Mandukya Karika Chapter 3, Verse 46.
Meaning: When the mind does not lapse into inactivity (like merging in sleep for example) and is not distracted by desires or is not agitated, that is to say, when it remains still and does not project objects, it becomes the Self.
In dream just one human mind creates many objects/personalities, or one appears as many. Maya is that power residing in consciousness by which one appears as many. In other words, Maya is the power that creates the dream of consciousness in which consciousness projects the dream appearing as many within the dream though it is actually just one. This dream of consciousness is the real world for the characters in the dream. When a character in the dream realises that it is not just a character but is the consciousness itself, Self Realisation takes place for that character. This character continues to be present in the dream, so the dream world is not over for the character. The world of maya goes on before/after enlightenment. It is just that now this character knows that while it appears to be present in this dream world, it is not really within it, but is actually projecting it. Removal of maya does not mean that the dream world collapses. It just means that now it is known that what was earlier considered to be real actually is apparent.
The image shows consciousness surrounded by (under the influence of) maya not knowing its true nature. Similar symbolic visualisations can be made using hand mudra or via coiled snake/kundalini etc.
Q (Anu) : Advait Vedant is about non-duality. Then why there are two types of awareness one of them being pure and the other being reflected?
A: Just a few days after birth you do not have the name Anu. After a long sleep as a new-born witnessing smiling visitors, you are the pure awareness. Over a period of time people started calling you Anu and you took the identity of Anu. You behaved as body-mind complex when Anu was waking or dreaming. This Anu which is a role you are playing is reflected awareness. Because of you, Anu is able to be conscious of something just like because of Sun, moon shines. Pure awareness is the unchanging background of the mind causing reflected awareness to exist making Anu appear alive. Reflected awareness is basically the false I identification. So,
Observing/knowing/doing something without getting attached to Anu – Pure awareness. Example: When you have hearty laugh, there is no false I.
Observing/knowing/doing something with Anu identification – Reflected awareness. Example: When you say, “I am always successful”.
Since pure awareness (chaitanya) itself becomes reflected awareness (chidabhasa) due to ignorance, there is no duality.
The following procedure can be used for Self inquiry:
As explained earlier there are 5 shells and Atman is beyond these shells. The innermost shell is Annamayakosha (body), then there is Pranamayakosha (breath/energy), the next one is Manomayakosha (mind), the penultimate one is Vijnanmayakosha (intellect) and the outermost one is Anandamayakosha (bliss). Atman (Self) is beyond Anandamayakosha. Let us now negate each one of these by Self inquiry.
Negation of Annamayakosha (body), Manomayakosha (mind) and Vijnanmayakosha (intellect) can be done by following the logic mentioned here which is based on the principle that if you are the witness to something then you cannot be that thing.
Negation of Pranamayakosha (breath/energy): Air is inhaled from the atmosphere and exhaled back into the atmosphere. Something that is borrowed from somewhere and given back to it after its use cannot be me. Morever, there is no intellect associated with breath/energy which I have and hence I cannot be Pranamayakosha.
Negation of Anandamayakosha (bliss): Sometimes I feel bliss after getting up in the morning after deep sleep. This also happens after listening to soul stirring music. Anandamayakosha is said to contain the reflection of the Self. This means that I reach the reflected Self when I experience bliss. Since I am the experiencer/knower of the bliss and every other kosha, I am beyond all of them and hence I am Atman/Self.