Please explain the four levels of consciousness

From: umesh tiwari
In the answer to the question about location of mind you mentioned about four levels of consciousness. So can you please explain it in detail?

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Thank you. Question from Umesh Tiwari Prabhu. In the answer to the question about location of mind, you mentioned about four levels of consciousness.
So, can you please explain it in detail? Answer, the four levels of consciousness result because of the direction and the extent to which the consciousness penetrates from the soul outwards. So, in my article on the mysterious soul, which is there on the website, I have explained that we can visualize the soul as the central circle around which there are there is a circle of the subtle body and then there is a circle of the gross body. So, the subtle body is the intermediary between the soul and the gross body.
And normally, for example, right now, when we are aware of the external gross world around us, the consciousness of the soul is being rooted through the subtle body, through the gross body, through the senses of the gross body, to the outer gross reality that is there around us. So, when the consciousness reaches outwards to the gross material world through the subtle body, that is called as the Jagruti stage. Now, when the consciousness comes out from the soul and reaches till the subtle body and only slightly expresses itself in the gross body, but not much, then that is called as the Swapna stage.
So, in Swapna stage, mostly we are physically unaware. Although, of course, if there is some severely shocking stimuli that occurs at the physical level, we will become aware. But, generally the consciousness is reaching only to the subtle body.
So, that is the Swapna stage. And in the Swapna stage, depending on the thoughts, desires, memories that are stored in the mind, all those get combined in various usual and unusual ways by which dreams are formed. Now, when the soul’s consciousness is not expressed at all, that means the soul’s consciousness doesn’t come out even to the subtle body, then at that time, there is a deep dreamless sleep.
Scientists also say that there are different kinds of sleep and when there is REM, rapid eye movement, then it is understood that at that time when the person is sleeping, the person is also dreaming. But when there is no REM, then at that time there is no dreaming going on. But even in such states, sometimes dreaming goes on and we are simply not aware of the dreaming.
And there are no physical symptoms of the awareness of the dreaming also. But, when the dreaming completely stops and the consciousness doesn’t go out to the subtle body, that is called as the state of Sushupti. That means the consciousness of the soul stays within the soul.
So, normally Sushupti occurs at the time of Pralaya. At the time of the destruction of the universe, when everything in the world is withdrawn back into its original source, that is the unmanifested Pradhana stage, and then the living entities withdraw into the body of the Mahavishnu where they stay before the next universe gets manifested and they continue to act out according to their desires and according to their deserts. Deserts means their destiny.
Now, beyond that, if the soul’s consciousness gets redirected from the material level to the spiritual level, then that soul’s consciousness moves towards Turiya or Samadhi. Turiya is the state of consciousness when the soul is spiritually aware. So, now, that means we are all souls, we are situated in the region of the heart, the super soul is right next to us, but our consciousness is caught in material things and because it is caught in material things, we can’t perceive anything spiritual.
But when the consciousness gets redirected towards spiritual reality and when we perceive spiritual reality, at that time we move towards Turiya and when we attain Turiya fully, at that time we go into Samadhi, trance. So, the ultimate goal of life is to attain the spiritual level of consciousness. In the process of Ashtang Yoga, the idea is to withdraw inwards, inwards, inwards, withdraw the external consciousness inwards, for example, Yama, Niyama, those are meant to regulate our interaction with the external world, the rules and regulations, the do’s and don’ts, they regulate our interaction with the gross reality and in Asana, they regulate it further at a physical level.
Yama, Niyama regulates at an individual social level, Asana regulates at a physical level, then Pranayama regulates it further at the level of breathing and the breath is quite intimately connected with the mind. At the level of Pratyahara, we shut out the world completely by closing out, closing the senses and then Dhyan Dharana Samadhi, the consciousness moves inwards till it ultimately perceives spiritual reality. In the process of Bhakti Yoga, instead of shutting out the material reality and then seeking the spiritual reality, we seek the spiritual as it is manifested in the material world.
So, Krishna manifests as a deity, as the holy name, as the scriptures, as the avataras and by fixing our consciousness on that, we can move towards Samadhi. So, devotees don’t turn away from matter to turn towards spirit. Devotees see beyond matter to spirit and they see matter as meant for the service of spirit.
But the ultimate goal for devotees also is to attain Samadhi where they can come to the Turya level of consciousness and they can become spiritually aware. So, the fullest level of Samadhi is when one perceives the Lord. Before one starts perceiving the Lord steadily, then one’s trance is unsteady and intermittent.
But when one attains Samadhi fully, then one can have constant darshan of the Lord and that is the perfection of life. Ultimately, when we are liberated and we go back to Godhead, then we don’t have any gross and subtle body at all. At least not gross and subtle material body.
There’s nothing material in the spiritual world. And then we all live forever at the spiritual level of consciousness, that is Turya. And that is how we are eternally conscious of Krishna and we are eternally happy because of our loving reciprocations with Krishna and His devotees at the spiritual level of reality.