What Is Avasthatraya Viveka? The Discrimination of the Three States of Consciousness Explained

Short Answer
Avasthatraya Viveka is the Vedantic method of discriminating between the three states of consciousness—waking (jagrat), dreaming (svapna), and deep sleep (sushupti)—and the eternal witness (Sakshi) that observes them all . This method, rooted in the Mandukya Upanishad and elaborated by Gaudapada, reveals that you are not the body, not the mind, and not the ego, because all of these appear and disappear in the three states . The waking person, the dream person, and the sleeping person all come and go. What remains constant is the awareness that knows all three—the Self .

In one line: You are not the waking person, not the dream person, not the sleeping person—you are the one who knows all three.

Key points

• Avasthatraya means the “three states” (waking, dreaming, deep sleep); Viveka means discrimination.
• The method reveals the witness consciousness that persists through all three states.
• Rooted in the Mandukya Upanishad and Gaudapada’s Karika, foundational texts of Advaita Vedanta.
• The Self is the non-participating witness (sakshi), never touched by the content of any state .
• This discrimination is one of the primary prakriyas (teaching methods) in Advaita, along with Adhyaropa-Apavada .

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Part 1: What Does Avasthatraya Viveka Mean?

The term “Avasthatraya Viveka” comes from Sanskrit. Avastha means “state” or “condition.” Traya means “three.” Viveka means “discrimination” or “discernment.” It is the “discrimination of the three states”—a systematic method of self-inquiry that investigates waking, dreaming, and deep sleep to reveal the true nature of the Self .

This method is not a philosophical abstraction. It is a direct investigation into your own daily experience. You wake up, you dream, you sleep deeply. You do this every day. But have you ever stopped to ask: “Who is the one who experiences all three?”

The Mandukya Upanishad and Gaudapada’s Mandukya Karika are the foundational texts for this method . Gaudapada, the teacher of Shankara’s teacher, was the first to make full use of the doctrine of the three states to establish non-duality . Shankara himself declared that this practice is the essence of Vedanta (vedantartha-sara-sangraha) .

The following analogy of the movie theater illustrates this. You watch three different movies on three different nights. In each movie, you are deeply absorbed. You laugh, you cry, you feel fear. But you are not the character in any movie. You are the audience—the one who watches all three. Similarly, you are not the waking person, not the dream person, not the sleeping person. You are the witness who knows all three.

The Three States Defined:

State	Sanskrit	Consciousness Turned	Objects	Sense of Self
Waking	Jagrat	Outward through senses	Gross external world	“I am the body”
Dreaming	Svapna	Inward, creating its own world	Subtle internal world	“I am the dream body”
Deep Sleep	Sushupti	Neither; no objects	No objects; only ignorance	“I slept well” (after waking)

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Part 2: The Method – How Discrimination Works

The Avasthatraya Viveka method is a step-by-step process of self-inquiry . It is described as a “pure reasoning based on experience” . Here is how it works:

Step One: Examine the Waking State

In the waking state, your senses are active. You perceive the external world—trees, people, sounds, sensations. Your mind processes information. Your ego says, “I am this person.” Both the body and the Self appear to be present. But are they the same? The waking state is not the whole of consciousness. You also dream. You also sleep. The “I” that knows the waking state is also present in the other states .

Step Two: Examine the Dreaming State

In the dream state, the gross body lies still. The senses are withdrawn. But consciousness is still active. It creates an entire world within itself. You see dream mountains, dream people, dream events. You feel dream emotions. The gross body is absent. Yet you are still present as the witness of the dream. This is the first discrimination: the Self exists even when the body does not .

Step Three: Examine the Deep Sleep State

In deep sleep, there are no dreams. No objects. No thoughts. No body awareness. You experience nothing. When you wake, you say, “I slept well. I knew nothing.” You do not say, “I was nothing.” There was still a knower. That knower knew the absence of objects. This is the second discrimination: the Self exists even without the mind, intellect, and ego .

Step Four: Recognize the Constant Witness

The Self is the witness of all three states—the avasthatraya-sakshi . The Self is not the waking person, not the dream person, not the sleeping person. It is the one who knows all three. It is the unchanging background of all changing experiences .

The following table shows the progression of discrimination:

State	Body	Mind	Self	What This Proves
Waking	Present	Present	Present	Body and Self co-exist (Anvaya)
Dreaming	Absent	Present	Present	Self exists without the gross body
Deep Sleep	Absent	Absent	Present	Self exists without mind and intellect

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Part 3: The Core Teaching – You Are the Witness, Not the Experiencer

The central teaching of Avasthatraya Viveka is that you are the witness—not the experiencer, not the body, not the mind, not the ego. The witness is the unchanging awareness that observes all experiences without being touched by them .

The Vivekachudamani (Verse 125) describes the Self: “There exists an eternal, self-luminous entity, the basis of the ‘I’ notion, the witness of the three states, and distinct from the five sheaths” .

What the Witness Is NOT:

• The witness is not the body (the body changes and disappears in sleep)
• The witness is not the mind (the mind is active only in waking and dreaming)
• The witness is not the intellect (the intellect is absent in deep sleep)
• The witness is not the ego (the ego dissolves in deep sleep)
• The witness is not even the bliss of deep sleep (the bliss is an experience; the witness knows the bliss)

What the Witness IS:

• The unchanging awareness that knows all three states
• The constant substratum of all experiences
• The non-participating observer
• The Self (Atman) that is identical with Brahman

The following analogy of the sky and the clouds illustrates this. Clouds pass through the sky. They are white, grey, dark, stormy. The sky remains unchanged. The clouds are the experiences. The sky is the witness. You are not the clouds. You are the sky.

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Part 4: The Unique Importance of Deep Sleep

Deep sleep (sushupti) holds a special place in this discrimination. Shankara declared that understanding deep sleep is enough to gain discrimination about the attributeless Self (sushupti viveka) .

Why is deep sleep so important?

1. The body and mind are absent. If you were the body or mind, you would not exist in deep sleep. But you do exist—you wake up and say “I slept well.”
2. The Self is experienced directly, though not recognized. Deep sleep is a state of bliss (ananda). The ego is temporarily absent. All desires are dissolved. This bliss is the reflection of the Self. You experience it, but you do not recognize it because there is no self-awareness .
3. Deep sleep proves the Self is independent. The Self is present without objects, without thoughts, without the mind. This proves that the Self is not dependent on anything .

The following analogy of the treasure under the bed illustrates this. A man sleeps on a treasure. He is comfortable. He is peaceful. But he does not know he is rich. When he wakes, a friend shows him the treasure. He is astonished. The treasure was always there. Deep sleep is the treasure. Ignorance is the blindness. Self-knowledge is the friend.

The Experience of Deep Sleep: Upon waking from deep sleep, you recall: (1) “I slept well”—the experience of well-being, and (2) “I did not know anything”—the absence of objective knowledge. Together, these imply that the state of well-being is independent of any objective knowledge. It is intrinsic to consciousness itself .

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Part 5: The Witness and the Mahavakya “Tat Tvam Asi”

The Avasthatraya Viveka method prepares you for the final teaching of the Mahavakya “Tat Tvam Asi”—”That Thou Art.” Here is how it works:

The Problem: “Tat Tvam Asi” equates the individual self (Tvam) with Brahman (Tat). But the two appear contradictory. The individual is limited, suffering, and finite. Brahman is infinite, blissful, and eternal. How can they be identical?

The Solution: The Avasthatraya Viveka method reveals what “Tvam” really means. The word “Tvam” does not refer to your body. It does not refer to your mind. It does not refer to your ego. It refers to the Self—the witness that persists through all three states .

Anvaya (Co-presence): The Self is present when the body and mind are present—in the waking state.
Vyatireka (Co-absence): The Self is present when the body and mind are absent—in dream and deep sleep.

Conclusion: The body and mind are only incidental to the Self. The Self has independent existence. The body and mind do not .

When this discrimination is made, the word “Tvam” no longer refers to the limited, suffering individual. It refers to the pure, eternal witness. And that witness is none other than Brahman. Hence, “Tat Tvam Asi”—That Thou Art .

The following table shows the progression:

Stage	Understanding	What is Negated
1	“I am the body”	Body is not the Self (absent in dream and sleep)
2	“I am the mind”	Mind is not the Self (absent in deep sleep)
3	“I am the ego”	Ego is not the Self (absent in deep sleep)
4	“I am the witness”	The witness is the Self
5	“I am Brahman”	Tvam = Tat (Tat Tvam Asi)

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Common Questions

1. Is Avasthatraya Viveka the same as the three-state method?
Yes. Avasthatraya Viveka is the discrimination of the three states (waking, dreaming, deep sleep) to reveal the witness consciousness. It is also called the avasthatraya prakriya (method of the three states) .

2. Why is deep sleep so important in this method?
Because in deep sleep, the body, mind, and ego are absent, but the Self is still present. This proves that the Self has independent existence .

3. Can I practice this method without a teacher?
The method is based on direct experience and can be practiced by anyone. However, the traditional teaching emphasizes the guidance of a guru and the support of scripture (shruti vakyas) .

4. What is the difference between Turiya and the witness?
Turiya is the fourth “state”—the Self itself. The witness (sakshi) is the Self as it appears when observing the three states. In reality, there is no difference. Turiya is not a state; it is the background of all states .

5. How does this method relate to the “neti neti” (not this, not this) method?
Avasthatraya Viveka is a form of “neti neti” applied to the three states. You negate the body, the mind, and the ego as the Self, and what remains is the witness .

6. How does Dr. Surabhi Solanki relate this teaching to modern seekers?
Dr. Solanki, in her Awakening Through Vedanta: Timeless Wisdom of Adi Shankaracharya, emphasizes that this method is a direct inquiry into your own experience. You do not need to believe anything. You only need to examine your waking, dreaming, and deep sleep states. The teaching is practical, not theoretical.

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Summary

Avasthatraya Viveka is the Vedantic method of discriminating the three states of consciousness—waking, dreaming, and deep sleep—to reveal the eternal witness (Sakshi) that observes them all. This method, rooted in the Mandukya Upanishad and Gaudapada’s Karika, is one of the primary teaching methods in Advaita Vedanta . The discrimination shows that you are not the body (absent in dream and sleep), not the mind (absent in deep sleep), not the ego (absent in deep sleep), but the unchanging awareness that knows all three states . Deep sleep is especially important because it proves the Self’s independent existence . This discrimination prepares you for the Mahavakya “Tat Tvam Asi” by revealing that “Tvam” (Thou) refers to the witness Self, not the body-mind. The witness is not the experiencer. It is the non-participating observer . The three states come and go. The witness remains. The next time you wake from sleep, pause. Ask: Who woke up? Do not answer with a name. Do not answer with a story. Feel the awareness that knows the waking state. That awareness was present in the dream. That awareness was present in deep sleep. That awareness is present now. That awareness is you. Rest there. That rest is freedom.

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti