Turiya and Prajnaa--reply to Sahasranamamji

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Dear Sahasranamamji, Turiya is Spiritual Transcendental Consciousness. Visva, Taijasa, and Prajna merge and fuse sequentially. Turiya is without any attributes: It or He is the Self. Objective consciousness is absent and its seed is absent. Ramana Maharishi says Turiya is "Wakeful Sleep". Turiya is present and functional in the perfected ones, even when they are awake. In Turiya, there is an irreversible union with Brahman; there is Oneness with Brahman: There is a permanent Metaphysical Unity.

There are four progressive Turiya states, one deeper and subtler than the earlier one. The silence that follows the Sound AUM corresponds to this state. The icon Om has a crescent with a dot, Chandrabindu, which is Nada and Bindu. Chandrabindu = Chandra and Bindu = Moon + Dot. As you see, Nada Sakti cradles Bindu Sakti, Nada is the Mother and Bindu is the infant; Nada is subtle and Bindu is solid and heavy (Ghana) and so is the cause of the visible universe. Bindu is one compact, superdense pack of Sakti (power), ready for blossoming out into the building blocks of the universe in an orderly fashion. Maya Sakti brings about this blossoming, actualization and unfolding of this universe from Bindu in this cosmic choreography. A,U,M represents Brahma, Vishnu and Siva-Rudra who are responsible for the creation, maintenance, and destruction of the visible universe. What existed before the visible Universe is represented by Chandrabindu, the silence, also known as Turiya. As said earlier, A is waking state; U is dream state; M is deep sleep; Chandrabindu is the Silence or Turiya. The universe goes through these cycles; so also the Jivatma goes through the first three states, while Yogi realizes Turiya. Between intonations of two Oms, there is a brief period of Silence; that is Chandrabindu and represent Turiya silence. Is it not beautiful to

see Mother Nada in the form of Crescent Moon cradling Baby Bindu, who grows heavy, massive, and strong and becomes the universe with many parts? Bindu is the aggregate (Samasthi) of people and personalities, while each individual (Vyasthi) is part of that aggregate. Bindu's prolific energy produces all conceivable things in the universe ranging from blade of grass to Brahma. Nada-Bindu has all the equipment it needs: Iccha, Jnana and Kriya (Will, Knowledge, and Action). Sun, Moon and Fire emanate from them; the gods emanate from them; the universe and Tattvas emanate from them. Nada-Bindu is in a continuous state of creation, maintenance, and destruction; anabolism and catabolism; combination, recombination, mutation, and permutation; thus, there is no beginning, there is no end to its activity, and it is a continuous cycle. Now you can see the amount of power packed in Pranava, Om with its Nada-Bindu. AUM projects five rays: A,U,M, Nada, Bindu, Bija, and Santa. Tirumular says in Tantra Four, Verse 885, that A became the world, A and U became Sakti and Siva and AUM became the Light (Jnana = Wisdom). M became the Maya. Wakefulness is Bija; when Bindu is dreaming a million dreams it is in svapna state; when Nada is in deep sleep, it is Susupti state; Turiya is Sakti in union with Brahman; What is beyond Turiya state is Saanta. Turiya States: (4A) Jiva Turiya: Jiva realizes its pristine spiritual nature and its organic relationship with God or Self. Duality still exists. (4B) Para Turiya: Jiva realizes Brahman, and union (absorption or merger) takes place. It is still NOT united. Duality is still apparent between object and subject, Jiva and Brahman. Remember: Brahman, the all-knowing subject can never be an

object. (4C) Brahman Turiya: Jiva unites with Brahman, and is fully absorbed and integrated into One Being. (4D) Beyond Turiya: Jiva and Brahman

become ONE as butter is poured into butter, and water is mixed with water. It is an undifferentiated and homogeneous state of subject and object fusion. (5) Turiyatita: This is the fifth transcendent state of the soul, in which the jivatma is absolved of all sins, malas (impurites), and bondages and is called Sivamukta. The other expansive term for it is Nirmala (ninmala) Turiyatitam. Nirmala = no + impurities. This tells us the distinction between The Absolute and the God, Brahman and Isvara, Turiya and Prajna. Supreme Noumenal Level: Absolute, Brahman, Turiya, and Silence after AUM have a horizontal relationship; all are Imperishable; Brahman is all thought, all Bliss, no dream, no sleep, no name, no form, and all light. The

Phenomenal Level: Isvara, Hiranyagarbha, and Virât in the descending order equate with or correspond to Prajna, Taijasa, and Visva, and in turn to deep sleep, dream sleep, and wakefulness. Table: Being Condition AUM-silence Status Consciousness State Brahman Turiya Silence after AUM Absolute 4th state Noumenal Isvara* Prajna M of AUM Isvara Deep Sleep Phenomenal Brahma Taijasa U of AUM Hiranyagarbha Dream sleep Phenomenal Visva A of AUM Virat Wakefulness Phenomenal Isvara*: Personal God. According to Madhava, Brahman in association with Mâyâ becomes Isvara who is the cause of the world. Brahman and avidya provide matter or substance and the Brahman and mâyâ provide the change and diversity in this phenomenal world. The Noumenon is perception of an object at an intellectual, non-sensory,

and intuitional level divorced from concepts of time and space: Brahman is noumenal, while Isvara is phenomenal; Brahman is absolute and Isvara is an adjunct status, but the status is no less potent. Vishnu as Isvara is a special entity (Purusa-visesa), whose nature is pristine. The Highest Phenomenal Level One: God, Isvara, Prajna, and AUM belong to the category of the Unmanifest becoming the manifest universe of beings and matter (which are derivatives of the imperishable and immeasurable Brahman.) There is no descent, no reduction, and no diminution: According to Brahma Sutra, Isvara is Brahman with creative energy; His mâyâ-sakti is the mediating cause of this phenomenal world. Isvara is both transcendent (Cit Sakti) and immanent (Tatastham): He is transcendent in relation to Brahman and immanent in relation to the created world; this immanence is not a descent from transcendence for the sake of upâsana or

worship; they are the two sides of the same coin, obverse is Brahman and the reverse is Isvara. Brahman is mâyâ-free and Isvara is Mayin. Brahman and transcendence have to be without attributes and so are mâyâ-free: Brahman transcends three gunas – Trigunâtita (three gunas transcended). Prajna is knowledge by intuition and self-realization (Prajna is transcendental wisdom.) Brahman BECOMES ISVARA OR PERSONAL GOD with pure wisdom or Prajna. (Brahman does not diminish or cease to be, by becoming Isvara, the latter being an adjunct status.) Isvara is the Principle behind the Mula-Prakriti or the unmanifest, the inner guide of all souls. The Higher Phenomenal Level Two: Isvara is the immediate cause of Hiranyagarbha, which is the embryo of the world; this Embryo stage (an internalized stage) is

comparable to the dream state, ideas, possibilities etc. Brahma is the creator of this dream world of possibilities. The Higher Phenomenal Level Three: Virât or manifestation of the phenomenal world. When this embryo (Hiranyagarbha) is projected into space and time, we get virât or manifestations. Ramanuja says that Isvara is the inner controller of Cit and Acit – Beings and universe, sentient and insentient. When the embryo evolves, the manifest world is like the waking state. When retrograde involution takes place, the Cit, the Acit, Hiranyagarbha, and Isvara go (trace their steps

backwards) into Brahman. AUM straddles all levels and is imperishable: A is for the waking state, U is for the dream state and M is for the Deep Sleep; the silence that follows AUM is the Turiya State; AUM is worshipped as Isvara and Brahman. Devotion is of several kinds, thus bringing different results. The object of devotion or worship can range from nature, to lesser gods, to personal God, to Saguna Brahman to Nirguna Brahman: The Self is the same in all these entities. The fruits of this worship or devotion are according to the actions and the object of worship: they can range from acquisition of earthly goods, to success in certain endeavors, graduated liberation, samâdhi, jivanmukti, or moksa; the results are also dependent on the mental make-up and the aptitude of the devotee. Everyone is not capable of becoming a Jnâna Yogi, but may have to be satisfied with karma yoga, bakhti yoga, Prapatti or Sarnâgati.

The Self is the same in the snake worshipper and the jnâna yogi; the Self at both ends of the spectrum and in between is conditioned by the excellence of the mind; but all have the potential for eventual moksa. May all reach Moskha sooner than expected by the Grace of Rajarajeshwari Devi of Nanganallur. Let me go to the temple now forgetting Turiya and Prajnaa and concentrating on the saffron lotus feet of Amba. Lalanthika Lasathphala Lalaata Nayanaarchita! Yours

yogically, Shreeram Balijepalli

 

 

 

Purity, Powers, Parabrahmam...

 

 

 

 

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