say, “I am this person,” “I am working,” “I am happy,” or “I am suffering.” The experiencer, called Vaishvānara, perceives the world through the gross body (Sthūla śarīra), which becomes the vehicle of expression. Here, consciousness is outward-bound.
It is a state of engagement, of logic, analysis, ambition, pleasure, and pain. It is the domain of science, technology, and interaction, but also of illusion, because we mistake this ever-changing world to be the ultimate truth.
The waking state, though apparently real, is transient. It vanishes every night when sleep takes over, just as a dream vanishes upon waking. Yet, when we are awake, we consider it the only reality.
“When the eyes are open, we see the world. When awareness awakens, we see the Self.” ~ Adarsh Singh
The sages remind us that the waking world is a projection of consciousness, just as a dream is. Both arise and dissolve in the same awareness. What changes is the direction of attention, outward in waking, inward in dreaming.
Thus, even the so-called “reality” of the waking state is relative. It has a beginning when we wake up and an end when we sleep. The spiritual seeker begins to see that even the waking world is part of a larger dream, one that appears real only because we are not yet awake to the Truth behind appearances.
Svapna, The Dream State: The Mirror of the Subconscious
When the body rests and the senses withdraw, consciousness does not disappear. It turns inward and projects a world of its own, a world made of memories, desires, fears, and unfulfilled impressions. This is the Svapna Avasthā, the dream state.
Here, the experiencer is called Taijasa, the “luminous one,” because the mind itself becomes the light that illuminates the dream world. There is no external light, yet everything appears vividly real. The mountains, rivers, faces, emotions, and events, all are creations of the subtle mind, woven from the fabric of past experiences.
In this state, we learn a powerful truth: the mind is capable of creating its own reality. The dream appears real while we are in it, we laugh, cry, run, fall, and wake up sweating, but when we awaken, we realize it was all an illusion.
If the dream can feel so real while it lasts, what makes the waking state any more real? Both are transient, both vanish in the face of higher awareness.
“What we call a dream is the echo of our waking thoughts; what we call waking is the dream of the soul.” ~ Adarsh Singh
The dream world reveals the creative power of consciousness. It teaches us that reality is not fixed, it is molded by our thoughts, emotions, and beliefs. Every image we see in dreams is a projection of our inner conditioning.
Thus, Svapna becomes a mirror to the subconscious, a realm where suppressed feelings and unresolved karmas emerge in symbolic forms. Mystics have long known that dreams can guide us, heal us, and reveal to us what our waking mind refuses to see.
When we understand the dream state, we begin to perceive the subtle nature of the mind, that it is not merely an instrument but a creator. Yet, even this luminous dream world is not the end. Beyond the waking and dreaming lies a deeper stillness, the dark, silent ocean of deep sleep.
Suṣupti, The Deep Sleep State: The Seed of Bliss
In the stillness of night, when the mind stops weaving dreams and the senses are completely withdrawn, we enter Suṣupti, the deep sleep state. Here, there is no subject or object, no thought, no imagination, no awareness of the external or internal world. Yet, something remains, a faint awareness that “I slept well.” Who is it that knows this?
This state is associated with Prajñā, the “all-knowing” consciousness, which resides in the Causal Body (Kāraṇa Śarīra). It is a state of undifferentiated potential, everything exists in a seed form, Unmanifested but present.
In deep sleep, the mind and ego dissolve into the causal source, and what remains is a state of blissful ignorance. There is peace, but not awareness of peace. There is rest, but not recognition of rest.
“Deep sleep gives peace without awareness; meditation gives peace with awareness.” ~ Adarsh Singh
Suṣupti is a profound teacher. It shows that happiness does not come from external objects but from the cessation of desires. Every night, regardless of wealth or status, every human being tastes this bliss, but unconsciously.
The Upanishads say that this bliss of deep sleep is a shadow of the Ānanda (divine bliss) of the Self. The difference is that in deep sleep, awareness is covered by ignorance; in enlightenment, awareness shines unobscured.
When we wake up from deep sleep, we return to duality, the subject-object world, and the dance of waking and dreaming continues. Yet, beyond even this cycle lies the Fourth, the eternal witness of all three, the true Self, the Turīya.
Turīya ~ The Fourth State: The Infinite Awareness
“Turīya” means “the Fourth”, not as one more state, but as that which pervades and transcends the other three. It is not a condition that comes and goes; it is the background reality, the silent presence that witnesses waking, dreaming, and sleeping.
Turīya is pure consciousness, beyond the body, mind, and intellect. It is the Ātman, the Self that is not affected by any change. It neither wakes, nor dreams, nor sleeps, it simply is.
To realize Turīya is to awaken to the truth that we were never the doer in the waking world, never the dreamer in the dream, nor the sleeper in deep sleep, we were always the observer, the luminous awareness behind all.
In Turīya, the duality of “I” and “world” dissolves. There is no subject and object, no experiencer and experienced. There is only Being, Consciousness, Bliss (Sat-Chit-Ānanda), infinite, self-luminous, and eternal.
“Turīya is not attained, it is revealed when the noise of mind subsides into the silence of the Self.” ~ Adarsh Singh
When the yogi abides in Turīya, he lives in the world yet remains untouched by it. Actions continue, but without attachment; thoughts arise, but without bondage. Life becomes a play of consciousness, Leela, spontaneous, effortless, divine.
This is the state that sages call Moksha, liberation. Not the end of life, but the end of illusion. The realization that the Self was never bound, only veiled by ignorance.
The Hidden Symbolism of AUM (ॐ)
The Mandukya Upanishad reveals that the sacred syllable AUM (ॐ) is the sound-symbol of all these states of consciousness. Each part of the syllable represents one state, and the silence that follows represents Turīya.
The sound A (अ) corresponds to Jāgrat, the waking state ~ the beginning of awareness, the outer activity, the conscious engagement with the world.
The sound U (उ) corresponds to Svapna, the dream state ~ the intermediate stage between waking and sleep, the bridge between outer and inner.
The sound M (म) corresponds to Suṣupti, the deep sleep state ~ the closure, where everything returns to rest and silence.
The Silence after AUM represents Turīya, the infinite consciousness beyond sound, thought, and time.
Chanting AUM with deep awareness is not merely a ritual, it is a journey through the layers of consciousness, a meditation that dissolves the boundaries between self and cosmos.
“When you chant AUM with awareness, you move from the noise of existence into the silence of eternity.” ~ Adarsh Singh
Beyond the States: The Unbroken Continuum of Awareness
From the gross to the subtle, from the physical to the transcendental, consciousness flows as a single, unbroken current. The waking, dream, and sleep states are like waves upon its surface, rising and falling, yet the ocean itself remains still.
Most of us live trapped in the first three states, identifying ourselves as the body, the mind, or the void. But the enlightened one awakens to the truth that he is not the waves but the ocean itself.
Spiritual practice, whether through meditation, self-inquiry, mantra, or devotion, is essentially the art of recognizing this ever-present awareness. It is not about acquiring something new, but about remembering what we already are.
The Upanishads say, “Ayam Ātmā Brahma”, This Self is Brahman. The Self within us is not different from the cosmic consciousness that pervades all. The journey through the four states is the unfolding of this realization.
“The journey of the soul is not from darkness to light, but from sleep to wakefulness, the awakening to what has always been.” ~ Adarsh Singh
Modern Relevance of the Four States
Though these teachings arise from ancient scriptures, they are profoundly relevant in modern times. Today’s human beings are caught in the turbulence of the waking world, constant stimulation, information overload, and restless activity. The mind rarely experiences silence.
Understanding these four states offers a psychological and spiritual map to reclaim balance and inner peace:
👉 From the waking state, we learn awareness in action, mindfulness amidst activity.
👉 From the dream state, we understand the power of imagination and the subconscious mind.
👉 From the deep sleep state, we learn the art of rest and surrender.
👉 From the Turīya state, we learn to live as pure awareness, witnessing all, attached to none.
When we live with awareness of these states, life becomes holistic, a rhythm between doing and being, between engagement and withdrawal, between sound and silence.
“The world outside is the shadow of the world within. When you master your inner states, the outer world bends in harmony.” ~ Adarsh Singh
Spiritual Integration: Living in Turīya While Awake
The goal of spiritual practice is not to escape the waking world but to live in it from the space of Turīya, the unshaken awareness behind all experiences. This is the essence of Jīvanmukti, liberation while alive.
When one abides in Turīya:
👉 Every act becomes meditation.
👉 Every sound becomes music.
👉 Every person becomes a reflection of the Self.
👉 Every moment becomes sacred.
Such a person moves through life like a lotus in water, immersed yet untouched. He sleeps but remains awake, dreams but knows it is a dream, acts but without doership.
This is the pinnacle of human evolution, the realization that consciousness is not something we have, but something we are.
“When you awaken to Turīya, you realize that life was never a series of states, it was always a play of one boundless Consciousness expressing Itself through many forms.” ~ Adarsh Singh
In Essence
The Four States of Consciousness are not separate compartments but phases of one continuum. Waking, dreaming, and sleeping are like three dimensions of a vast reality, and Turīya is the boundless sky that holds them all.
👉 Jāgrat teaches us to act consciously.
👉 Svapna teaches us to understand the mind.
👉 Suṣupti teaches us to rest in peace.
👉 Turīya reveals that we are peace itself.
👉 When we integrate all four, life becomes whole.
The path from Jāgrat to Turīya is the path from ego to essence, from illusion to illumination, from mind to the Infinite Self.
And in that stillness where all states dissolve, we discover the eternal truth: We are not the experiencer of the states, we are the consciousness in which all states appear and disappear.
“Consciousness is not found by moving outward into the world or inward into dreams, it is realized by awakening to the timeless witness within.” ~ Adarsh Singh
Mon Oct 13, 2025
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