amātraś caturtho 'vyavahāryaḥ prapañcopaśamaḥ śivo 'dvaita evam oṅkāra ātmaiva saṁviśaty ātmanātmānaṁ ya evaṁ veda ||
"The fourth is without measure (amātra), 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."
What This Means:
The fourth aspect of OM is the silence after — without measurement, beyond description, the end of all illusion, auspicious, non-dual. This is your true Self. One who realizes this becomes one with the Self.
Going Deeper:
Amātra (measureless) means Turiya cannot be grasped as an object — it's not another "thing" to know. It's the knowing itself. "Enters the Self by the Self" (ātmanātmānam saṁviśati) describes self-recognition: the Self realizes itself as itself, without any intermediary. This is liberation.
How To Apply This:
After chanting A-U-M, rest in the silence. Don't look for an experience. Don't wait for something to happen. Simply be. That silent awareness — present before, during, and after the sound — is what you truly are.
Key Sanskrit Terms: