The Three States and Their Projections

Integrity is the prime requirement for progress. To move towards the realization of lasting happiness, one should attune himself for this purpose, removing all inner conflicts and contradictions. The discussion on the different states, and their projection in different planes, that follow provides the basic methodology for ensuring this attunement.

The objects in the manifested universe are caught in a flux that passes through different states. These innumerable states can be resolved into three primary states, the different combinations of which give all the possible states. The three primary states are the state of dormancy, the state of passive manifestation and the state of active manifestation. We may call these as the state of deep slumber, dream state and the state of wakefulness.

In the state of deep slumber the organs of sensing and action, as well as the mind that supervises them, are not functioning. There are neither experiences nor actions in this state. The only thing that remains active in this state is the ideals that form the core of one’s being. This is a state of bliss as there are no demands on any system that cries out for satisfaction in this state. This is the state we normally associate with ‘svarga’, which is the abode of devas.

The dream state is the state that lies between the state of deep slumber and the state of wakefulness. In this state the organs of sensing and action are passive, but the mind that governs them is active. Here the mind can weave dreams conforming to the ideals that form the core of one’s being, unencumbered by distractions from outside. The quality of dreams differentiates a creative person from the others. The dreams dreamt by a creative person do not contradict the core ideals and the realities of the external environment. Such dreams form a solid basis for actions in the wakeful state. They are different from the jumble of unconnected images one sees during ordinary sleep, which serves only as an outlet for pent up emotions that fail to find a legitimate avenue for expression.

In the wakeful state the organs of sensing and action as well as the mind that supervises them are wide awake. In the case of a free person, actions based on the dreams dreamt in the dream-state are performed, and the results of the actions are enjoyed, during the wakeful state.

One is caught in the flux caused by the three states as long as he belongs to the manifested universe. To manage the three states properly one must reach a fourth state that transcends the three states mentioned above. The three states in the domain of the manifested universe and the fourth state that transcends the manifested universe are dealt with in the following verses of Taittiriya Upanishad.

bhur bhuva suvariti va etaastritayo vyahrutaya:
tasaamuhasmaitaam chaturthim mahachamasya: pravadayate
maha iti tad brahma angaan anyadevataa

The wakeful state of gross earthiness, the dreamlike state of ideas and the heavenly state of ideals are essentially the three states we see in the manifested universe. There is a fourth state which transcends these three states. This fourth state can be conceived only by enlightened persons who are intimately familiar with the workings of the time domain. The ideals are preserved, the dreams are dreamt and actions are performed in the time domain. Total mastery of all functions of time is required to remain unaffected by the time domain. It is mentioned here that Mahachama, the son of Yama, the presiding deity of the passage of time, was the one to acquire this qualification first. A father bequeaths dharma, the relationships in the time domain to his son and nobody could have been closer to Yama than Mahachama in the matter of dharma. This shows the degree of intimacy one should establish with the time domain to conceive the fourth state. The fourth state is the essence of the manifested universe, the Brahman, the primary ideal that manifests through everything in the manifested universe. All other ideals are only limbs of this.

Now the different manifestations of the four states when projected in different planes are explained.

bhuriti va ayam lokah bhuva ityantareeksham suvarityasou lokah maha ityadityah
adityena sarvaloka maheeyante

Firstly the projection of the states in the physical plane is described. In this plane the world we perceive by our sense organs is the wakeful state of gross earthiness. The atmosphere surrounding the world contains the dreams of this world. This atmosphere is pregnant with opportunities. The world draws the impulses for movements from the atmosphere that surrounds it. The world beyond is the rarefied world of ideals to which all movements are directed to. The sun that provides the nourishment for all these is the fourth state here. The energy for knowing and doing, the brilliance that lights up the atmosphere with opportunities, the purity that rears the ideals…all these are the contributions of the sun. All worldly beings prosper by imbibing the sun. This description is true also all entities in the world. All of them are engrossed in their own earthiness and are surrounded by their own environments and ideals. They also have independent sources of energy around which they move just as the earth orbits around the sun.

The fourth state in the physical plane is the ideal in the next higher plane, viz. the plane of emotions. This establishes the continuity between the physical plane and the plane of emotions.

bhuriti va agnih bhuva iti vayuh suvariti adityah maha iti chandramah
chandramasavava sarvani jyotishee maheeyante

In the plane of emotions the fire of passion is the earthy state. The circulating current of vitality is the atmosphere that surrounds the earthy state. This vitality kindles the passions and maintains them. The sun, the inexhaustible source of energy, is the ideal that prompts the happenings in the emotional plane. The nourishment for all these comes from the active mind, which is the fourth state here. By attending to the mind the intensity of ideals, vitality and disciplined passions proliferate.

The fourth state in the emotional plane is the ideal in the next higher plane, viz. the plane of the intellect. This establishes the continuity between the emotional plane and the plane of intellect.

bhuriti va ruchah bhuva iti samani suvariti yajurshi maha iti brahmah
brahmanavava sarve veda maheeyante

In the intellectual plane codified knowledge is the earthy state. The infinite possibilities associated with knowledge form the atmosphere that surrounds this earthy state. An active mind for the productive application of the knowledge is the ideal here. All the intellectual pursuits get nourished by Brahman, the essence of the universe, which is the fourth state here. Knowledge, the possibilities associated with knowledge and the vision for appropriate application of knowledge proliferates when one dwells on the essence of the universe.

The fourth state in the intellectual plane is the ideal in the next higher plane, viz. the plane of life forces. This establishes the continuity between the plane of the intellect and the plane of the life forces.

bhuriti va pranah bhuva iti apanah suvariti vyanah maha iti annam
annena vava sarve prana maheeyante

Prana and apana are not merely the inhalation and exhalation of air. Prana is the life forces a system takes in from the environment. Similarly apana is the life forces the system gives back to the environment. Prana is associated with all the inputs we take from the universe. Apana is associated with all the outputs we give out. Even a word of encouragement one speaks to energize another person is an expression of apana. In the plane of life forces we take in energy from the universe and gives out energy to the environment. Here the energy flowing in is the earthy state. The energy flowing out from all systems is the atmosphere that surrounds this earthy state. The ideal for energy flow being pursued is the energization of the entire environment. Vyana refers to this expansion to fill everywhere. This ideal of filling everywhere demands that one should always strive to give more than what one takes. The currents of life forces are nourished by food, which is the transcendental fourth state here.

The fourth state in the plane of life forces viz, food, is the ideal in the physical plane. The food that sustains the life forces is the same as the idealism that prompts movements in the physical plane. Every object in this world should be driven by the ideal where they are serving as food for others. This establishes the continuity between the plane of life forces and the physical world.

ta va etaaschatasrah chaturthaa chatasrachatasro vyahrutayah
ta yo veda sa brahma sarvesmai deva balim avahanti

One who understands the projections of the four states in the four planes, viz. physical, emotional, intellectual and virile, is endowed with all strengths by the abundance and stability of ideals. He is equipped well to deal with any worldly contingencies.

The integrity of a person depends on the correspondence of his ideals, dreams and movements. This integrity is to be ensured in the physical, emotional, intellectual, and vital planes. Also one should ensure the correspondence between what is happening in the four different planes…physical, emotional, intellectual and vital. This integrity is spontaneous, if the nourishment is taken from the transcendental fourth state defined for a plane, for the three states in that plane, for each of the planes. That will also ensure the continuity and correspondence between the various planes of one’s existence.