Avasthā-traya: the States of Consciousness

                                           अवस्थात्रय

In the Indian school of thought, the concept avasthā is central because Indian philosophers always inquired into some of the existential questions about the world, its ever-changing nature, what remains constant and the way to liberate from the sufferings.

 The word Avastha comes from two letters- “ava” meaning distinctly, completely, and “sthā” to remain or established. Thus, Avastha can be defined as “ava tiṣṭhati iti avasthā” अव तिष्ठति इति अवस्था  , That in which one abides or remains distinctly is avasthā.

Yoga Sutra of Patanjali talks about avasthā. as the state where the seer abides in its true nature तदा द्रष्टुः स्वरूपेऽवस्थानम्  “Tadā draṣṭuḥ svarūpe’vasthānam”

In Mandukya Upnishad Avasthā Traya, the three-fold state of experience are explained to reveal the underlying and never changing existence of consciousness. These three states are:  Jagrat/ Waking, Svapna/ Dream & Susupti / Sleep (jāgrat svapna suṣupti avasthāḥ.

What is Jagrat Avastha?

श्रोत्रादिज्ञानेंद्रियैः शब्दादिविषयैश्च ज्ञायते इति या सा जाग्रदवस्था ।स्थूलशरीराभिमानी आत्मा विश्व इत्युच्यते ॥

śrotrādi-jñānendriyaiḥ śabdādi-viṣayaiś ca jñāyate iti yā sā jāgrad-avasthā |sthūla-śarīrābhimānī ātmā viśva ity ucyate || Tattvabodha

The waking state is the state in which one experiences the world through the organs of knowledge (jñānendriyas) and their corresponding sense objects. The Self identified with the gross body in this state is called Viśva.

The gross body (sthūla śarīra) is made up of the pañca mahābhūtas,the five elements and serves as the field for pleasure and pain “bhoga āyatam” whereas subtle body comprising of the five sense organs of knowledge and action, pañca prāṇas,mind, intellect, ego is an instrument of experience “bhoga sādhanam”.

In the waking state, consciousness is externalized through the senses and due to the identification with the body -mind complex Ātman appears identified with it and functions as Viśva.

Waking state and the sense organs are not a problem but not remaining in the state is a problem because in this state one can free itself from the likes, dislikes and results of action. Getting bound by likes and dislikes keeps the person bound in action and reaction and gives enough opportunity to the mind to fancy around. It makes the person escape from waking state to day dreaming.

Here the Atman is identified with the gross body but does not become the object or subject and remains free from it .  All actions such as offering to Isvara, Citta śuddhi (purification of mind), Citta ekāgratā (one-pointedness) can only be gained in this state. There is a room for learning, growing in and growing out in the waking state which changes mind in two ways: one by changing the quality of thoughts (texture) and its structure.

Svapna Avasthā — Dream State

जाग्रदवस्थायां यद्दृष्टं यच्छ्रुतं तज्जनितवासनया निद्रासमये यः प्रपञ्चः स स्वप्नावस्था ।सूक्ष्मशरीराभिमानी आत्मा तैजस इत्युच्यते ॥

jāgrad-avasthāyāṁ yad dṛṣṭaṁ yad śrutaṁ taj-janita-vāsanayā nidrā-samaye yaḥ prapañcaḥ sa svapnāvasthā |sūkṣma-śarīrābhimānī ātmā taijasa ity ucyate ||

Dream state is the world that appears or manifests during sleep through the impressions that is gained during the waking state through the eyes, ears as seen, heard etc.., The one who identifies with the subtle body is called Taijasa.

If the waking state is like opening the windows of the house to the external world, the dream state is like closing those windows and entering an inner world projected by the mind itself. Dreams arise from vāsanās/deep impressions accumulated through experiences. These are not merely casual impressions, but powerful tendencies rooted in avidyā (erroneous knowledge) capable of shaping perception and behavior.

One gets into this dream world even in the waking state when the mind slips away while doing a task into imagination & fancying attributing false value to things around. It leads to adding the perceptional degree of reality instead of transactional and false valuations become desires leading to loss of clarity and wisdom.

Bhagwan Krishna teaches Arjuna that everybody is a Dharmin until the kāma sets in.

dhyāyato viṣayān puṁsaḥ saṅgas teṣūpajāyatesaṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ kāmāt krodho ’bhijāyate  2.62

krodhād bhavati sammohaḥ sammohāt smṛti-vibhramaḥsmṛti-bhraṁśād buddhi-nāśo buddhi-nāśāt praṇaśyati 2.63

 “From thinking about sense objects attachment arises, from attachment kāma (desire) is born, from desire krodha (anger) arises, from anger moha (delusion/confusion) arises, from delusion loss of memory/discrimination, from loss of memory buddhi-nāśa (destruction of intelligence), rfom destruction of intelligence the person falls spiritually.

Gauḍapāda, Paramguru of Acharya Shankar in Mandukya Karika say we are all sleepwalking in the waking state and the real awakening is the actual jāgrad Avastha. We don’t see the thing as it is and end up grasping other than what it is, Anyatha Grahanam. 

Suṣupti Avasthā: Deep Sleep State

अहं किमपि न जानामि सुखेन मया निद्रा अनुभूयत इति सुषुप्त्यवस्था ।कारणशरीराभिमानी आत्मा प्राज्ञ इत्युच्यते ॥

ahaṁ kimapi na jānāmi skhena mayā nidrā anubhūyata iti suṣupty-avasthā |kāraṇa-śarīrābhimānī ātmā prājña ity ucyate ||

“I do not know anything, comfortably sleep was experienced by me, where this experience takes place is called suṣupti avasthā, state of sleep.

The one who is identified with the causal body is called Prajna, almost ignorant.In deep sleep there are no thoughts, no dreams, no sensory experience, no ego activity. The latent impressions are still there in the Karana Sarira and Self is present as Prājña the experiencer of deep sleep. This as Prājña is the knower of deep sleep but this is again a state where avidya is in the seed form.

Mandukya Upnishad uses these three states as a method of inquiry and the question is: what remains constant through waking, dream and deep sleep? All these states are transient.

नान्तःप्रज्ञं न बहिःप्रज्ञं नोभयतःप्रज्ञंन प्रज्ञानघनं न प्रज्ञं नाप्रज्ञम् ।अदृष्टमव्यवहार्यमग्राह्यमलक्षणम्अचिन्त्यमव्यपदेश्यमेकात्मप्रत्ययसारम् ।प्रपञ्चोपशमं शान्तं शिवमद्वैतंचतुर्थं मन्यन्ते स आत्मा स विज्ञेयः ॥

nāntaḥ-prajñam na bahiḥ-prajñam nobhayataḥ-prajñamna prajñānaghanam na prajñam nāprajñam |adṛṣṭam avyavahāryam agrāhyam alakṣaṇamacintyam avyapadeśyam ekātma-pratyaya-sāram |prapañcopaśamaṁ śāntaṁ śivam advaitaṁcaturthaṁ manyante sa ātmā sa vijñeyaḥ |

-            (Mandukya Upanishad, Mantra 7)

I am not the Waker, Dreamer or Sleeper but distinct from all three, I am the fourth (Turiya)with reference to three. I continue to be but mistaken as three states. I am the non-dual reality that underlines and illumines all states.

There are not three selves but three avasthās appearing in awareness and we misidentify the Self with these three states. Consciousness reflects in waking, dream and deep sleep but the constant underlying it is who “I AM.”

                                                            By Neeru Prashar Sharma