In English
The four steps in
In order to delve deep into the principle represented by the (), four steps have been demarcated in . One may doubt how the eternal unique integral ' can be understood in stages! The steps, however, are designed to help the identification of the principle itself. Wakefulness, dream, deep sleep and the "fourth" are the steps. They are known as , , and in the . means "being awake", "exterior altertness" , or "outward vision." The consciousness is gross, while in this stage and in dreams the impressions that impinge on the consciousness are reflections and images of the Truth. In the or deep sleep stage, the individual is not conscious at all; he is just a witness, who acknowledges later, (after awakening) that he slept well. The consciousness is not aware of itself. It is pure unaffected or awareness. It has no contact with the objective world or the senses, outer and inner. It is pure Consciousness (). The last stage is . It is the stage when the consciousness is fully aware of itself. It cannot be identified as such by any means! We can try to delineate it a little by saying that it is the silence that prevails, after one and before another follows it. These four stages of are associated with the deities , , and the . means that which is omnipresent. The visible Universe is suffused with beauty and beauty is God. Since the Universe is the Body of God, the Supreme Person, , is also described in the scriptures as "He who delights in decoration" (). The material Universe is saturated in harmony, law and symmetry and is therefore charming and fascinating. Through this attraction, the external world, the Universe, draws man into various paths and exertions. The five elements, the five senses, the five vital airs and other phenomena teach man various lessons to mould his nature. So the objective world can be taken as his .