THE MANDUKYA UPANISHAD An Overview by Radhika Shah Grouven

Mandukya Upanishad Verse Points to remember 1. Hari AUM. The entire universe is Mandukya means ‘frog’. It is a the syllable AUM. This is an symbol for the Witness. exposition on AUM. Everything in AUM is a sound or Anahata Nada. the past, present, and future is AUM is also a symbol. AUM. That which is beyond time, space, and causation is also AUM. Everything is AUM. Everything is Consciousness.

2. All this, which is seen here, Atman or Individual Consciousness there, and everywhere, is is also Brahman or Universal Brahman. This very Self, Atman, is Consciousness. The drop from the Brahman, the Absolute Reality. Ocean has the same qualities as This Atman has four aspects. the Ocean.

3. The first aspect is the waking The waking state is made up of the state, vaisvànara. In this state, 5 elements, breath and Ahamkara. consciousness is turned toward to This are the seven instruments.It is the external. With its seven also made up of the 5 active instruments and nineteen channels, senses, 5 cognitive senses, 5 it experiences the gross vayus, and the 4 Antahkarana. phenomenal world. These are the nineteen channels. Mandukya Upanishad Verse Points to remember 4. The second aspect is the The dreaming state is made up of dreaming state, taijasa. In this the same 7 instruments and 19 state, consciousness is turned channels that make up the waking inward. It also has seven instru- state. ments and nineteen channels, which experience the subtle mental So what is the difference between impressions. waking and dream state?

5. The third aspect is deep sleep, The third state, or the deep sleep prajna. In this state, there is neither state, is undifferentiated desire nor dream. In deep sleep, all consciousness. The samskaras or experiences merge into the unity of impressions are stored here in the undifferentiated consciousness. form of seeds from which emerge The sleeper is filled with bliss. He the objects of dreaming and waking experiences bliss and can find the states. way to knowledge of the two preceding states.

6. The experiencer of these states You are the experiencer or Witness of consciousness is the Lord of all. of the 3 states of consciousness. This One is all-knowing; this one You are Shiva or Pure directs everything from within. This Consciousness. You are immortal one is the womb of all. All things and eternal. Everything manifests originate from and dissolve into and ultimately dissolves into Pure this. Consciousness. Mandukya Upanishad Verse Points to remember 7. Turiya is the Fourth. In Turiya, This is the Witness is the Fourth.It consciousness is not turned inward is not a state of consciousness; it is nor outward nor both. It is Pure Consciousness itself. It is undifferentiated; it is beyond the called Turiya or Self realization. spheres of cognition and non- cognition. The Fourth cannot be This is not an experience. This is experienced through the senses or the experiencer itself. There is no known by comparison or inference; gender. There is no subject-object it is incomprehensible, unthinkable, reality. There is only subject. and indescribable. This is Pure Consciousness. This is the real Self. It is the cessation of all phenomena; it is tranquil, all- blissful, and one without second. This real Self is to be realized.

8. Pure Consciousness, which has Pure consciousness has been been described as having four described as having 4 aspects, yet states, is indivisible. It is AUM. The it is indivisible. sounds A-U-M(ah, ou, mm) and the letters A, U, M are the three states of waking, dreaming, and sleeping, and these three states are the three sounds and letters. But the Fourth, which is unknown and hidden, is realized only in silence.

9. The consciousness experienced Understanding the value of the during the waking state is A, the waking state and knowing your first letter of AUM. It pervades all desires leads to fulfilment of other sounds. Without the first desires. syllable A, one cannot utter the word AUM, and likewise, without knowing the waking state, one cannot know the other states of consciousness. One who is aware of this reality fulfills all his desires and is successful. Mandukya Upanishad Verse Points to remember 10. The consciousness Between the waking and dreaming experienced during the dreaming state is the transition state called state is U, the second letter of Unmani. AUM. This is an elevated Knowing the dreaming state does intermediate state between the not mean being remembering your waking and sleeping states. One dreams when you wake up. It is who knows this subtler state is also not the awareness of a dream superior to others. One who knows when you are dreaming. Knowing this—in his family knowers of the dream state means that the Brahman will be born. dream state comes forward into the waking state and becomes conscious. This can happen only in deep meditation (dhyana). 11. The consciousness Between the dreaming and dream experienced during the deep state sleep is the transition called of sleep is M, the third letter of Aladdini. AUM. One who knows this more What is the conscious experience subtle state as well is able to of Deep Sleep like? Conscious comprehend all within himself. experience of Deep Sleep is Samadhi.

12. That aspect of consciousness Turiya the fourth is the expansion that is not known is the soundless of the the Individual Self to aspect of AUM, which is not Universal Self. THAT where you comprehended by the ordinary want to be. mind and senses. It is the state of cessation of all phenomena, even of bliss. This is a non-dual state — One without second (advaita). This is termed as the Fourth and also as the real Self. One who knows this expands himself to Universal Consciousness.