Gaudapada Karika
The Nature of the Self and the Four States
The exploration of reality begins with the syllable Om (om; √av; help/protect → primordial sound of totality), which represents all that was, is, and will be. This sacred sound encompasses the Self (atman; √an; breath/motion → essential being) through four distinct states of consciousness. The first state is the Waking (jagarita; √gr; wakeful/vigilant → externalized awareness) experience, where the individual perceives external objects through the senses, enjoying the gross physical world.
The second state is (Day) Dreaming (svapna; √svap; sleep/repose → internal luminosity), where the mind creates its own internal world of impressions and enjoys subtle objects. The third state is Deep Sleep (susupti; √svap; deep rest → unified mass of consciousness), characterized by a lack of desire and a state of bliss where all experiences merge into a single seed of perception. These three states are the petals of the fourth, the Turiya (turiya; √catur; fourth part → transcendent witness), which is neither internal nor external, but the silent, non-dual foundation of all existence.
In the Turiya, there is no perception of the world or the self as separate entities; it is the Non-dual (advaita; √dvi; two → without a second) reality that is peaceful and auspicious. While the first three states are subject to the veil of Maya (maya; √ma; measure/form → creative illusion), the fourth state remains untouched by the passage of time or the concept of causality. To realize the Turiya is to understand that the dreamer and the waker are essentially the same consciousness viewing different layers of the same "unreal" projection.
The Illusion of Duality and Creation
The perceived world is often compared to a Dream (svapna; √svap; internal luminosity → illusory projection), appearing real only as long as the experience lasts. Just as objects seen in a dream are confined within the body and lack external reality, the objects of the waking world are similarly transient and dependent on the observer. The Mind (manas; √man; to measure/think → faculty of coordination) vibrates in both states, creating the appearance of subject and object, though in truth, no such division exists.
Creation is not a real transformation of the Absolute (brahman; √brh; to grow/expand → ultimate reality) but an appearance caused by the power of imagination [Kun Fayakun]. Just as a rope may be mistaken for a Snake (sarpa; √srp; crawling/gliding → superimposed terror), the one Self is mistaken for a manifold universe of diverse beings and objects. This Superimposition (adhyasa; √as; to throw/place over → false attribution) occurs because of a lack of true inquiry into the nature of the substratum.
All things that are said to "originate" do not actually come into being, a concept known as Non-origination (ajativada; √jan; beget/born → doctrine of no-birth). If a thing is truly eternal, it cannot change or be born; if it is born, it cannot be eternal. Therefore, the birth of the soul and the world is a metaphor used by teachers to lead the seeker toward the truth, much like describing the space inside a Jar (ghata; √ghat; to work/shape → limited vessel) as separate from the infinite sky.
The Extinction of the Mind and Liberation
To reach the state of truth, one must practice the Control of Mind (manonirodha; √rudh; to obstruct/restrain → cessation of mental ripples). When the mind stops imagining and becomes still, it is no longer a mind but the Self itself. This is not a state of unconsciousness like deep sleep, but a state of Pure Awareness (jnana; √jna; to know/recognize → direct realization) where the distinction between the knower and the known has completely dissolved.
The seeker is encouraged to practice Asparsa Yoga (asparsa; √sprs; touch/contact → yoga of no-contact), a discipline that involves detaching from all sensory and mental contact with objects. This path is difficult for many to grasp because it requires letting go of the ego-driven fear of "annihilation," though it is actually the attainment of fearlessness. By realizing that no object ever truly comes into existence, the mind naturally settles into its own source, free from attachment and aversion.
True Liberation (moksha; √muc; release/loose → freedom from bondage) is the recognition that no one was ever truly bound. In the highest truth, there is no dissolution, no creation, no seeker, and no one attaining freedom. The Self is eternally pure, enlightened, and free. Having realized this, one lives in the world without being of it, resting in the Silence (mauna; √mu; to bind/limit → quietude of the sage) that lies beyond the three sounds of the sacred syllable.
The Analogy of the Firebrand
To illustrate the illusory nature of the world, the text employs the image of a Firebrand (alatashanti; √las; to shine/gleam → whirling torch). When a burning stick is waved rapidly, it creates the appearance of a solid Circle (chakra; √cak; to move/turn → recurring wheel) or a continuous line of light. These shapes do not come from anywhere outside the stick, nor do they enter it when it stops; they are merely the result of Vibration (spandita; √spand; to quiver/throb → mental activity).
Similarly, Consciousness (vijnana; √jna; to distinguish/know → discerning awareness) appears as the dual world of subject and object only when it is in motion through imagination. When the motion of the mind ceases, the appearances of "birth" and "death" vanish, just as the circle of fire vanishes when the stick is still. The appearances do not have any substance of their own; they are nothing but consciousness appearing in various forms due to Error (viparyaya; √i; to go/turn → misapprehension).
The Refutation of Causality
A central argument of the treatise is the impossibility of Causality (karya-karana; √kr; to do/make → relation of maker and made). If a cause produces an effect, the two must be either identical or different. If they are identical, nothing new has been produced; if they are different, there is no logical link between them. The idea of an Origin (jati; √jan; to beget/born → arising of a thing) is ultimately a mental construct that fails under rigorous inquiry.
The world is compared to an Illusory City (gandharva-nagara; √gadh; to cling/hold → city of celestial musicians/mirage) seen in the sky, which appears structured and real but possesses no foundation. Nothing is ever actually produced from the Self (atman; √an; breath/motion → essential being), as the Self is partless and immutable. Therefore, those who argue for the reality of creation are caught in a web of Reasoning (tarka; √tark; to twist/conjecture → speculative logic) that leads away from the silent truth of non-origination.
The State of Fearlessness and Peace
The realization of Non-duality (advaita; √dvi; two → without a second) is described as the highest good, leading to a state of absolute Fearlessness (abhaya; √bhi; to fear → absence of dread). Fear only arises when there is a "second" thing to be afraid of; when all is perceived as the one Self, the very root of anxiety is severed. This is the Quenching (nirvana; √va; to blow → blowing out the fire of desire) of all suffering and the attainment of a peace that is not dependent on external circumstances.
The sage who has realized this truth does not cling to any Doctrine (dharma; √dhr; to hold/support → established law/entity) or viewpoint. Having transcended the need for mental grasping, the sage remains in a state of Naturalness (sahaja; √jan; born together → innate/spontaneous state). This is the final goal of the Karika: to move beyond the "touch" of the world and rest in the unconditioned, unborn, and eternal reality.
Summary of the Totality
In the final analysis, the distinctions between the Waker (vishva; √vish; to enter/pervade → the all/objective world), the Dreamer (taijasa; √tij; to be sharp/light → the luminous/subjective), and the Sleeper (prajna; √jna; to know → the wise/causal) are shown to be provisional. They are merely names given to the one Turiya (turiya; √catur; fourth part → transcendent witness) as it appears to pass through the veils of Maya.
The syllable Om (om; √av; help/protect → primordial sound) serves as the vehicle for this realization. By meditating on the "soundless" aspect of the mantra—the silence that follows the 'M'—the seeker merges back into the Non-dual (advaita; √dvi; two → without a second) reality. There, all arguments cease, all doubts are resolved, and only the infinite, blissful Awareness (bodha; √budh; to awake/perceive → enlightenment) remains.
Note:
1,2,3 --is the 4th all along. 4th is the only real. First 3 are illusions.