The Four States · Chapter Overview
From The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad, taught by Acharya T Krishnatrey. This lesson is free to read.
<pre data-block="statement"> Having named the waking self, the Upaniṣad now completes the inner journey. Mantra 4 describes the second quarter, Taijasa, the Self in dream — turned inward, lit by its own impressions. Mantra 5 gives the third quarter, Prājña, the Self in deep dreamless sleep — undivided, "a mass of consciousness," full of bliss. Mantra 6 exalts this deep-sleep Self as the inner Lord of all, the source and dissolution of beings. Then Mantra 7, the climax of the text, points beyond all three to Turīya, the Fourth — "not outward-knowing, not inward-knowing… peaceful, auspicious, non-dual… That is the Self; That is to be known." These four mantras are the philosophical heart of the Māṇḍūkya. </pre>