Turiya

"... most important for all of us is to know that there's a nadi which passes through left Vishuddhi into the heart. Starts from the heart, goes up, passes through Agnya. It has four petals, opens up. This is the one which gives you the state which is called as Turiya.
We live in three states. In the living - in the awakened state, jagruti - our attention goes to this, that, and all that, we spoil our attention.
But the second one is the one what we call is that we sleep. When we sleep also all these things that have happened come to us from our past and things like that.
But then we go to the deeper sleep called as sushupti. Is a state where you have deep sleep, and you dream of something that is reality also. You may dream about me. Like it's the ethereal part of the subconscious where some beautiful informations are passed. Supposing I've come, say, to Italy. Italians might know in their sushupti that I have come here or maybe anybody might know, depends on.
But the fourth state is called as Turiya. There are two more states. You are in the Turiya state, is the fourth. Turiya means fourth. Fourth state is where, that you are in a thoughtless awareness state. When there is no thought - just think of it - when there is no thought you have to be innocent. When there is no thought you have to have vibrations. When there is no thought you cannot be attached to anyone. So into that thoughtless state you have come now, is the Turiya disthuti. And in this state, when you are, these four petals which are within you have to open out in your brain. They come from your heart to your brain. And that is when you absolutely understand what is God. Absolutely know what is God is. That is the time when one receives the real knowledge. But unless and until these four petals open one may fall back."
HH Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, MahaShivaratri Puja, 16/2/91

"So, when you are in the center you witness, you start witnessing. When you steady yourself in the center. Because some people are such that they start on the left, go to the right, they become so ego-oriented that it’s impossible to deal with. But if you stay in the center, that’s the fourth side, is staying in the center. Turiya is the fourth dimension. If you could stay on that then you become a witness. And that’s the point where you start sucking the joy of every moment. Every moment, of everything, of every work, of every friendship, of every relationship, of every understanding."
(Talk, Brompton Square, London, 7/12/81)

"So the relationship with the Adi Kundalini is that it is the reflection of the Adi Kundalini. Now the reflection — supposing you take an Indian mirror; you look in the mirror and you’ll find you look like nothing on earth, it will just cut you into three pieces, maybe, or anything. But if you take a Belgian mirror, say, then the reflection is correct, full – but still not three dimensional. But this is a four dimensional reflection — four dimensional it is, what is called as turiya state. And that four dimensional personality you have reflected because of your reflector of your desire. The reflector is the desire and the reflection is complete."
(Shri Adi Kundalini Puja, 11/8/91)

"Turiya is the fourth state. In the fourth state you dominate these three gunas, you control all the elements. At this stage, you just say and it works. You have seen yesterday what happened with me. It just works, you become master of these three gunas. Like I used to describe that first you are sitting in the car and somebody's driving you. He uses your left and right side, or you can say, the brake and accelerator, and the car is driven. Then he starts teaching you how to drive. Then you start learning by using your left and right, accelerator and your brake. Then the third stage comes in where you become a driver, but still you are worried about the master who is sitting behind, that still you are doing a mistake, you are doing wrong. But then the fourth stage comes, you become the master. You make others drive. Order here, anyone, order the Sun, order the Moon, order. Order means just tell them, I mean not question of any domination is there. Just desire. Just say it, it works out. Now this fourth stage is called as Turiya Dasha.
Then comes the fifth stage in which - I don't want to give you names because you’ll stick on to those. They are not so clear cut. They mingle from each other you see, and they are mixtures. But in Turiya state when you mature properly, then you jump into the fifth state, in which you do not even, you do Sankalpa. You do not even determine or say anything. You just, anything slips out of your mouth, may not even slip out - it works. Is a state. There you handle the whole situation, sitting down here.
Sitting down here, you know each and every thing. Then not only you have mastered it, but in that you can enter into it. Now, for example, I’ll tell you what. I can enter into your subconscious, into your collective subconscious, into your supraconscious, into all the areas you see, I can if I want to. This is when you have mastered it completely, then you enter into it. When you are the master, then you enter into it. When you're master of this house, you can enter into any place.
Then comes the seventh state and that is the state where you, just you are. Your being there is sufficient. Just being there. Nothing exists, but you - for yourself. Now all these seven states you can reach, because I stand beyond them and I have come down to the first state. I'm trying to pull you out. If you do not drag me down, I can pull you up very fast. So only request is don't drag me down."
(Talk at Old Arlesford Seminar, UK, 18/5/80)

interesting powerpoint