Turiya

“The Fourth”. The state of consciousness that transcends the three ordinary states (waking, dreaming, deep sleep).

The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad (7) describes turīya by negation:

“Neither internal nor external consciousness, nor both, nor a mass of consciousness, neither conscious nor unconscious. Invisible, intractable, ungraspable, without marks, unthinkable, indescribable… peaceful, auspicious, non-dual — that is the Fourth.”

The three ordinary states:

1. Jāgrat (waking): Consciousness of external objects
2. Svapna (dream): Consciousness of internal objects
3. Suṣupti (deep sleep): Absence of objects, unconsciousness

Turīya is not a fourth state among others but the witness of the three, the background upon which they appear and disappear. It is synonymous with ātman/Brahman.