Concept of waking state dream deep sleep turiya state in the mandukya upanisad and in comparison with modern psychology

Abstract

BACKGROUND newlineThe cultural and spiritual legacy of India is vast as well as rich. There is nothing sectarian or newlineregional about it. It is so universal in its appeal and so catholic in its approach that it belongs newlineto the whole world. This legacy is derived from the Vedas. They include all schools of newlineIndian thought except that of the Lokand#257;yata, Buddhists and Jains. Each of them is subdivided newlineinto Samhitand#257; (collections), Brand#257;hmaand#7751;a (dealing with Vedic rituals, sacrificial rites), and#256;raand#7751;yaka newline(sacrificial rites) and Upaniand#7779;ads. Homogeneity can be found in all the Upaniand#7779;ads. They deal newlinewith the topics of supreme reality (Brahman), individual soul (and#256;tman), world (jagat) and newlinetheir inter relationships. These concepts are in the form of an enchanting dialogue between newlinea teacher and a student, father and son, mother and son and so on. In the Upaniand#7779;ads, we get newlinean intelligible body of verified and verifiable spiritual insights mixed with a mass of myths newlineand legends, cosmological speculation relating to the nature and origin of the universe. While newlinethe former has universal validity, and has a claim on human intelligence in all ages, the latter newlineforswears all such claims. All positivistic knowledge contained in any literature, including newlinereligious literature, is limited and conditioned by the level of contemporary scientific newlineknowledge. Among the ten Upaniand#7779;ads, Mand#257;and#7751;and#7693;and#363;kya Upaniand#7779;ad is taken for an analysis here. newlineIn the brief compass of its twelve verses of the condensed thought, the Mand#257;and#7751;and#7693;and#363;kya surveys the newlinewhole of experience through a study of the three states of waking, dream, dreamless sleep, newlineand reveals the and#256;tman, the self of man, the Turand#299;yand#257; or the fourth, as it puts it, as pure newlineconsciousness, eternal and non-dual. It proclaims in its second verse, the infinite dimension newlineof man in a pregnant utterance - one of the four mahand#257;vand#257;kyas or great utterances of the newlineUpaniand#7779;ads: Ayam and#257;tma brahmand#257; - this and#256;tman (self of man) is Brahman. The four states are newlineanalyzed here with Mand#257;and#7751;and#7693;and#363;kya Kand#257;rika of Gauand#7693;apand#257;da. The Mand#257;and#7751;and#7693;and#363;kya Upaniand#7779;ad speaks of newlinemind and consciousnes