There are four main forms of consciousness – the waking state, the dream state, the deep sleep state, and turiiya [state of absorption of the self into Pure Consciousness]. Actually, in the turiiya form of consciousness, the Supreme Being exists in His own form or own nature, like milk remaining milk and not becoming curd or butter. Hence this is the controlling form of the other three forms. This is why God is called the master of the three lokas – the three lokas being the three forms of consciousness: waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. These three expressions of consciousness have the following chief distinguishing features –

Waking: In this expression, the conscious mind is strongest. One is prone to believe more in the truth of those things directly experienced by one’s indriyas⁽¹⁾ than in things produced by the mind – thoughts, etc.

Dreaming: In this state, one believes only in the workings of the mind as the truth. The senses do not work directly.

Deep sleep: In this state, neither the sense [organs] nor the conscious mind are working directly, nor does one know about the workings of the mind. Both are working indirectly, and the Supreme Being maintains their minimum essential working.

In all these forms of consciousness, the unit is helpless to do anything on its own if the Supreme Being does not support its working by being the witnessing and controlling entity for all the forms. For instance, in an awakened state you may have eyes, ears, and other indriyas working, but your power to see, hear, etc., comes from one Supreme Being. Parama Puruśa can snatch away these powers of your indriyas. He can snatch these powers away from you at any stage of operation. For instance, when He snatches away your power of speech, you will have a tongue, but you will have no power to speak. Without His support you are nothing, you can perform nothing. He can stop you just at the stage when you are about to assert a particular power of yours.

Your expressions are therefore like those in a puppet show, where beautiful dance and drama go on, but only as long as the hand that controls the strings allows it to happen.

The activities of the mind which are dominant in dreams are similarly under the control of the Witnessing Entity. He can snatch away your power of imagination even before a sentence in your mind regarding doubt about His existence is complete.

In deep sleep, also, it is Parama Puruśa who regulates the essential functioning of the being when direct expressions are absent. If this were not so, sleep might become an eternal sleep from which there would be no awakening.

Turiiya: The wise, therefore, surrender the workings of all the above expressions unto the turiiya form of the Supreme Being. They act as His instruments. This gives them a great advantage. They have no ego, and hence no chance of the loss of prestige. Being the instrument of the Supreme is a happy and efficient state.

People say that a bull, when he is in the fullness of his strength, cries Ham, meaning “I am great.” After he dies, the [cotton-spinner] makes a bow with strings from his intestines, and it produces the sound Tuṋ, Tuṋ, meaning “You are great.”⁽²⁾ Thus will fall the ego ultimately. Therefore the wise will take the “You are great” stance from the very beginning.

But for God’s consent, none of the forms of consciousness will express themselves. He is the Supreme Witnessing Entity of all individual and collective expressions. He and they are diametrically opposite. He is absolute; the other three forms of consciousness are relative. This wonderful Supreme Being is the ultimate truth – is Sadáshiva [Eternal Consciousness].

Whatever you do, God sees everything. For Him, no part of your body is closed or shut. He is the innermost part of your being. “Today I am very busy and have to attend a party. So I shall do sádhaná for three or four minutes only.” He knows that you are placing a party above sádhaná. He hears both your spoken words and your unspoken words. In fact He hears your words before you do, before they become mental. He, therefore, has the full knowledge of all that goes on within, without, and beneath the mind. Try to hide something from Him and you will not succeed.

Your aim should be to harmonize your inner mind and your outer expressions. Make your mind within and without one and uniform. There are two personalities in everyone, the inner one and the outer one. The inner one is less complicated, but the outer one appears to be better (it is hypocritically better). The aim of sádhaná is to bring these two personalities closer together and make them one.

Take an example. When a person is approached by someone, the outer person will say, “Come here, sir, welcome, how pleased to see you;” but the inner person may say, “Here comes another nuisance and disturbance.” A sádhaka will be the same within and without.

When you are one and the same, within and without, when all the expressions of your consciousness are in harmony with the Supreme Being, the duality of your being will vanish, and you will be established in permanent peace and greatness.

For our own protection we seek the support of a policeman. That policeman needs protection from his superiors. The superior, however, must depend for his security on Him.

Therefore for permanent freedom from fear and from all obstacles and limitations, and to achieve the highest purity and peace, surrender yourself to the Supreme Being. This alone is the path of bliss.

Footnotes

(1) An indriya is a sensory or motor organ – in this case a sensory organ. –Eds.

(2) In Hindi, ham means “I” and tuṋ means “you”. Cotton-spinners in India carry a bow-like instrument as they move through the streets. It is their tool of spinning, but secondarily they play on it to announce their services.