When you know consciousness, you are beyond consciousness || Acharya Prashant, on Shiv Sutra (2016)

जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषुप्तभेदे तुर्याभोग्सम्भवः। (1.7)

Knowing what looks like, as the difference between the three states of consciousness, one finds himself located in the joy of the fourth.

This is a little technical, so we will have to…

This is state of consciousness (pointing towards the whole surroundings). This is Jagrati; the waking state of consciousness. After a while, most of you would be asleep, the others would be singing by the river.

That sleep will be the another state of consciousness. In that sleep, you will have dreams and all. Mental activity would persist, that is called the Swapn state of consciousness.

Then you recede deeper into the sleep, and the dreams too go away. What you are left with, is the blankness. That is called the shushupti state.

Right, Simple.

Now the game starts. Be all ears.