Krishna describes the Indweller in great details in the Bhagvad Gita in Chapter 2. The Indweller is Permanent, and was never created and cannot be destroyed. It merely takes on a body in an event we call as "conception" eventually leading to child-birth. It casts off the body in an event we call as "death". Death is merely symbolic of the Indweller casting off this body - for the Indweller cannot be destroyed. While we are alive, the Indweller may be realized by the "I" that we use so many times every day. The "I" is the owner of this body that acts according to the decisions and commands the "I" makes. For example, when I say I am writing this Blog, the "I" firstly makes a "desire" to write, following which it determines that it has the required knowledge to write this Blog, following which it commands my fingers to type on the computer eventually to write the Blog. At the time of death, when the "I" has left the body, none of these activities would be possible. The "I" would not be able to execute any of these actions, even if it wanted to - because it has no body. However the "I" which we cannot see, feel, touch, sense, or smell, is luminous and full of knowledge. As already stated, the taking on of a body, diminishes its knowledge - if the body is that of a non-living thing, the knowledge diminishment is total, whiles if it is that of a living being, the knowledge diminishment is partial according to the body taken. It is therefore the desire of every Indweller to take on a human body in its next birth - because that is the body in which it can maximize the learning and knowledge in order to realize that Moksham is the final goal, and take necessary action to realize that goal.
Since the Indweller was never created and is never destroyed, it has been taking birth in various bodies for millions and billions of years - on this planet earth, and possibly in other worlds that support life-forms known and unknown to our collective limited knowledge. In each of those bodies, the Indweller has committed various acts leading to "Karma" - both good and bad, knowingly as well as unknowingly. Please note that a bad karma accrues even when committed unknowingly. This creates the Baggage of Karma. Since the Indweller was never created, its Baggage of Karma has also existed always. Even during the time of "Pralayam" or total destruction when the earth and other worlds are destroyed to be recreated, the Indweller and its Baggage of Karma are not destroyed. During the time of the Maha (Total) Pralayam when the 14 worlds - 7 upper worlds (including earth) and 7 nether-worlds (Patala loka) of this Andam (this universe) are destroyed, all the Indwellers attach themselves to the Lord, the Creator's body and continue to exist. For this reason, all Indwellers are really nothing but a part of the Lord. He is the "Base" upon which the Indwellers exist. They, therefore, owe their existence to Him.
The community of Indwellers is therefore non-destructable i.e they are permanent. Being permanent, their natural desire is to become part of the Lord's permanent world. The fundamental rule to become part of the Lord's permanent world is to become "Baggage Free" - ie, the Indweller has to exhaust all the Karma in its Karma Baggage - both good and bad ones, and refrain from doing more karma - neither good nor bad. The moment the Indweller has exhausted its Karma from the Baggage it has been carrying for ever, the Lord will take it in His Permanent World. This is the act we call as "Moksham".
To be continued...
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