The fourth dimension

Turīya is the the fourth dimension, the transcendental stage, beyond the stages of external consciousness, dream, and deep sleep.

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The fourth dimension

The main teaching of the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad is a description of Turīya, the transcendental stage, beyond the stages of external consciousness, dream, and deep sleep. Another definition is Turīya as the fourth dimension, as mentioned in the Caitanya Caritāmṛta (Adi 2.53):

"In the material world the Lord is designated as virāṭ, hiraṇyagarbha and kāraṇa. But beyond these three designations, the Lord is ultimately in the fourth dimension."

The fourth dimension is an important concept in the cosmological model explained in the Vedas. Our physical world is composed of three dimensions: width, depth, and height. Apart from the three coordinates, there is also time. To meet a friend in his apartment, three pieces of information are necessary: the address of the building in the two-dimensional space, the number of the apartment inside the building, including the floor (the location in the three-dimensional space), and the time of the meeting. Without knowing the correct time, we will not be able to find our friend, even if we know the address. The same building could be a junkyard a few years ago and may become something else a few years later. In some models, like the Minkowski space framework, time is accepted as a 4th dimension, and coordinates are composed of X, Y, Z, and T, but the Vedas refer to time as just an additional feature of our tridimensional world, and not as a separate dimension.

Apart from that, the Vedas describe another dimension that goes from gross to subtle, in the sense of refined. The demigods in Svargaloka also have bodies composed of material elements, but the elements that compose their bodies and the different objects that compose their world are more refined than the elements that compose our bodies and our physical reality. Because their bodies are refined, or subtle, we can't perceive them unless they assume forms that are visible to us. Similarly, inhabitants of the still higher planetary systems of Maharloka, Janaloka, Tapoloka, and Satyaloka have bodies still more refined than the bodies of the demigods. Beings living in higher dimensions can see everything happening in lower dimensions and freely interact with the inhabitants there, but inhabitants of lower dimensions can see these higher beings only when they make themselves visible to them. Understanding the existence of this fourth dimension is the great secret for understanding the cosmological model of the universe described in the Purāṇas.

However, this fourth dimension doesn't stop at the higher planets. It continues into the spiritual realm, beyond all association with matter. On the one extreme is the gross dimension where we live, where everything is made of gross material elements, and we must work hard to survive. On the other extreme is the Lord Himself, surrounded by His eternal abode and His eternal associates.

In his purport to the same CC Adi 2.52, Srila Prabhupada explains:

"The three puruṣas — Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu — all have a relationship with the material energy, called māyā, because through māyā They create the material cosmos. These three puruṣas, who lie on the Kāraṇa, Garbha and Kṣīra oceans respectively, are the Supersoul of everything that be: Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu is the Supersoul of the collective universes, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu is the Supersoul of the collective living beings, and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu is the Supersoul of all individual living entities. Because all of Them are somehow attracted to the affairs of the material energy, They can be said to have some affection for māyā. But the transcendental position of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself is not even slightly tinged by māyā. His transcendental state is called turīya, or the fourth-dimensional stage."

Similarly, in his purport to CC Adi 2.18, he mentions:

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead is by nature joyful. His enjoyments, or pastimes, are completely transcendental. He is in the fourth dimension of existence, for although the material world is measured by the limitations of length, breadth and height, the Supreme Lord is completely unlimited in His body, form and existence. He is not personally attached to any of the affairs within the material cosmos. The material world is created by the expansion of His puruṣa-avatāras, who direct the aggregate material energy and all the conditioned souls. By understanding the three expansions of the puruṣa, a living entity can transcend the position of knowing only the twenty-four elements of the material world."

The Lord is called Turīya because he is Vāsudeva, the fourth member of the quadruple expansion of Godhead called the catur-vyūha, because he is beyond the three dimensions of this material world, as well as time and physical laws, and because he manifests turīya, the fourth state of consciousness.

People living on earth are mainly associated with gross sense gratification, working to secure physical objects they desire to enjoy. In the celestial planets, demigods and others enjoy subtle sense gratification, while great sages in the higher planets renounce sense gratification but keep affinity with the false ego. Brahma is so pure that he practically doesn't have a physical body, but still, he is involved with matter in his service of creating the universe. As Prabhupada explains, even the three Puruṣa avatāras, Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, have some affection for the material energy, although untouched by Maya. Krsna, however, is situated in the highest transcendental stage, not tinged by māyā even slightly. This fully spiritual and uncontaminated state is shared by the pure devotees who eternally serve Him as His eternal associates. This is the ultimate perfection for all of us, who, although parts and parcels of the Lord, are eternally striving to increase our natural love for Him. Turīya is thus, ultimately, the state of pure love of Godhead, the diametric opposite of the selfish search for sense gratification we observe in our plane. This pure love of Godhead is directed to the transcendental Lord and cultivated in the transcendental abode by the transcendental soul. All three exist in Turīya.

Śānti sūkta: prayers for auspiciousness

As in other Upaniṣads, the text of the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad starts with prayers invoking the mercy of the Lord. Often, we connect the word "auspiciousness" with material benefits, but true auspiciousness is what can remove the obstacles of our devotional service.
These are prayers from the Rig Veda, invoked by Varuṇa in praise of the Lord before speaking the main verses of the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad. The Lord is great in fame, the maintainer of all, He is present everywhere and is the protector and guardian of all the great and exalted beings.

om bhadram karṇebhiḥ śṛṇuyāma devā
bhadram paśyemākṣabhir yajatrāḥ
sthirair angais tuṣṭuvāmsastanūbhir
vyaśema devahitam yad āyuḥ
om svasti na indro vṛddhaśravāḥ
svasti naḥ pūṣā viśvavedāḥ
svasti nas tārkṣyo ariṣṭanemiḥ
svasti no bṛhaspatir dadhātu

O devas of the senses! May we live long to listen to that which is auspicious through our ears, and see what is auspicious through our eyes. O divine ones! May we, with steady limbs and sound bodies, joyfully offer praises to the Lord and live long lives dedicated to the performance of devotional service.

May Viṣnu, the Lord of unequaled glories, bestow blessings on us! May Lord Viṣnu, the maintainer and knower of all hearts, give us what is beneficial. May the swift Garuḍa, carrier of the Lord who bears the cakra, take us to our goal! May Lord Viṣnu, the protector of the great ones, protect us too.

Commentary: In material life, we think we are the cause of our actions, but as Krsna explains in the Bhagavad-gītā, action is performed due to a combination of factors, and the ultimate enabler is the Lord. Without the sanction of the Supersoul, we can't do anything. Under the sanction of the Supersoul, different demigods control the senses, and we depend on their cooperation to perform actions and, in this way, serve the Lord. A materialist desires to have a strong body and a long life to enjoy his senses, while a devotee may desire to maintain his body in good condition to serve the Lord.

The word devahitam in the 4th line means "in harmony with the divine will," and āyuḥ means "life". In this way, devahitam yad āyuḥ means to live a life according to the will of the Lord, performing activities that are beneficial to the demigods. Ordinarily, this could be translated as following the principles of dharma, but in the highest meaning, it means to perform devotional service to the Lord, the highest dharma.

These two verses are also found in the Rig Veda (1.89.8 and 1.89.6). In his commentary, Srila Madhvācārya explains that these prayers were spoken by Varuṇa (in the form of a frog) in praise of Lord Nārāyaṇa. At first, the second verse appears to praise and invoke the blessings of demigods such as Indra, Pūṣan, and Bṛhaspati, but in this case, the names are used in their primary form, addressing Lord Viṣnu.

The Lord is called Indra because He is great in fame. He is Pūṣan, or Surya, because He is the maintainer of all, and is present everywhere, and He is called Bṛhaspati because He is the protector and guardian of all the great and exalted beings of the universe (bṛhas-patiḥ). These are originally names of the Lord, which are only secondarily used to address demigods. Tārkṣya (the son of Tṛkṣa) is Garuḍa, who carries Lord Viṣnu, the bearer of the irresistible Sudarśana Cakra. In this way, Varuṇa prays for the blessings and protection of the Lord.

In his commentary on the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad, Madhvācārya explains that in Satya-yuga, the Vedas were undivided, and people could understand the original purpose of the slokas: Lord Vishnu as the Supreme Lord, without a second, and pure devotional service to Him as the goal of life.

During this era, all names we now associate with demigods (Indra, Brahmā, Rudra, etc.) were applied solely to Vishnu, who was understood as the only deity. Because of this understanding, there was no worship of demigods, and the Vedas were one. Worship of demigods was introduced in Treta-yuga, when intelligence declined and people became inclined to fruitive activities. All forms of sacrifice, including fire sacrifices, were originally meant to be performed for the satisfaction of the Lord, and no one else.

This higher understanding of the meaning of the Vedas is also revealed by Vyāsadeva in the Vedanta-sutra (1.4.28) by the words: etena sarve vyākhyātā vyākhyātāḥ, "The Supreme Lord is the original cause of everything. All words of the scriptures should be interpreted according to this explanation."

In the highest sense, all words of the scriptures describe the Lord and devotional service to Him, but when they are interpreted according to pāra-vidya, inferior knowledge, they appear to describe different demigods and fruitive activities.

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