There are three states of consciousness – waking (jagrat), dream (svapna) and deep sleep (susupti).  There is also a fourth state, Turiya, which is commonly translated as pure consciousness.

If a practitioner (sadhak) is diligent in daily practice, these states can be relatively easily discerned; especially the first three.  Of course, the key being – daily diligent practice!  I state this from personal experience.

So why am I writing about it?  It’s because waking up this morning I had a glimpse of going from deep sleep to waking state of chattering mind.  It was jarring to witness the incessant mind kick in full gear within a moment of waking up.  To go from a state of (close to) thoughtlessness in one moment to waking to thoughts of negativity and anxiety next moment was unsettling.  I experienced the mind going from 0 to 60 in a fraction of a second!

This reiterated the need to constantly work on ourselves to be mindful and not allow the fickle and uncertain nature of the mind takeover.  While doing that, to also be compassionate, empathetic, and generous in the process.  After all, human evolution is not just physical health, strength, and longevity but purifying oneself and evolving the mind.

The conditioned mind leads us to believe, make decisions based on that belief, and create a pattern in life which in turn results in our destiny.

Most of what is written is regurgitation of common information (and information from Om Swamiji) but I’ve strived to write about aspects that I’ve experienced.  That experience has been gradual and it’s a work-in-progress.

The elimination of defilements and making oneself pure is a process.  I’m not there yet and continue to traverse the path and encourage my fellow brothers and sisters on the journey to stay the course and make incremental progress.  Hope this resonates and helps you even a small bit.

Be well and be happy!