24/10/2025
Transcendental Realization of The Self
Char Awastha: The Four States of Consciousness
In the profound philosophy of Vedanta, human consciousness is divided into four distinct states known as the Char Awastha: Jagrit Awastha (Waking State), Swapna Awastha (Dreaming State), Sushupta Awastha (Deep Sleep State), and Turiya Awastha (Transcendental State). These states collectively describe the journey of awareness from the gross material world to the subtlest spiritual realization.
1. Jagrit Awastha – The Waking State
The Jagrit Awastha is the state of external awareness where the individual interacts with the material world through the physical senses. It is the realm of action, perception, and experience. In this state, one believes the world to be absolutely real, responding to external stimuli through the faculties of seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling. However, from the Vedantic perspective, this waking world is Mithya—neither absolutely real nor entirely unreal. It exists only as long as the observer perceives it, much like a reflection that depends upon a mirror.
2. Swapna Awastha – The Dream State
The Swapna Awastha or dream state is where the mind projects its own world independent of physical reality. Here, the impressions gathered in waking life—memories, emotions, desires, and unfulfilled experiences—manifest in the form of dreams. Most dreams are Asatya, unreal, since they are mere reflections of our subconscious mind. They serve as a kind of mental detoxification, a way for the brain to release accumulated impressions and stress.
For example, if one dreams of flying with wings, it may feel real in the moment but vanishes upon awakening. Such dreams arise from the restless or overactive mind, mixing up stored visual and emotional data. Hence, the dream state reflects the illusionary nature of the mind’s creations—ephemeral, subjective, and dependent on thought patterns rather than reality.
3. Sushupta Awastha – The Deep Sleep State
In Sushupta Awastha, all mental activities and sensory perceptions come to rest. There is no awareness of the external world or even of the internal dream world. Yet, the self continues to exist in a state of blissful ignorance—unaware but at peace. This state reveals the temporary cessation of the mind and ego but not their complete transcendence. It is a preview of the bliss of the Self, though covered in ignorance (Avidya).
4. Turiya Awastha – The Transcendental State
Beyond these three states lies the Turiya Awastha, the fourth and ultimate state of consciousness. Turiya is not a state like the others but the substratum of all states—the pure consciousness that witnesses waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. It is the realm of supreme awareness, beyond duality and mind.
When one enters Turiya from the dream state, the experience transcends ordinary dreaming. This is a Darshanic state, where the seeker may behold divine visions—of God, Guru, or celestial beings. Such an encounter is not a dream in the usual sense but a glimpse into higher dimensions of reality. The divine reveals itself through the awakened Turiya, not as illusion but as Satya—the ultimate truth.
Satya, Asatya, and Mithya
The world we perceive operates within three levels of reality: Satya, Asatya, and Mithya.
Satya is the ultimate truth—unchanging, eternal, and one for all. It is the pure existence of Brahman, the Supreme Consciousness.
Asatya is non-reality—things that have no existence at all, mere imagination or falsehood.
Mithya lies between these two—it appears real but is dependent on the perceiver, like a mirage or reflection.
Our everyday world, Jagat, is Mithya. It appears real because we perceive it materially, but spiritually it is transient and ever-changing. As the sages declare, “Brahma Satya, Jagat Mithya”—Brahman alone is Truth; the world is illusory.
If our waking experiences were truly Satya, they would never change. Yet, everything we see—our circumstances, bodies, and emotions—changes constantly. Time itself moves forward, and with every passing moment, a part of our life diminishes. We say “time passes,” but in truth, time passes us. What is truly permanent, therefore, cannot be the external world but the inner, immutable Self.
The Inner Experience of Turiya
During meditation or deep spiritual practice, when the mind is calm and the awareness shifts from beta to alpha frequency, the seeker may experience an awakening into Turiya. In this subtle state, the remembrance of the divine name, especially one received from a realized Guru, acts as a bridge to the infinite. When the seeker experiences divine Darshan—seeing the Guru, God, or inner Light—it is the manifestation of Chit Brahma, the conscious aspect of the Supreme.
Such an experience cannot be dismissed as a dream. It is the blossoming of divine consciousness within the seeker—a revelation of the eternal Self, where the boundaries between seer and seen dissolve. The one who realizes this understands that the Almighty exists both in Pinda (the individual body) and Brahmanda (the cosmic body), omnipotent, omnipresent, and yet One without a second.
Conclusion
The journey through the Char Awastha symbolizes humanity’s spiritual evolution—from material awareness in the waking state to the transcendental realization of the Self in Turiya. The world, though seemingly real, is transient and ever-changing. The only Satya—the eternal truth—is the presence of the Divine Consciousness that pervades everything. To awaken into Turiya is to perceive this Oneness, to see God in all and all in God, and to rest in the eternal bliss of Self-realization.
