turiya

Turiya is a term from Indian philosophy describing the fourth state of consciousness, transcending the ordinary waking (jagrat), dreaming (svapna), and deep sleep (sushupti) states. The word turiya means "the fourth" in Sanskrit.

In the Mandukya Upanishad, which discusses the four states, turiya is presented as the substratum of the other states and as pure consciousness. The Upanishad links the first three states to the syllable Om in its analysis, while turiya is described as the witness who remains unaffected by mental activity.

In Advaita Vedanta, turiya is taken to be the true self (atman) and the non-dual Brahman. It is described as pure consciousness, devoid of content, and as the ultimate basis of experience. Some formulations summarize turiya as sat-chit-ananda in the sense that it underlies all phenomena.

Philosophically, turiya is the "witness" (sakshi) to experiences; it does not identify with the three states.

Practically, realizing turiya is a goal in Advaita and is approached through inquiry, meditation, and the study of non-duality. The concept has been elaborated by later commentators such as Gaudapada (Mandukya Karika) and Adi Shankaracharya.