The Turïya or The state of universal consciousness (Upanishads...)

We were discussing about a ‘state’ in which we can cognize things that are beyond our limited Mind. This is the Turïya state described by the Upanishads. How is this state described?

The Mändükya Upanishad says that

In the Turïya state one does not cognize external things through the senses (as in wakeful state). One does not even sense the internally generated events (as in the dreaming state). That does not mean that the cognition is frozen (as in the deep sleep state).

Having said these things the Upanishad once again resorts to ‘describe’ the Turïya state by negation as Upanishads normally do when they describe what Ätma is. 

Mändükya Upanishad says

This Turïya is beyond all empirical dealings. It cannot be inferred through reasoning. It cannot be described. It cannot be perceived through the senses. 

That does not mean that there is no consciousness at all. But it is the ‘non dual state’ where the one who cognizes (subject), one that is cognized (object) as well as the means to cognize (the mind), all become one (i.e.  in-differentiable).

What is the use of reaching such a state? The Upanishad says

This state identifies the meditator with the universal identity (Ekätma pratyaya) or the Ätma. It is the most auspicious state. It frees one from all worldly miseries (Prapancopasama), it is the most peaceful and non dual state. So, one should always try to attain this state.

How does one attain such a state? The Upanishads suggest meditating on the sound OM or Pranava (Refer to my book “How and Why of Yoga and Meditation”, Chapter Shutting off the unruly ghost, where I have tried to give scientific reasons why such a meditation helps in attaining the Turïya state).

The Mändükya Upanishad gives a highly poetic explanation of why meditating on Pranava helps in attaining the Turïya state.

The three letters of OM namely the ‘A’, ‘U’, and ‘M’ correspond to the three states – Wakeful state, Dream state, and the Deep sleep state, respectively. The sound OM is a result of combining all these letters (or states) into one ‘letter less’  sound (state) namely OM (Turïya). So when one meditates on this sound one ‘realizes’ himself through himself (i.e. no other tool is needed) that he is none other than the Ätma itself.

That is briefly what happens when one goes into deep state of meditation. But there are many interesting things. We will see them in next posts.

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