Abstract. We suggest that the low hard state (LH), high soft state (HS) and steep power low state (SPL) are stable X-ray states and all other X-ray states are intermediate states seen when source travels between any two stable states during the evolution of outbursts in black hole X-ray binaries (BHXBs). The SPL state represents highest accretion rate region during an outburst. During the rising phase of outbursts, source follows one of the two opposite routes to the SPL (1) source may follow anti-clockwise path in the hardness intensity diagram (HID). In this case, the accretion disk is initially cold and truncated at large radii, and (2) it may follow clockwise path in the HID. In this case, the accretion disk is hot and extended up to the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO). During the decay phase of all outbursts, source always follows anti-clockwise path. The accretion disk is hot and extended up to the ISCO.