There are different methods to classify states of consciousness. Most divide it into 4 (or 5) states. However, comprehensive classification takes into account all the intervening states too. So these are 16 such states:
Definition of Consciousness in modern science: State of being aware & be responsive to one's surrounding. GCS (Glasgow Coma Score) is to measure the level of consciousness. It includes graded score of each- Eye opening (1-4), Verbal response (1-5) & Motor response (1-6)
Lowest score is 3 (1 from each 3 response groups) & highest is 15 (4+5+6 score from all 3 response groups) But all these groups are essentially motor responses (with implied sensory) Medical science considers Consciousness as measurable (from outside) response to external stimuli
Different states of Consciousness are also identified as: 1 Awake 2 Sleep - REM & NREM sleep NREM sleep divide into 3 stages- a: slow eye movement (alpha wave)- relaxed wakefulness b: no eye movement (sleep spindles & k complexes)- dreamless c: slow wave sleep (Delta wave)- dream
For simplification 3 stages are usually talked about: 1. Awake 2. Dream sleep 3. Dreamless sleep
Relaxed wakefulness isn't of medical importance & is discarded Comatose state may be any of sleep stage Everything else scoring 3 -15 on GCS is altered sensorium. So medical science doesn't take into account which isn't measurable from outside. It conveniently chooses those aspects of consciousness which it can measure. Skipping here comprehensive definition for the time being & moving onto other aspects which are ignored by it...
States of consciousness as truly: 1. Awake (Jagrat) 2. Dream (Svapana) 3. Dreamless/ deep sleep (susupti) 4. Beyond (Turya) And lastly the true n final state of being 5. Beyond the beyond (Turyatit) Last one isn't usually mentioned as state but as a final goal/ eternal truth!
However consciousness doesn't take quantum jumps from one to another state. There are transition states too. Plus all 1-4 level of depths can be realized within each of broad 1-4 major states. So we have total of 16 levels/ states of consciousness in all.
Awake(Jagrat): state of becoming 1 with object. Yogis (rajyogi) call it pindasthah. Jnanis (jnanyogi) call it sarvatobhadra.
It has 4 subdivisions: 1. Awake-awake (jagrat-jagrat): Unawareness of self (Abuddhah)- losing remembrance of self being observer. Awareness of external world only 2. Awake-dream (jagrat-svapana): Little awareness of self (Buddhavastha)- Day dreaming/ lost in thought. Not experiencing external world but experiencing internal world of impressions/thoughts 3. Deep sleep in wakefulness (jagrat-susupti): Consciousness of self (Prabuddhah)- Not experiencing either external or internal worlds 4. Awake with consciousness of self (jagrat-turya): Absolutely full of awareness (suprabuddhah)- moving in external world but residing fully in consciousness. People have experience of 1- jagrat-jagrat, 2 - jagrat-svapana & very rarely 3 - jagrat-susupti
Dream (svapana) state is seen in dream, thought, memory, madness, intoxication. It is absence of worldly activity & becoming established where you are, internally.
Children primarily live in this state. It's closer to samadhi then awake state. Yogis call it padastham.
5. Wakefulness in state of dream (svapana-jagrat): Shift of consciousness between external & internal world (gata-gatam)-Consciousness travels in thoughts/ memories/ impressions & loses awareness of being in that thought. Consciousness swiftly moves from one thought to another... Here change in strikingly different thoughts doesn't seem unnatural. No question arises in mind of it being logical or not.
6. Dream within dream state (svapana-svapana): Absolutely dispersed consciousness (su-viksiptam)- freely flowing from ONE thought to other as if natural.
7. Deep sleep within dream state (svapana-susupti): Transient awareness within dream of being in dream comes & then goes (Samgatam)- Become aware of the dream, question the logic of thought but then forget. 8. Samadhi (svapana-turya): Absolutely full awareness in dream (Susamahitam)- Awareness within dream come & you realize self Consciousness bit then easily blown away in another dream. Awareness is full but transient & easily swayed away. Dreamless/ deep sleep (susupti) is state of absolute silence.
(Tusnimbhava)- Where there's no realization of external world & internal world. Thoughtless, Dreamless. Established in self. Yogis call it rupastha Jnanis call it mahavyapi
Like awake & sleep state it also has 4 subdivisions:
9. Wakefulness in deep sleep(susupti-jagrat): full of rising (uditam) Unaware of external world Unaware of internal world Unaware of self Consciousness remains in void(sunya) When awakened from such sleep you recall NOTHING!
10. Dreaming in state of deep sleep (susupti-svapana): Getting nourished (vipulam) - Unaware of external world - Unaware of internal world - Some awareness of self When awakened from such sleep you recall "dreamless" sleep.
11. Deep sleep in state of deep sleep (susupti-susupti): Peaceful (santam) - Unaware of external world - Unaware of internal world - More awareness of self When awakened from such sleep you recall been in "peaceful" sleep.
12. Beyond in state of deep sleep (susupti-turya): Blissful (su-prasanna) - Unaware of external world - Unaware of internal world - Complete awareness of self When awakened from such sleep you recall been in "Blissful" sleep.
Before moving further I'll elaborate a little more of these 12 states
State1-4 you experience when awake. 1st state is of deep attachment towards objects & you forget yourself completely. 2nd state is of continuous thinking like a lost last bencher or a researcher engrossed in thoughts 3rd is rare moment when you dip deeper in your thought... Eureka moment! When you get answer to your queries after pondering over for long. Moment you realize the correct answer from WITHIN. 4th is rarest to witness. Extremely difficult to have unless you have achieved something spiritual .
State 5-8 are experienced in sleep. 5th is light resting with drowsiness slipping into dream state. 6th is lost in dream. 7th is dreaming with occasional amusement of "how it can be?" Slight recollection of being in dream/unreal world but no control whatsoever & easily slip away 8th state is again very rare. Almost as difficult as 4th. People are unlikely to witness such state unless practicing meditation/having some spiritual past. Although you can be blessed with such state in sleep because of some real good deed in your life. State 4 & 8 are results of efforts. 1-4 occur in external world while being awake. 4th is most difficult to get to. 5-6 occur in internal world of impressions (thought, memory, emotions). This is natural to children. Closer to Samadhi. 8th is very rare to have. State 9-12 are easier to understand.
No external/internal world is there in state 9-12. In 9th you wake up & recall nothing happened. In 10th you wake up & recall been in thoughtless/Dreamless sound sleep. In 11th you wake up to still remember the peace u felt while in deep sleep. In 12th you wake up to remember bliss.
12th is rarer to have but not that difficult to witness than 4th & 8th. I don't know if common people also feel it occasionally. I am sure many can recall peaceful sleep which is as good as blissful one but in 12th you feel strong vibration in your body like ecstasy.
12th is a sign of being spiritual soul. 8th is witnessed by ascetics or people on path in current life (mumukshu) 4th is rarest & can be experienced by those who have realized.
Now coming onto remaining 4 states
But first a bit about Beyond (turya) state. It's a state when soul transcends the world of outside & inside.
Deep sleep (susupti) is a void that separates manifest from unmanifest.
Manifest is external (state1-4) & internal (state5-8) world. So Turya is state of unmanifested ALL energies of SELF. Yogis call it rupatit. Jnanis call it savyapara.
Unlike Awake, Dream & Deep sleep it has 3 subdivisions (not FOUR) I have no English words for these. So bear with me.🙏
13. Turya-jagrat: Beyond the span of mind (manonmanam) - Consciousness of turya isn't vividly manifested. 14. Turya-svapana: Unlimited (amantam) - Consciousness of turya is MORE vividly manifested 15. Turya-susupti: Unlimited but can find all limitations too (sarvartham)
Here consciousness of turya is MOST vividly manifested.
16. Supreme state of being (Turyatit): Beyond the beyond. This is the state of ALL consciousness full of bliss. This state in itself is called 5th major state of consciousness other than Awake, Dream, Sleep & Turya. This is also called as mahapracaya. Reason it's called Turyatit or Beyond the beyond is because it doesn't come in the cycle of creation.
All 36 tatva (25 in vedanta) make up everything from gross to subtle to subtlest excluding this last state of being. It's called Paramshiva🙏
Adding small footnotes for easy understanding and implication: State1 is seen in extroverts & people enjoying worldly life and all others in times such as watching TV & movies when we are engrossed in that outside act. State2 is seen in all introverts, thinkers, poets, artists. ...Scientists, readers who are lost in thoughts while awake. State 3 is result of continuous practice of 1 & 2 when you get sudden insight, answers or something new from inside State 5 is seen in all drowsy, intoxicated, half asleep. State 6 is seen when asleep & dreaming. State 7 is reflection of similar result as in state3 but in dream (scientist finding solution, poet with new poem in dream) State 9-11 are bestowed upon in parallel to 1-3 & 5-7 but in deep sleep.
Remember susupti is state of silence/ inaction/ void. It cannot be achieved by efforts
All remaining 7 states involve Turya (4, 8, 12-16) are simply God's grace. These states always involve reflection of Supreme self, 'bliss' being most noticeable other than 'being' & 'conscious' which get more intense.
Bliss is new perception in this age of Kali.
An article by GS
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