The Four States of Consciousness
The sixth of one hundred and eight ancient sacred texts known as The Upanishads, a small part of a collection called The Vedas, the earliest scriptures of Hinduism, is titled The Mandukya Upanishad, in which the four states of human consciousness are discussed and taught to maneuver through them. The lesson starts with understanding the Yogic sound AUM, representing supreme reality and what lies beyond the past, present, and future. The sounds of AUM are derived directly from the first three states of consciousness, known as Vaishvanara, Taijasa, and Prajna, also referred to as the waking, dream, and sleep states. The final state, described as the superconscious, is called Turiya; it is beyond the senses and the intellect, where there is no sense of time. In this essay, I will compare and contrast the different states of consciousness and the ultimate goal of cosmic awareness and understanding the Self.
Throughout an individual’s day, the consciousness repeatedly undergoes radical shifts; these manifest a rhythm of natural changes that many people have become too oblivious of their existence or genuinely don’t understand the power of the states. By not taking the time ourselves to learn more of these daily states of consciousness, either too busy running to a meeting or too focused on objects within this reality, we lose the chance to grasp more knowledge of our own existence. Vedantic and Yogic teachings can be used to open these enlightenment paths to reach the goal of cosmic awareness.
Changes within awareness come through states of waking, dream sleep, and deep sleep. In the waking state or Vaishvanara, our consciousness constantly switches, from emotions and thoughts, actions and senses, pleasure and work, relationship, and solitude, in which we are outward-knowing, also known as Bahish Prajnya. The waking state has its moments of dream-like phases, because of this daydreaming is seen as a popular moment of a dream state within the waking state, so is our imagination’s power to create fantasy scenarios, thus changing our attention and focus out of our current reality. Yet more significant, more extreme variations happen in the dream and deep sleep states.
While in the dream sleep state or Taijasa, our awareness disappears, and our conscious mind drifts into a state of heightened imagination through the subjectivity of our memory and identity. While dreaming, we are unaware we are in a dream, we exist within this reality our mind has put forth. We are consistently looking inward to the core of our subjective Self. Dreams may be inconsistent, chaotic, and just straight-up weird, or they can provide inspiration and insight into the beauty of our reality in the waking state. The body’s senses are put to rest while it maintains vital support. It is not until awaking from this dream do we connect back to our previous reality.
Much like our awareness ending in the transition from the waking to dream states, as we continue farther into a deep sleep state or Prajna, our dreams come to an end. There is no ordinary activity within this state; the individual is said to experience a space like condition, darkness, void, or phase of blankness. Both body and mind become recharged while the brain cleanses itself of blockages and negative patterns that all can be categorized within the thought processes and past experiences of the individual.
Our waking state often only remembers a few framed moments of the dream state upon leaving it, while waking from the deep sleep state only results in the sense of restfulness. Unusual dreams or suddenly waking from this state diminish the sleeper’s opportunity to reach an adequate level of rest. Without proper rest in this deep sleep, the consequences lead to the decay of the physical and psychological abilities and eventually lead to the destruction of the individual. Yogics believe this step of deep sleep is crucial because we return inward to the source of our being, the core consciousness within all of us, and everything.
Our prana or breath goes through many similar changes as we dive deeper within ourselves. While in the dream state, the senses and motor organs revert into a deeper breath and a slower pace. And this continues further in the deep sleep state, at which our breath deepens, even more, internalizing our prana. Though within this phase, we become vulnerable as our senses weaken, loud noises or shaking might not wake you as easily. Our prana and awareness follow a similar pattern when taken through these stages. The ultimate goal in Vedic teachings is self-realization, an awareness beyond the restrictions of time, space, and ego. We learn that our true Self lies free of our mind and is witness to our thoughts. This Self-aware state is the core behind the emptiness and darkness of the deep sleep state.
Understanding that this Self is not the Self of the waking phase, this Self is hidden underneath all three waking, dream, and deep sleep states. This inner consciousness is received through the last state called Turiya, or the Fourth, a level of continuous and constant awareness. Many link our consciousness with our daily mental activity during the waking state; the two sleep states act as a mirrored reflection to this reality. In the lesson, consciousness is defined as an awareness of both your body and mind. This state of pure consciousness does not fall in the same type of mental activity as thought, emotion, or memory; it is beyond any conceptual objective quality or appearance. This inner consciousness phase is beyond the manifested universe, and all that makes it up. It is easy to think of this as merely a part of our active imaginations, and this proposed witness consciousness that is steadily there through the dream and deep sleep states. It is Yogic belief that cultivating a heavy concentration of meditation, focus, and a sharp attention will lead one to experience this state directly. These ideals of Yoga, speaking a mantra, meditation, and breathing can increase our mental power and receive the presence of eternal essence within ourselves. This essence is not limited by time, space, or death; it is our inner being that has existed before birth and will continue after our bodies die.
Though humans declare to know many things about our universe, we still do not understand the nature of our own being and the meaning of our existence. Our minds and senses provide us with limited knowledge of our waking reality, bound by the duality and ignorance of viewing an individual as a subject of experience and a world as an object. It is easy for us to obsess over the physical body and ego from the waking state. Though we have many necessary biological, psychological, and social habits that promote wellness in our waking state, it is essential in all this to maintain our true Self beyond the waking, dream and sleep states, and into pure consciousness. An important part of this recognition is that we should develop our meditation habits not only through the waking state but allowing it to trickle down to the dream and deep sleep states. The goal is not only to seek the Self’s concerns while in the waking state but to continue this through all four states in order for our immortal soul so that they may take many births in many bodies. Doing the meditation process right before going to bed is a meaningful way to turn dream and deep sleep states into meditative practices, consciously entering a deep sleep with the means of reaching pure transcendence within, withdrawing the mind and body consciousness from all.
It is crucial to understand and acknowledge these states in order to travel back and forth with ease. Unlocking the secrets of cosmic awareness is key to learning the truth of the universe and ourselves; without proper meditative exercise, we lose track of what matters and instead draw our energy and effort into what many Western cultures already depend on as materialistic obsessions. Becoming aware of these states is crucial to the survival and development of human existence, without education and logical reasoning many people don’t understand their Self and become oblivious to reality, thus creating their own, and in turn resulting in the destruction of themselves, those around them, and eventually, if no one looks within for answers, we will destroy what we have outside ourselves, such as relationships, resources, and society.