Chapter-19, Verse 05

Ashtavakra Gita Verse 19.5

क्व स्वप्नः क्व सुषुप्तिर्वा क्व च जागरणं तथा ।

क्व तुरीयं भयं वाऽपि स्वमहिम्नि स्थितस्य मे ॥ ५ ॥

For me established in my own glory, there is no dreaming or deep sleep, no waking nor Fourth state beyond them, and certainly no fear.

The meaning of this verse can be understood in the light of the Advaita Vedanta philosophy, which teaches that the Ultimate Reality is Brahman, the one Pure Consciousness, and that the individual Self (jiva) is identical with Brahman. The apparent difference between the Self and Brahman is due to ignorance (avidya) and illusion (maya), which create the false sense of duality and multiplicity. The goal of spiritual practice is to realize one's True Nature as Brahman, and to transcend the cycle of birth and death (samsara) and the bondage of karma.

The verse refers to the four states of Consciousness that are commonly recognized in the Vedanta tradition: waking (jagrat), dreaming (svapna), deep sleep (sushupti) and the fourth state (turiya). The waking state is the ordinary state of awareness, in which one perceives the external world through the senses and the mind. The dreaming state is the state of awareness during sleep, in which one experiences various images and impressions generated by the subconscious mind. The deep sleep state is the state of awareness in which there is no perception of the external or internal world, and only a vague sense of bliss and existence remains. The Fourth state is the state of awareness that transcends the other three states, and is characterized by the Realization of one's identity with Brahman, the Pure Consciousness.

The verse declares that for the enlightened person, who is established in his own glory, there is no distinction between these four states of Consciousness, because he sees them all as manifestations of Brahman, the one Reality. He is not affected by the changes and fluctuations of the mind and the senses, nor by the dualities of pleasure and pain, birth and death, fear and desire. He is always in the state of turiya, which is not a separate state, but the essence of all states. He is free from ignorance and delusion, and abides in the Bliss of his own Self.

Comparing this verse with three similar verses from other Vedic texts:

- From the Mandukya Upanishad, which is entirely devoted to the exposition of the four states of Consciousness and their relation to the sacred syllable Om, the following verse describes the nature of turiya:

नान्तःप्रज्ञं न बहिष्प्रज्ञं नोभयतःप्रज्ञं न प्रज्ञानघनं न प्रज्ञं नाप्रज्ञम् ।

अदृष्टमव्यवहार्यमग्राह्यमलक्षणं अचिन्त्यमव्यपदेश्यमेकात्मप्रत्ययसारं प्रपञ्चोपशमं शान्तं शिवमद्वैतं चतुर्थं मन्यन्ते स आत्मा स विज्ञेयः ॥ ७ ॥

That is known as the fourth quarter: neither inward-turned nor outward-turned Consciousness, nor the two together; not an undifferentiated mass of Consciousness; neither knowing nor unknowing; invisible, ineffable, intangible, devoid of characteristics, inconceivable, indefinable, its sole essence being the Consciousness of its own Self; the coming to rest of all relative existence; utterly quiet, peaceful, blissful: without a second: this is the Ātman, the Self; this is to be Realised.

- From the Bhagavad Gita, which is the essence of the Upanishads and the most widely read Hindu scripture, the following verse describes the state of the liberated person who is free from the dualities of the world:

यं हि न व्यथयन्त्येते पुरुषं पुरुषर्षभ ।

समदुःखसुखं धीरं सोऽमृतत्वाय कल्पते ॥ १५ ॥

O best among men [Arjuna], the person who is not disturbed by happiness and distress and is steady in both is certainly eligible for Realization.

- From the Yoga Vashishta, which is a philosophical epic that expounds the principles of Advaita Vedanta through the dialogue between sage Vashishta and prince Rama, the following verse describes the nature of the Supreme Self:

अहं निर्विकल्पो निराकाररूपो विभुर्व्याप्य सर्वत्र सर्वेन्द्रियाणाम् ।

न चासङ्गतं नैव मुक्तिर्न बन्धः चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहमहमेव ॥ १८ ॥

I am the attributeless, formless, all-pervading Self, the Witness of all the senses and their functions. I am not attached to anything, nor am I liberated or bound. I am of the nature of Pure Consciousness and bliss, I am Shiva, I am that I am.