Turiya (“fourth”)
The Mandukya Upanishad, one of the theoretical religious
works that make up the last layer of the Vedas, the oldest Hindu holy
scriptures, gives this term to the deepest quarter of the Self (atman).
The primary purpose of the Mandukya Upanishad, like with
most of the Upanishads, is to probe ultimate problems, particularly the essence
of the Self.
The Self is described as having four quarters in the
upanishad, each of which removes another layer of egoism.
The first quarter is waking consciousness, which is marked
by subject and object perceptions; the second is dream sleep, which is pure
subjectivity; the third is deep sleep, which has neither subject nor object;
and the fourth is a mysterious state simply referred to as "the
fourth" (turiya), which is the Self.
This condition is known as the ultimate truth, and knowing
it leads to complete soul emancipation (moksha).
