Meditation According to the Upanishads - 7. Swami Krishnananda

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05/12/2019.
(Spoken on January 14th, 1973)
Post - 7.
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Super-consciousness, sometimes called the supramental state, the turiya, is inclusive of all that is in the three other states of consciousness. Whatever was there of worth and meaning in the condition of waking, dream or sleep is to be found in the turiya also, only freed from the tension of it.

The turiya is the goal of life.

It is described as :

Mandukya Upanishad : Mantram-7.

"Nantah-prajnam, na bahih prajnam, nobhayatah
prajnam,  na prajnana-ghanam, na prajnam, naprajnam;
adrstam, avyavaharayam, agrahyam, alakshanam,
acintyam, avyapadesyam, ekatma-pratyaya-saram,
prapanco-pasamam, santam, sivam, advaitam, caturtham manyante, sa atma, sa vijneyah."

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Na  antah prajnam = not conscious of the internal world;
na  bahih  prajnam = not conscious of the external world;
na  abhayatah  prajnam = not consciousness  tuned both sides;
na  prajnana  ghanam = not a mass of consciousness;
na  prajnam = not the all-knowing simple consciousness;
na  aprajnam = (and) not consciousness;
adrshtam = beyond perception, unseen;
avyavaharayam = beyond empirical transactions;
agrahyam = beyond the grasp of  ( of the sense organs);
alakshanam = beyond inference;
acintyam = beyond thoughts;
avyapadesyam = beyond description;
ekatma-pratyaya-saram = traceable through unbroken self-awareness;
prapanca-upasamam = free from the world of all phenomena;
santam = tranquil, unchanging;
sivam = auspicious;
advaitam = non-dual;
caturtham = the fourth (quarter)'
manyante = is considered;
sah atma = that Self;
 sa vijneyah = that which is to be known (realised).
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"It is not that which is conscious of the internal subjective world, not that which is conscious of the external world, not that which is conscious of both, not that which is a mass of consciousness, not that which is simple consciousness, not is it unconsciousness. It is unseen  by any sense-organ, beyond empirical dealings, incomprehensible by the mind, uninferable, unthinkable, essentially by the Self alone, negation of all phinomena, the peaceful, the auspicious and the non-dual. This is what is considered as the Fourth (Turiya). This is the Atman and this is to be realised."
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This is how the Mandukya describes the fourth state of consciousness. We are not aware of anything outside there, as we are seeing now in front of us so many things exist, nor are we seeing things inside as in dream. In that condition we are not externally aware of anything, nor internally aware of anything, nor are we unconscious.

Then what are we? We are conscious. Conscious of what?

Not of external things, not of internal things. Nobody can say what it is.

Prapancopasamam : The world ceases to exist there. It is dissolved like a sugarball in water. The whole universe gets dissolved into it.

Prapancopasamam, santam, sivam, advaitam, caturtham manyante, sa atma – that is our Self, that is our essential nature.

Our essential nature is not a struggle with objects, the persons and things in the world, nor is our essential nature a condition of sleep and reverie. The essential condition is universality of consciousness.

To be continued ....

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