तुरीय
Turīya
too-REE-yuh
Level 4Etymology
Root: Derived from the Sanskrit 'tur' (related to 'catur', meaning four). Turīya is the ordinal form meaning 'the fourth.' It denotes that which is beyond and inclusive of the three commonly known states of consciousness.
Literal meaning: The fourth
Definition
Turiya refers to the fourth state of consciousness that exists beyond the three ordinary states of waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. It is often described as the silent background awareness that persists through all other states. In practical terms, it is the experience of pure awareness without any object of perception.
Turiya is the state of the Sākṣī (witness-consciousness) that remains unchanged while the three states of jāgrat, svapna, and suṣupti arise and dissolve within it. It is not truly a 'state' alongside the other three, but rather the substratum upon which all states appear. The seeker who abides in Turiya recognizes the Ātman as distinct from the body-mind complex.
Turiya is Brahman itself — pure, non-dual consciousness that is neither a state nor the absence of a state. The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad identifies it with the silence (Amātra) that follows the three syllables of Oṁkāra (A-U-M), signifying that which is beyond all predication. It is advaita, prapañcopaśama — non-dual and the cessation of all phenomenal appearance.
Appears In
Common Misconception
Many assume Turiya is a special trance state that must be entered and exited, like a mystical experience separate from daily life. In reality, Turiya is not a state that comes and goes — it is the ever-present awareness that underlies waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. It is not attained but recognized, since it is already one's fundamental nature as Ātman.
Modern Application
Turiya offers a powerful framework for understanding consciousness amid modern life's constant stimulation. While we cycle between waking productivity, dreaming, and deep sleep each day, Turiya points to an unbroken awareness beneath all these shifts. This insight is practically relevant for mindfulness and meditation practitioners who seek a stable center unaffected by mental fluctuations. In psychology, it parallels the concept of meta-awareness — the capacity to observe one's own thoughts without identification. Recognizing Turiya helps cultivate equanimity, reducing reactivity to stress by grounding identity not in transient mental states but in the witnessing consciousness that persists through all experience.
Quick Quiz
According to the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad, what does Turiya correspond to in the analysis of Oṁkāra (AUM)?