The Secret Doctrine of Goddess Lalita
(Sri LalitaAṣṭottara Rahasyārthamu)
30. viśvarūpā, jāgariṇī 31. svapantī, taijasātmikā 32. suptā, prājñātmikā 33. turyā, sarvāvasthā vivarjitā
She who has the whole universe as her form – She who assumes the form of jīvā in the waking state.
She who assumes the form of the jīvā in the dream state – She who is the inner essence of the jīvā in the dream state.
She who assumes the form of the jīvā in deep sleep state – She who is not separate from prajña.
She who is in the state of turīya – She who transcends all states.
For as long as we forget our true nature and consider ourselves and the world to be finite and separate, in accordance with our outlook, the Goddess projects Herself as the finite world and individual, the macrocosm and the microcosm respectively. This leads to saṃsāra, the cycle of birth and death. The fragment of Consciousness that is attached to the body is the jīvā, the notion of an individual, a separate self. Attached to the individual are three states - the waking, dream, and deep sleep. Identified with these states, the jīvā forgets that he is the witness to these states. In the waking state, he is called viṣva (the self that is identified with the gross body). In the dream state, he is called taijasa (the self that functions as light), and in deep sleep state, he is called prajña (the self that is a witness to the nescience in deep sleep).
It is only a misconception, this notion that the individual experiences three states. In reality, he does not experience any of these states himself. It is Devī, the witnessing Self that is enshrined in him as his innermost Self, that experiences them. She is the one who assumes the form and role of viṣva in the waking state, taijasa in the dream state, and prajña in deep sleep. Since Devī is his innermost Self, jīvā is none other than Her.
If the jīvā is the Devī Herself, then the question arises – is it Devī that is trapped in saṃsāra? Devī is sarvāvasthā vivarjitā, the one who transcends all states. Although She is present in all these states, She is not attached to any of them. She is untouched and separate from them as the Consciousness that pervades them. She is not limited by time, space, or events, since time, space, and events are contained in Her. She is turīya, the fourth state that is immanent in all three states as well as transcends them.In reality, It cannot be called turīya, the fourth state, either. Only when three are really present, there is scope for a fourth. The waking, dream, and deep sleep states don’t really exist on their own. They have no existence separate from Consciousness. They appear as though they are separate and real, but they are mithyā, only illusory appearances. If the three states are mere illusions, then why is turīya called the fourth state? The four states are provisionally stated because it is a common misconception that the three states are real, that they are wrought with suffering, and one must free oneself from suffering by attaining the fourth, turīya. We do not realize that the so called four states are in reality only one, turīya, a state that is not a state, since It is the underlying reality that does not undergo any change. As long as we do not realize the truth that Consciousness (turīya) alone is real, and instead identify as the jīvā and consider the waking, dream, and deep-sleep states as real, Devī will continue to bind us with the noose called tirodhāna and keep us in bondage.