Shushupti : The Third State of Consciousness
Mandukya Upanishad states that there are four states of consciousness:
- जागृत : Waking State
- स्वप्न : Dream State
- सुषुप्ति
- चतुर्थो
The first two states of waking (जागृत) and dream (स्वप्न) state are obvious to everyone, and the fourth state (चतुर्थो) is beyond human understanding. While the Mandukya Upanishad does not give a name to the fourth state, many seers call it the तुरीय (turiya). So what about सुषुप्ति, the third state? Well, thats what this blog is about.
The Mandukya Upanishad also connects these four states to the chanting of OM (or AUM). जागृत (waking state) is equated with the A sound, स्वप (dream state) is equated with the U sound, सुषुप्ति is equated with the M sound, and चतुर्थो is equated with the silence that follows after the chant is done.
So far its all good, but there is a major confusion and misunderstanding in many commentaries on the Mandukya Upanishad regarding the third state of consciousness (सुषुप्ति). Most translations and commentaries translate सुषुप्ति as deep sleep or dreamless sleep. So whats the problem? Isn’t that a natural progression? From waking state (जागृत) to dreams (स्वप्न) and then to deep dreamless sleep. Sounds perfect, isn’t it? Well, lets examine this carefully.
The 4 states of consciousness in the Mandukya Upanishad are expected to have a gradual movement towards pure satva (सत्व). And so, the third state of consciousness (सुषुप्ति) which comes just before the final state of तुरीय is expected to be a heightened state of consciousness and not an unconscious state of sleep. Also, in verse 18.39 of the Bhagavad Gita, the sleep experience (निद्रा) is described to be tamasic (तामसिक). So, the satvik state of सुषुप्ति is certainly very very different from the tamasic state of sleep.
यदग्रे चानुबन्धे च सुखं मोहनमात्मनः|
निद्रालस्यप्रमादोत्थं तत्तामसमुदाहृतम् || BG 18.39||That pleasure which, at the beginning and end, deludes the self, through sleep, sloth, and error, is declared to be tamasic.
If we closely examine the verses of the Mandukya Upanishad, we will find that there is no reference to निद्रा anywhere. The confusion perhaps arises due to use of the word सुप्तः in verse 5 of this Upanishad, which is often translated as sleep. However, it is important to note that this word can also mean a state of inactivity. Interestingly, सुषुप्ति is actually a state of both physical and mental inactivity, but very different from the sleep.
सुषुप्ति is a deep conscious state where the mind is about to reach the final state of तुरीय (turiya). As verse 5 of the Mandukya Upanishad describes, in this state, the mind neither desires anything nor beholds any dream. In this elevated state of consciousness, one becomes undivided undifferentiated mass of consciousness, consisting of bliss.
यत्र सुप्तो न कञ्चन कामं कामयते न कञ्चन स्वप्नं पश्यति तत् सुषुप्तम् । सुषुप्तस्थान एकीभूतः प्रज्ञानघन एवानन्दमयो ह्यानन्दभुक् चेतोमुखः प्राज्ञस्तृतीयः पादः || Mandukya 5 ||
So in a way, सुषुप्ति is a heightened state of deep consciousness free from desires and dreams, which may outwardly appear as sleep. But on the inside, the mind of the person in that state is deeply absorbed in meditation. So how do we achieve this state of सुषुप्ति? By following the guidelines given in the Patanjali Yoga Sutras.
In the context of अष्टांग योग or the eight limbs of Yoga described by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras, सुषुप्ति can be equated with the state of ध्यान (Dhyana).
तत्र प्रत्ययैकतानता ध्यानम् || PYS 3.2 ||
In the state of Dhyana, one’s entire perceptual experience becomes uninturreptedly aligned with that object.
Interestingly, in the Patanjali Yoga Sutras, the state of ध्यान (Dhyana) is the penultimate state just before the final state of समाधिः (Samadhi) which can be equated with the fourth state of consciousness described in the Mandukya Upanishad.
Now of course, while an intellectual understanding of these concepts is spiritually very rewarding, the real fun is in the actual experience. Lets work together to collectively get there some day.
