[Advaita-l] Sankara in BU 4.3 says Turiya is Supreme State (Was Re: Sleep, tamas and brahman)

[S Jayanarayanan]

Kalyan via Advaita-l <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
 
>   //“Thus did Yajnavalkya set Janaka beyond fear by a
>   brief reference to scriptural evidence.
>   Here, in a different connection, the states of
>   ** WAKEFULNESS, DREAM, PROFOUND SLEEP AND TRANSCENDENCE (i.e. Turiya) **
>   have been introduced in the words, 'Indha,' 'Has finer
>   food,' 'The different vital forces,' and 'This Self
>   is That which has been described as "Not this, not this//
> 
> 
> Your quotation does not negate the fact that in the subsequent portion of the bhAshya,
> ignorance is completely denied in the state of deep sleep,
> thereby treating deep sleep as supreme.
> 
 
Your objection is akin to:
 
  (Kalyan approaches a Vedantin.)
 
  Kalyan: "Why are you studying (and practising) the Vedanta?"
  Vedantin: "To attain the Supreme Bliss of DESIRELESSNESS - as is experienced in Deep Sleep."
  Kalyan: "Oh, reading Vedanta makes you so bored that you will eventually go to sleep!"
 
:-D
 
> //Obviously, the state of deep sleep has already been rejected as the Supreme//
> 
> There is nothing obvious about this.
> 
 
The very fact that the introduction to BU 4.3 speaks of "turIya" (the FOURTH) state,
implies that the first three states (Including Deep Sleep) are being transcended.
 
So let me ask you a fair question:
 
Why in your expert opinion does the BU 4.3 speak of the turIya state as the FOURTH state,
if it is the same as the deep sleep state? Note that the phrase mentioned in the context is
"jAgratsvapnasuShuptaturIyANyupanyastAni" - waking, dream, deep sleep, turIya states!
 
The turIya state is different from Deep Sleep - otherwise, it makes absolutely no sense
to speak of it as a FOURTH state!
 
> 
> Regards
> Kalyan
 
Regards,
Kartik