by Sri Bimal Mohanty
VOL No. 35
January. 2004

ATTEMPTS TO DESCRIBE BRAMHAN - Part 9

"Based on the lectures by Sri Bimal Mohanty"

In the deep sleep state, in the absence of desires there is ananda or bliss no doubt. As we are aware, as we progress in our spiritual journey, our consciousness grows in degree by degree. At every level of our consciousness, we have some amount of ananda or bliss. Had it not been so, then the very process of Yoga sadhana would have been a painful exercise, and we would have thrown it to winds long back. It is like the journey of a traveler in a cold wintry night towards a burning fire. As he walks nearer and nearer to the fire, the increasing comfort of the warmth of the fire keeps him drawn to the fire. But you do not have the full satisfaction until you reach the fire. Similarly the limited bliss and happiness coming out of limited level of consciousness also does not give satisfaction. This is not bliss infinite or permanent. Because all the karmik influence or sanskaras are not over. All the effects of karma are still not atoned. All the links to the world of karma, the karmabandhana as our scriptures describe it, are still not severed. Until and unless liberated, the jiva will be forced to return to complete its unfinished task. No one can cheat the system and run away halfway. Hence this is not yet the Bramhan state and a still possible higher state is cognised, and the jiva longs to return there.

That final stage is called Turiya, attainable by the jiva, only when all sense organs have been controlled, mind, intellect and ego have been overcome, and all karmic influences have been nullified. In this state alone it has the possibility to realize what is Bramhan. Mandukya Upanishad tries to explain it in the sixth sloka of Chapter 1.

This is the sloka, which is the final deduction of this Upanishad. A sloka full of the highest knowledge and experience about that unknowable Bramhan. This is the peak of knowledge. Those who understand it, wish to understand nothing further. Many sadhakas regard it as the supreme spiritual knowledge. It runs like this:

Naantaprajnam na vahisprajnam na ubhayatah prajnam na prajnaanaghanam na prajnam na aprajnam.

Adristam avyavahaaryam agraahyam alakshanam acintyam avyapadesyam ekaatmapratyayasaaram prapancopasamam shaantam shivam adveitam caturtham manyante sa aatma sa vijneyah.

At the first instance, this sloka appears most confusing and full of contradictions. They say, to understand this, one's physical, mental and psychic faculties must all be totally surrendered to the Lord. Mind, intellect and the soul must all get united in one's chitta.

Turiya is not where the jiva is bound by its knowledge of the external world of objective truth (vahisprajnaa) nor the internal world of subjective truth (antaprajnam). It is not even bound by either of them (na ubhayatah prajna) , neither the external world which is the effect, nor the internal world of cause, interests the jiva. He is not actively attached to any of these worlds. It discards even the mass of knowledge that it has acquired (na prajnaanaghanam). It neither considers its knowledge as his knowledge nor is in the state of ignorance of the ultimate knowledge (na prajnam na aprajnam). For, it now knows of that entity, who is the absolute source of everything and everything is within Him only. It is that which is beyond perception (adristam), not comparable to anything (avyavahaaryam), beyond anybody's grasp (agraahyam), without any indicative features (alakhyanam), beyond comprehension (acintyam), undescribable in any manner (avyapadesyam), established within itself only (ekaatmyam), of absolute stillness (praponcopasamam), it is peace, bliss and without anything else like it,- shaantam, shivam, adveitam- recognised in this fourth state of consciousness. This is the Atman, which can only be known by realisation, vijneyah.

Turiya is a state where as Sri Aurobindo aptly translates it 'where everything is stilled'- a stunned stillnes, (praponcapasama). It is a lull state, but not of emptyness but of fulfillment - not sunya but purna- like the calmness of the limitless depth of ocean. It is that stillness of all actions that comes upon one, when the realisation of a great truth suddenly dawns upon. It is the truth for which you have been striving and suddenly it dawns upon you and makes you spellbound as if in a trance. Again only that beautiful sanskrt word can describe it aptly - Ekaatmyam i.e. known within itself. Someone tried to explain what the word "fragrance" really means. He analysed the flowers, analysed the elements, analysed working of the nose, the mind to describe the concept of fragrance. Failing, he finally asked the fragrance itself. "What are you?". The fragrance simply replied " I am what I am".

Turiya is the final stage that is sustained on its own. You see that all the previous stages have moved step by step to this stage, transcending the physical, the vital, the mental and experiencing that this state is the cause of all other states.

It is the state of realisation, past the state of mere knowledge. Hence it is synonymous with Bramhan.