Hare Krishna, Namaskarams.
For a seeker of knowledge who wants to know what is turiam, Mandukya Upanishad reveals in its 1st chapter, 7th mantra, its central theme, a pramANa vAkyam-turIam
turIam is not that which is conscious of the inner world (subjective), nor that which is conscious of the outer world (objective), nor that which is conscious of both, nor that which is a mass of consciousness. It is not simple consciousness nor is it unconsciousness. It is unperceived, unrelated, incomprehensible, not inferable, unthinkable and indescribable. The essence of consciousness manifesting as the self [in the three states], it is the cessation of all phenomena; It is all peace, all bliss, and non dual. It is what is known as the fourth (turIam). This is Atman. and this has to be realized.
Unlike the first three states turIam is not associated with any state but always available in all the states. It is neither identical nor different from the three states. It is like talking about gold as different from the ornaments bangle, chain, ring etc made of gold. Remove the changing properties of visva, taijasa and prAGYA, what remains is turIam. "I am" is turIam. It is the negation of every attribute of oneself to realize it as "tat tvam asi". turIam, the pure consciousness is like crystal colourless and the attributes are purely errors in the mind that lends colour like the flowers to the crystal. The confusion is always in the mind/intellect and the solution is also intellectual where one realizes that the crystal is colourless and there is no need to remove the flowers.
Removal of thoughts that the crystal is seen as coloured one is sAdhana. One doesn't have to do anything or remove all avastAs (all thoughts) that becomes a struggle but understand the appearance as viswa-a mistake, that the gunA-s belong to upaAdhi-s/sarIram-s and realize that all the time you are turIyam. seen in different states like the crystal-flower combination. In Yoga removal of thoughts is prescribed and in Vedanta removal of errors is prescribed, since as long as you are in samAdi you are in turIam but you have to comeback to the other avastha-s as long as you live –to saMnsAra again. The knowership is an attribute of visva and taijasa and in turIam you are not the knower. Hence visva alone has to recognize by vichara that turIam is your own self "aham visva-aham brahma asmi." The realization is only in the waking/jAgrat state since intellect, knowledge, guru, antahkaraNam are available in jagrat avasta. samAdhi may give concentration/rest but jAgrat avasta is the only state available for knowledge. It is the mind which is extrovert during jAgrat avasta and introvert in swapna that mistakes the states as attributes of turIam.
turIam is neither the knower nor jadam. It is neither perceptible to panchendriyam nor grasped by karmendriyams. It has no clues/lingams and cannot be inferred. It is beyond conception-beyond thoughts-achintyam. It is beyond description and not even available for sabda- pramANam. It is beyond all vyavahara, GYanam, karma, language etc, for it is the adishhtAnam/substratum.for all transactions. The nearest indication of turIam is the "I" thought –"aham turIam asmi." since aham is the constant factor in all the experiences. What I experience varies but that I experience doesn't vary- that `I' is there all the time right from childhood to old age. It is ever sAntam/tranquil. Since all vyavahara are gone, it is-sivam, mangalam/Ananda. It is advaitam for all the three stages are negated as mithya and what remains is Turiam that is satyam. As long as the struggle to know turIam, retention of the knower hood remains and on realization removed like a scaffolding used for buildings. There is no need to remove vyavahAra, thoughts and mind can continue but understand them as mithyA. It is like experiencing the colours of sky and sea and the sun rise but know that the sun stays at a place and the sky and sea are colourles. –the satyam. During vyavahAra understand that "I am turIam" and that you are playing the false role visvAa taijasa and praGYA-not giving them reality conforming the ignorance.
If turIam is Chaturtam how does it become advaitam? It is only we who consider it as Chaturtam counting it out of ignorance along with the three states that are to be known as mithyA, where as it is only one and as such there is no Chaturtam. It is not the 4th quarter of Atma; It is the Atma, the Chaitanyam/ brahman. The three upAdi-s are to be understood as mithyA as in the crystal-flower example. The conclusion is I am advaitam/satyam, and I have three upAdi-s which are mithyA. Because of the upAdi-s I have three false appearances visva, taijasa and pragna which are also mithyA. Experience of dvaitA is not denied but only the reality of dvaitam. The whole saMnsara, the world etc. is a drama in which every one plays a role. The sukham, dukhkham, profit and loss does not affect the person who has the knowledge that he is turIam all the time. Dismissing the attributes is only in understanding and the question of removal are meaningless since "I" the turIam like crystal does not take the attributes. It is the correction of erroneous thinking that I am visva, taijasa, and pragna and the correction is done by the Guru in jAgrat avastA.
P.S. the above is the edited version from my notes on MandukyaUpanishad lecture by Swami Paramarthananda. Any mistakes in the edited version are due to my limitations otherwise credit goes to swamiji's \presentation in the class.
turIam is not that which is conscious of the inner world (subjective), nor that which is conscious of the outer world (objective), nor that which is conscious of both, nor that which is a mass of consciousness. It is not simple consciousness nor is it unconsciousness. It is unperceived, unrelated, incomprehensible, not inferable, unthinkable and indescribable. The essence of consciousness manifesting as the self [in the three states], it is the cessation of all phenomena; It is all peace, all bliss, and non dual. It is what is known as the fourth (turIam). This is Atman. and this has to be realized.
Unlike the first three states turIam is not associated with any state but always available in all the states. It is neither identical nor different from the three states. It is like talking about gold as different from the ornaments bangle, chain, ring etc made of gold. Remove the changing properties of visva, taijasa and prAGYA, what remains is turIam. "I am" is turIam. It is the negation of every attribute of oneself to realize it as "tat tvam asi". turIam, the pure consciousness is like crystal colourless and the attributes are purely errors in the mind that lends colour like the flowers to the crystal. The confusion is always in the mind/intellect and the solution is also intellectual where one realizes that the crystal is colourless and there is no need to remove the flowers.
Removal of thoughts that the crystal is seen as coloured one is sAdhana. One doesn't have to do anything or remove all avastAs (all thoughts) that becomes a struggle but understand the appearance as viswa-a mistake, that the gunA-s belong to upaAdhi-s/sarIram-s and realize that all the time you are turIyam. seen in different states like the crystal-flower combination. In Yoga removal of thoughts is prescribed and in Vedanta removal of errors is prescribed, since as long as you are in samAdi you are in turIam but you have to comeback to the other avastha-s as long as you live –to saMnsAra again. The knowership is an attribute of visva and taijasa and in turIam you are not the knower. Hence visva alone has to recognize by vichara that turIam is your own self "aham visva-aham brahma asmi." The realization is only in the waking/jAgrat state since intellect, knowledge, guru, antahkaraNam are available in jagrat avasta. samAdhi may give concentration/rest but jAgrat avasta is the only state available for knowledge. It is the mind which is extrovert during jAgrat avasta and introvert in swapna that mistakes the states as attributes of turIam.
turIam is neither the knower nor jadam. It is neither perceptible to panchendriyam nor grasped by karmendriyams. It has no clues/lingams and cannot be inferred. It is beyond conception-beyond thoughts-achintyam. It is beyond description and not even available for sabda- pramANam. It is beyond all vyavahara, GYanam, karma, language etc, for it is the adishhtAnam/substratum.for all transactions. The nearest indication of turIam is the "I" thought –"aham turIam asmi." since aham is the constant factor in all the experiences. What I experience varies but that I experience doesn't vary- that `I' is there all the time right from childhood to old age. It is ever sAntam/tranquil. Since all vyavahara are gone, it is-sivam, mangalam/Ananda. It is advaitam for all the three stages are negated as mithya and what remains is Turiam that is satyam. As long as the struggle to know turIam, retention of the knower hood remains and on realization removed like a scaffolding used for buildings. There is no need to remove vyavahAra, thoughts and mind can continue but understand them as mithyA. It is like experiencing the colours of sky and sea and the sun rise but know that the sun stays at a place and the sky and sea are colourles. –the satyam. During vyavahAra understand that "I am turIam" and that you are playing the false role visvAa taijasa and praGYA-not giving them reality conforming the ignorance.
If turIam is Chaturtam how does it become advaitam? It is only we who consider it as Chaturtam counting it out of ignorance along with the three states that are to be known as mithyA, where as it is only one and as such there is no Chaturtam. It is not the 4th quarter of Atma; It is the Atma, the Chaitanyam/ brahman. The three upAdi-s are to be understood as mithyA as in the crystal-flower example. The conclusion is I am advaitam/satyam, and I have three upAdi-s which are mithyA. Because of the upAdi-s I have three false appearances visva, taijasa and pragna which are also mithyA. Experience of dvaitA is not denied but only the reality of dvaitam. The whole saMnsara, the world etc. is a drama in which every one plays a role. The sukham, dukhkham, profit and loss does not affect the person who has the knowledge that he is turIam all the time. Dismissing the attributes is only in understanding and the question of removal are meaningless since "I" the turIam like crystal does not take the attributes. It is the correction of erroneous thinking that I am visva, taijasa, and pragna and the correction is done by the Guru in jAgrat avastA.
P.S. the above is the edited version from my notes on MandukyaUpanishad lecture by Swami Paramarthananda. Any mistakes in the edited version are due to my limitations otherwise credit goes to swamiji's \presentation in the class.
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