[Advaita-l] Turiya in the Mandukya Karika

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Hello Sridhar,
Thank you for the reference. I am still studying the Mandukya karika and not yet read Shankara's bhashyam on the karika.  I am curious to find out if his approach differs in any way from his guru Gaudapada's.

The analogy for turiya is Shankara's kasha panam. You can see the fractions of coins that add up and apprehend the dollar/rupee in it even though it is not physically present. Similarly see the rupee and apprehend the fractions. Similarly the jagrit, svapna, and sushupti states telescope into turiya, even though turiya does not experience any of these states which are all Unreal.  You use the analogy of a screen where these play out. In either case turiya really is more of a witness (as is the screen) than a participant because it is beyond time and space. Turiya is the Reality which is present in all three states, but the individual consciousness is not aware of it, because of avidya and maya. When sushupti is experienced, as in meditation, with the awareness of brhmam - that is the goal. 
Does this make sense?
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Hello Soma,
What I wrote is from my understanding of Sri Sankara Bhagavadpada’s Bhashyam on Sri Gaudapada’s Karika  on Mandukya Upanishad. 
Turiya is that substratum on which the three states are projected. I would avoid referring to it as ‘witness’ or ‘experiencer’ as it would entail dvaitam. A better drishtantham would be that of a screen on which a movie is projected. The screen reflects the light from the projector, similarly the three states are played out on Turiya. All of us get a glimpse of turiya in sushupti however, don’t have a recollection of it in the waking or dream state. This is because of avarna power of ahankara. All that one remembers, when one wakes up, is a desire to go back to sleep!!, the reason is ‘something’ which can’t be expressed is pulling us. Some people would say that they had a sound sleep, most would perhaps say “I don’t remember” or “I don’t know". If one manages to extend the deep sleep unto the waking state then that state is Sahaja Samadhi. That can happen only by shedding/removal of (apavadha) the ignorance (i.e effect of adhyaropa, superimposing the body, mind, intellect complex as the Atma), which is atma shakshat karam (Aham Bodham). 
Hope it helps.
Regards
Sridha