sattvāj jāgaraṇaḿ vidyād
rajasā svapnam ādiśet
prasvāpaḿ tamasā jantos
turīyaḿ triṣu santatam
sattvat -- by the mode of goodness; jagaranam -- waking consciousness; vidyat -- one should understand; rajasa -- by passion; svapnam -- sleep; adiset -- is indicated; prasvapam -- deep sleep; tamasa -- by the mode of ignorance; jantoh -- of the living entity; turiyam -- the fourth, transcendental state; trishu -- throughout the three; santatam -- pervading.
It should be understood that alert wakefulness comes from the mode of goodness, sleep with dreaming from the mode of passion, and deep, dreamless sleep from the mode of ignorance. The fourth state of consciousness pervades these three and is transcendental.
Our original Krishna consciousness exists eternally within the soul, and it is also present in all the three phases of awareness, namely normal wakefulness, dreaming and dreamless sleep. Being covered by the modes of nature, this spiritual consciousness may not be manifest, but it continues to exist eternally as the real nature of the living entity.
