Experiences of the Four Stages

Experiences of the Four Stages

by Swami Sivananda

JAGRAT is the waking state in which man enjoys the five gross objects of senses as sound, etc., through the five organs of knowledge, viz., ear, skin, eye, tongue and nose. He is conscious of the world. He has externalised consciousness (Bahih Prajna). Jiva is called Visva in this state.

Svapana is the dreaming state in which man enjoys the five objects of sense through Vasanas or impressions created in his waking state. The body and all senses are at rest and the mind alone works. Mind itself is the subject and the object. It creates all dream-pictures. Jiva is called Taijasa in this state. There is Antah-prajna (internal consciousness). The scriptures say When he falls asleep there are no chariots in that state, no horse and roads, but he himself creates chariots, horses and roads. (Brihad. Upa. IV-3-9-10.).

In deep sleep state or Sushupti all senses and the mind are at rest. The mind is involved into its cause, the Karana Sarira. The Jiva is called Prajna in this state. The Anandamaya Kosha is functioning. There is a veil between the Jiva and Brahman.

A king gets into his car and moves about in the city. This corresponds to Jiva’s wandering in the world in the wakeful state. He returns back and enters his palace. This corresponds to the dreaming state. He enters his bed-room at night. This corresponds to the deep-sleep state.

Mind is not a heavy thing. It is like a light diffusible gas or vapour or fume. When a scented stick is burnt the fumes pervade the whole room in a minute. Even so, the mind pervades the whole brain as soon as it emerges out from the causal body from deep sleep.

If you put a grain of musk or potassium permanganate in a very large basin of water, it gets itself diffused in the whole water. Even so, the mind gets itself diffused in the brain.

Karana Sarira is like a small seed which contains the whole tree within itself. It is otherwise known by the name, ‘seed-body’. The whole physical body, mind, Prana, senses, etc., have come out of this seed body.

During meditation the aspirant enters into a half sleepy state. This is called Tandri. He begins to doubt whether he was meditating or sleeping. If one is really meditating his body will be light and his mind will be cheerful. If he is sleeping the body will be heavy, the mind dull and the eye lids heavy.

In swoon there is half of deep-sleep as it is different from the other three states, viz., waking, dreaming and deep-sleep states. A man in a swoon does not perceive any object. The body of a swooning person falls down on the ground. Therefore a man in swoon is not awake. He is not dreaming as he is totally unconscious. Is he dead? No, he is alive as he has life and warmth. He continues to breathe. Swoon is not deep-sleep. The body of a man is swoon trembles and his face is dreadful. His eyes are starring and wide open. But a man who is sleeping looks calm and peaceful. His eyes are closed. His body does not tremble. A sleeping man may be awakened by a slight touch with the hand or by calling him by his name; whereas a man in swoon cannot be awakened even by a blow with a stick. Swoon is caused by a blow on the head with a stick or some such causes, while sleep is due to weariness or fatigue.

Swoon is only half sleep. You should not mean by this that man in swoon half enjoys Brahman or that the soul becomes half-united with Brahman.

The state of swoon partly resembles sleep. The senselessness belongs with one half to the side of deep-sleep and with the other half to the side of death. It is the door to death. If there is a remnant of Karma he comes back to consciousness; if no work remains he dies. The mind is swoon neither rests in Karana Sarira nor in the Hita Nadi in the throat. It is in a state of stupefaction. It is in a state of being stunned. It takes its rest in a place midway between Hita Naid and Karana Sarira.

When one is under chloroform anaesthesia the activity of the cells of the brain is inhibited by the effect of chloroform. The mind which has its seat in the brain during waking consciousness now rests in a place midway between the throat and the heart and so one has no feeling of pain even when his leg is amputated. Man feels pain only when the mind is connected with the body. When one is under chloroform the mind is disconnected from the physical body.

The slight interval or Sandhi between deep-sleep state and the waking state is called Tushnim Bhuta Avastha or state of quiescence of mind. Similarly there is an interval or Sandhi between the waking state and the deep-sleep state. In the former Sandhi the mind is coming out with the experience or Rasa of deep-sleep; in the later Sandhi it is going into the recesses of the heart with the experience or Rasa of the worldly objects. In these two Sandhis the mind is free from Sankalpas and attraction or repulsion. The Scriptures say:

Suptaprabodhayoh Sandhavatmano gatimatmadrik,

Pasyanbandhamcha moksham cha mayamatram na vastutah.

The seeker after Atma Tattva should see it at the junction between the waking and sleep state. He should see that bondage and liberation is only due to delusion of Maya of the individual and not a reality. (Bhagavatam, VII. 13, 5).

The Self is covered by Avarana during sleep and by Vikshepa during waking state. That which is above Avarana and Vikshepa is the Atman. The Yoga Shastra says:

Nidradau jagarasyante yo bhava upajayate,

Tam bhavam bhavayan Nityam muchyate netaroyathi.

A Yati (anchorite) should always meditate on the Bhav which is experienced just before sleep and at the termination of the waking state by which only he is freed and by none else.

This is only a prop or Alambana to get at the real Nissankalpa or Nirdvandva state.

Sometimes during waking state also the mind passes into a state of quietude for a very short time and it is free from Sankalpa and the two currents of love and hate. In this state, the Prajna or consciousness is internal (Antah-prajna). It is not untied with the mental Vrittis.

A desire arises in the mind. It is gratified. Another desire arises. In the interval between two desires there is perfect stillness of mind. The mind is free from Sankalpa and love and hate during this interval. There is perfect peace during the interval or Sandhi between two Vrittis of the mind also.

The scientist draws his conclusions from his observations and experiences of the wakeful state only. Hence they are not correct. True experiences include the experiences of the three states, viz., waking, dreaming and deep-sleep states. The Vedantin studies the three states. He gains more real knowledge from the deep-sleep state. He gets a clue for the existence of the fourth state or the state of Turiya from a study of the deep-sleep state.

Turiya or the fourth state transcends the above three states. The sage who has controlled the mind and the senses, who is above body-consciousness, and the three Guans, who is identifying himself with the Sat-Chit-Ananda Brahman is in the enjoyment of this blissful or super-conscious state. This is the transcendental state of Moksha or final beatitude.

As there is no language to describe Brahman or the Self to aspirants, sages, generally compare the quietude of the various states previously described, to Brahman just as Akasa is compared to Brahman. They take examples from the worldly experiences to explain the nature of Brahman to the aspirants.

Marvellous is this universe! Most wonderful is this world! Each star brings a message from the Lord, the message of His self-luminous nature. Each flower brings a message from the Lord, the message that He is the Beauty of beauties. Each creature that moves and breathes in this earth brings a message from the Lord, the message that He is the source of life. He is existence absolute, in Him all beings live and move and have their very being. Ether brings the message that He is all-pervading, air brings the message that He is omnipotent, fire brings the message that He is the Light of lights, water brings the message that He is all-purity, earth brings the message that He supports everything. Have a vision of the Infinite in nature. Behold the Self everywhere!

Experiences of the Four Stages – Waking, Dream, Deep Sleep, and Turiya

Experiences of the Four Stages refers to the Vedantic analysis of the four levels of experience: waking, dream, deep sleep, and Turiya. These stages are not merely psychological conditions. They are important spiritual pointers that help the seeker understand the difference between changing experiences and the changeless self. Vedanta examines these stages to reveal that the true self is the witness of all states.

The first stage is the waking state. In this condition, a person experiences the external world through the body and senses. They see forms, hear sounds, speak, act, work, study, enjoy, suffer, and relate with others. The waking state appears very solid and real because it is shared and continuous. But Vedanta asks the seeker to look carefully: the waking state also changes, begins, ends, and is known by awareness.

In the waking state, identity is mostly connected with the physical body. A person says, “I am tall,” “I am weak,” “I am hungry,” “I am successful,” or “I am insulted.” This identification creates attachment, fear, pride, and sorrow. Experiences of the Four Stages teach that the waking body and world are objects of knowledge. The one who knows them must be deeper than them.

The second stage is the dream state. In dream, the external senses are not active in the same way, yet a complete world appears within the mind. The dreamer sees people, places, events, joy, fear, movement, and struggle. While dreaming, the dream feels real. Only after waking does one say, “It was only a dream.” This shows the projecting power of the mind.

The dream state teaches an important Vedantic lesson. The mind can create an entire world and make the individual believe in it temporarily. In the same way, the waking world also appears through consciousness and is interpreted by the mind. This does not mean one should behave carelessly in waking life, but it shows that experience alone is not the final proof of absolute reality.

Experiences of the Four Stages then lead to deep sleep. In deep sleep, there is no active waking world and no dream world. The body is not consciously known, the mind is not functioning as in waking or dream, and the ego is not active. Yet after waking, a person says, “I slept well,” or “I knew nothing.” This means that deep sleep also becomes an object of later recognition.

Deep sleep is peaceful because desires, fears, thoughts, and ego are temporarily absent. But it is not liberation because ignorance remains. There is rest, but no clear self-knowledge. The seeker should not mistake the blankness of deep sleep for the highest realization. Deep sleep shows that peace is possible without external objects, but it does not reveal the self consciously.

The fourth stage is Turiya, the pure consciousness beyond waking, dream, and deep sleep. Turiya means the fourth, but it is not a state that comes and goes like the other three. It is the ever-present witness in which waking appears, dream appears, and deep sleep appears. It is the silent awareness that remains unchanged through all experiences.

Experiences of the Four Stages become spiritually meaningful when the seeker recognizes that waking, dream, and deep sleep are changing, while the witness is constant. The waking person disappears in dream. The dreamer disappears in waking. Both disappear in deep sleep. Yet the continuity of “I” is never fully lost because awareness is the background of all states.

Turiya is not unconsciousness. It is not sleep, trance, blankness, or imagination. It is pure self-luminous awareness. It is the real nature of Atman. The body belongs to waking, the dream world belongs to the mind, the blankness belongs to deep sleep, but the self is the witness of all three. To know this is the beginning of true Vedantic insight.

The Mandukya Upanishad gives special importance to these four stages. It connects them with Om. The sound A represents waking, U represents dream, M represents deep sleep, and the silence after Om points to Turiya. This meditation helps the seeker move from sound to silence, from experience to awareness, and from identification to self-knowledge.

In daily life, this teaching is very practical. When waking experiences bring pleasure or pain, the seeker remembers that they are passing. When dreams disturb the mind, they are known as temporary projections. When deep sleep brings rest, it shows that peace does not depend on possessions or status. When Turiya is contemplated, the seeker understands that the true self is always free.

Experiences of the Four Stages also help reduce fear. Fear comes from identifying with the body, mind, and ego. But these belong only to changing states. The witness is not born in waking, not frightened in dream, and not destroyed in deep sleep. The self remains untouched. This understanding gives courage and inner balance.

Self-inquiry is the direct method to understand these stages. Ask: “Who knows the waking state? Who remembers the dream? Who says there was ignorance in deep sleep? Am I the changing experiencer, or am I the awareness in which all experiences appear?” Such enquiry slowly turns the mind toward the witness.

Meditation deepens this understanding. Sit quietly and observe the body, breath, thoughts, emotions, and sense of “I.” Notice that everything observed changes. Then reflect that waking, dream, and sleep also come and go. The observing awareness remains. Resting in that awareness is the essence of Vedantic meditation.

The teaching of the four stages should not remain only intellectual. It should transform conduct. A person who understands the witness becomes less proud in success, less broken in failure, less attached to pleasure, and less afraid of change. They act responsibly in the world, but inwardly remember the changeless self.

In the end, Experiences of the Four Stages reveal the path from ordinary identity to spiritual realization. Waking shows the experience of the outer world, dream shows the creative power of the mind, deep sleep shows peace covered by ignorance, and Turiya reveals pure consciousness beyond all states. Through discrimination, self-inquiry, Om meditation, and steady contemplation, the seeker recognizes the witness as the true self. This realization brings peace, freedom, fearlessness, and the light of non-dual wisdom.

The Five Characteristics of Atman