Mandukya Upanishad
12 verses on AUM and the four states of consciousness
The Mandukya Upanishad: OM and the Four States
The Mandukya Upanishad is the shortest of the principal Upanishads, just 12 verses, yet Shankaracharya said that if one could study only one Upanishad, it should be this one. Why? Because it contains the complete teaching of Vedanta in its most essential form.
From the Atharva Veda, this Upanishad analyzes the sacred syllable OM and maps it to the four states of consciousness: waking, dreaming, deep sleep, and the "fourth" (Turiya), your true Self beyond all states.
Key Verses
Verse 1, OM is Everything
ॐ इत्येतदक्षरमिदं सर्वं तस्योपव्याख्यानं भूतं भवद्भविष्यदिति सर्वमोङ्कार एव।
यच्चान्यत्त्रिकालातीतं तदप्योङ्कार एव।।
oṁ ity etad akṣaram idaṁ sarvaṁ tasyopavyākhyānaṁ bhūtaṁ bhavad bhaviṣyad iti sarvam oṅkāra eva yac cānyat trikālātītaṁ tad apy oṅkāra eva
"OM, this syllable is all this. All that is past, present, and future is truly OM. And whatever transcends the three times, that too is OM."
The Upanishad opens with a sweeping declaration: OM is not just a mantra, it IS reality itself. Everything that exists in time, and even the timeless itself, is contained in this sound.
Verse 2, This Self is Brahman (Mahavakya)
सर्वं ह्येतद्ब्रह्मायमात्मा ब्रह्म सोऽयमात्मा चतुष्पात्।।
sarvaṁ hy etad brahmāyam ātmā brahma so 'yam ātmā catuṣpāt
"All this is indeed Brahman. This Self is Brahman. This Self has four quarters (aspects)."
This verse contains the Mahavakya (Great Saying): "Ayam Ātmā Brahma", This Self is Brahman. Your innermost Self is the ultimate reality, understood through four aspects.
Verse 5, Deep Sleep: A Mass of Consciousness
सुषुप्तस्थान एकीभूतः प्रज्ञानघन एवानन्दमयो ह्यानन्दभुक्चेतोमुखः प्राज्ञस्तृतीयः पादः।।
suṣupta-sthāna ekībhūtaḥ prajñāna-ghana evānandamayo hy ānanda-bhuk ceto-mukhaḥ prājñas tṛtīyaḥ pādaḥ
"The third quarter is Prajna, whose sphere is deep sleep, who has become unified, who is a mass of consciousness, who is full of bliss, who experiences bliss, and whose face is consciousness."
In deep sleep, consciousness becomes undifferentiated and blissful. Why do you feel restored after deep sleep? Because you've returned to your source, unified awareness without the burden of ego.
Verse 7, Turiya: The Fourth (Your True Self)
नान्तःप्रज्ञं न बहिष्प्रज्ञं नोभयतःप्रज्ञं न प्रज्ञानघनं न प्रज्ञं नाप्रज्ञम्।
अदृष्टं... एकात्मप्रत्ययसारं प्रपञ्चोपशमं शान्तं शिवमद्वैतं चतुर्थं मन्यन्ते स आत्मा स विज्ञेयः।।
nāntaḥ-prajñaṁ na bahiṣ-prajñaṁ nobhayataḥ-prajñaṁ na prajñāna-ghanaṁ na prajñaṁ nāprajñam... ekātma-pratyaya-sāraṁ prapañcopaśamaṁ śāntaṁ śivam advaitaṁ caturthaṁ manyante sa ātmā sa vijñeyaḥ
"Not inwardly conscious, not outwardly conscious, not conscious both ways, not a mass of consciousness, not conscious, not unconscious... the essence of the awareness of one Self, the cessation of the world, peaceful, auspicious, non-dual, this they consider the fourth. This is the Self. This is to be known."
The fourth state (Turiya) is described by what it is NOT, because it cannot be grasped by thought or described by words. It's not a state among other states but the awareness in which all states appear.
Verse 12, The Self Enters the Self
अमात्रश्चतुर्थोऽव्यवहार्यः प्रपञ्चोपशमः शिवोऽद्वैत एवमोङ्कार आत्मैव।
संविशत्यात्मनाऽऽत्मानं य एवं वेद।।
amātraś caturtho 'vyavahāryaḥ prapañcopaśamaḥ śivo 'dvaita evam oṅkāra ātmaiva saṁviśaty ātmanātmānaṁ ya evaṁ veda
"The fourth is without measure, beyond transaction, the cessation of the world-appearance, auspicious, non-dual. Thus OM is verily the Self. One who knows this enters the Self by the Self."
The final verse: liberation is the Self recognizing itself as itself, without any intermediary. The silence after A-U-M is where the Self rests as itself.
The Structure of OM
- A (ah), Waking state (Vaishvanara), outward consciousness
- U (oo), Dream state (Taijasa), inward consciousness
- M (mm), Deep sleep (Prajna), unified consciousness
- Silence, The Fourth (Turiya), pure awareness itself
Main Themes
- OM Encompasses All, Past, present, future, and the timeless are all contained in OM.
- Four States of Consciousness, Waking, dreaming, deep sleep, and the transcendent fourth.
- Your True Self is Turiya, Not a state you achieve but your ever-present nature to recognize.
- Self-Recognition, Liberation is the Self knowing itself by itself.
Reflection Questions
- What is present in waking, dreaming, and deep sleep? What remains unchanged through all three states?
- When you chant OM, can you experience each part, A, U, M, and then rest in the silence after?
- Why might deep sleep feel so refreshing, even though you're not "doing" anything?
Continue Your Study
Read the complete Mandukya Upanishad with all 12 verses and detailed explanations of each state of consciousness.