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: