Itihasapuranas are filled with many wondrous examples for all of us to celebrate and emulate. There are stalwarts who pushed the limits of observing dharma to great heights. Today we see them as almost impossible standards. Interestingly even in the times past when dharma was widely upheld, these exemplars have set standards that guide us like a beacon and widely celebrated. Srimad Bhagavatam talks very highly of Harischandra (for his struggle to observe satyam), Rantideva (for his equal vision to see bhagavan in all and to put others needs ahead of his) and the Raja Shibi (for upholding dharma by sacrificing his own flesh). Bhagavatam also venerates Bali (grandson of Prahlada), the hunter and pigeon (the pigeon set the example by self sacrifice whilst the hunter got vairagya and applied it in his life). In the same sloka is venerated Unchavritti Mudgala, the subject of our research.
हरिश्चन्द्रो रन्तिदेव उञ्छवृत्ति: शिबिर्बलि: । व्याध: कपोतो बहवो ह्यध्रुवेण ध्रुवं गता: ॥ hariścandro rantideva uñchavṛttiḥ śibir baliḥ vyādhaḥ kapoto bahavo hy adhruveṇa dhruvaṁ gatāḥ (SB 10-72-21)
All of us are desirous of the best things in life. We also want it for the longest period of time. Svarga represents a place where there is no negative and it is the fullest manifestation of all things pleasurable. Yet there was a person who rejected it as if it meant nothing. Was that call made with good understanding or was it a rash act under delusion?
Storytime:
Mahabharata is a treasure trove filled with priceless gems. Banished after the loss in dice game, Yudhishtra harbors untold misery, which is compounded by periodic outrage and outbursts of the other Pandavas and Draupadi. The Vana Parva captures the details. To alleviate the mental agony, the Pandavas seek the feet of many Rishis and also undertake many pilgrimages. Maharishi Vyasa was one such great force that inspired them accounts of the pasts to uplift their spirits and keep them steadfast on the path of Dharma. The mention of how a drona (Tamil equivalent is பதக்கு - Padakku) of grain given away earned immortality for Mudgala piqued Yudhishtra’s curiosity, who wanted a detailed account.
Mudgala, a resident of Kurukshetra, was deeply rooted in Satya, dharma and free from all forms of malice. He practiced silavritti (collecting leftover grains from places of harvest or collection centers) and unchavritti (collecting leftover grains, one grain at a time from the fields that have been harvested, this is also referred as kapotavritti, as it mimics pecking of grains like a pigeon). Mudgala had complete mastery over his senses. He was renowned for the practice of ishtikrita sacrifice and offered his athithis the yagna offerings. In this wondrous observance, he along with his wife, sons and daughters would gather one drona measure of grains for fifteen days. He would celebrate Amavasya and Pournami by offering the deities and athithis, they consumed the rest. Indra and other devatas eagerly partook these highly sanctified offerings. Since Mudgala offered with sheer happiness all that he got, the food grew to always match the needs of the athithis. Hundreds would eat from his hands as the annam grew due to his daanashuddhi.
Maharishi Durvasa, renowned for his angry words and strange spiritual practices, arrived at Mudgala’s and informed he was hungry. Mudgala worshipped him with padya, achamaneeya and offered food with respect. Durvasa ate all the food and smeared his body of the remains to ensure there was nothing left. (It was customary to eat the remains, uchchishta, of such mahatmas.) Unlike feeding other athithis, after Durvasa ate the food became empty (due to his taposhakti). Mudgala and his family continued with their unchavritti to gather grains for the next fortnight, without any ripple in their mind of hunger or wondering about the lost opportunity to feed.
Durvasa arrived again the next fortnight to perform a repeat. Seeing Mudgala and his family still content and not even having a trace of disturbance in their mind, Durvasa came again and again six times. At the end of the sixth visit he declared that there was no one equivalent to Mudgala in Daana. Hunger dents all the senses and pushes one to extremes. Even in that state, Mudgala had no trace of anger. Every time he was able to offer all the food, collected with great difficulty and over months of hunger, his heart was content and happy to offer the entire food to Mudgala. Durvasa explained that the hunger can bend every dharma perception or practice and tongue is adept in drawing the mind towards the sensory pleasures. Having tamed them, rising above the mind’s strong pull and still retaining the goodness of heart to share what is available showcases the exalted state of Mudgala. Durvasa acknowledged that Mudgala was brimming with sense control, fortitude, sharing whatever that is available, sama, dama, Satyam and dharma. Durvasa was singing great eulogies of Mudgala and declared that he is qualified to live in the highest worlds. He blessed him that he will achieve the highest svarga.
Merits and flaws of Svarga: Even as Durvasa was speaking highly, a Devadhoota, messenger from svarga descended in a divine chariot and requested him to board. He declared that Mudgala has earned this right from the merits of his tapasya. Mudgala inquired about the traits of svarga residents, their austerities and purpose. He also wanted to know about the disadvantages or flaws in Svarga. This short association with the pious Devadhoota was deemed as friendship and Mudgala wanted a true account as a friend and informed that his decision will be based on this insight. (We saw the same principle of friendship was used by Savitri to please Yama and win the life of her dead husband, Satyavan)
The Devadhoota informed that the higher region of Svarga is not easily attainable. One can qualify only through extreme sense control or through performing many dharmic deeds like yaga/yagnas or acts of valor in battlefield. These worlds where all desire is fulfilled is many depending if one were a deva, maharishis, sadhyas, vaiwas, yama, dharmas, gandharvas and apsaras. There is no hunger, thirst, fear or anything inauspicious. Every sensory pleasure is extremely gratifying. There is no old age, dullness, sorrow, tears or repentance. One goes there through the merits of their own punyakarma. The good Karma accumulated in this world is the currency in Svarga. This is not obtained from someone or even inherited from parents. The ones who attain svarga enjoy all these and more, devoid of envy, fatigue, grief, ignorance and malice.
Beyond Svarga is the brilliant Brahmaloka, which is the abode of Rishis. The Devas worship certain exalted beings, Ribhus. Ribhus do not need amrita, unlike devas, nor do they need oblations from yagas. They are beyond the impact of Kalpa, time. They are beyond happiness and misery. Such is the state that Devas covet this glorious state. These worlds number at thirty three and are achieved only by the highest feats of austerities and transcending good and bad. As you have earned your entry through sheer good karma and tapas, please alight on the vehicle and repair to such wondrous worlds.
The Devadhoota proceeded to now expound the flaws of svarga. The duration of one’s stay in svarga is dependent of the good merits one has accumulated. With the expiry of good deeds, comes a steep fall. The fall is very painful as one is able to perceive the different states and the inferior current position, which is hard to bear and agitates the emotions tumultuously. Fear replaces joy in the heart. These flaws extend all the way to the regions in the Brahma’s Satyaloka. Depending on the remainder of the merit, the jiva comes back to this mrtyuloka to earn further merits. Hence it is referred as Karmabhumi or Phalabhumi. If the leftover merits are good, the birth occurs in a good family as a human or otherwise. The Devadhoota urged Mudgala to hasten his entry to svarga.
Mudgala felt the drawbacks of Svarga were too daunting to accept this offer, besides his intention was not chasing after pleasures. Mudgala wondered if there are any lokas without such flaws. The Devadhuta informed that Vishnuloka or Vaikunta that exists beyond Satyaloka is free of such demerits. To qualify one must not have the least trace of arrogance, greed, anger, delusion, ignorance or envy. Only by overcoming the senses and established in the Supreme thought of Brahman, one can reach this world of ParaBrahman.
Mudgala declined the request of the Devadhoota as he understood that pleasurable worlds are very temporary coupled with a steep fall. Also since he reached the state through contentment, he was happy not to seek more pleasures. He firmly understood the real purpose and pinnacle of every jiva’s existence is Moksha or param dham as Vaikunta. He reverted back to his Unchha mode of life, filled with contentment. He shone in Brahmatejas with his thoughts that rose above praise and dispraise; treating both gold and mud block as the same. He extracted the senses from the sense objects and had a firm control over his mind, which he submitted to his Jiva. This is the same recipe Sri Krishna gives Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita 6-5. This collected complete Jiva was submitted at the feet of the Ishwara through dhyana, thus claiming his entry to Moksha from where there is no return to samsara.
Mudgala not only got entry to an immortal world, but also immortal fame by setting very high standards, by rejecting the highly sought after pleasurable world of svarga. Vyasa pointed out that human existence revolves around the axle of repeated happiness and misery. He will be able to regain his kingdom by performing austerities like Mudgala.
What is in it for me? Now comes the biggest question, so what, how does it matter to me.
Hidden doorways of hunger and anger: Kama and Krodha are deeply interlinked. The element of self preservation is at the core of every living being. Since the jiva wrongly, yet firmly believes it to be a body, preservation of its body by satisfying the pangs of hunger at any and every cost. Hunger is more of a pent up need, craving. Though it is easy to understand it as a wave caused by the ghrelin hormone, it is also tied to the mind. Intense build up of desire results in extreme hankering, which is also referred as hunger in many Indian languages. Any obstruction to the desire fulfillment morphs into anger and its intensity is proportional to the degree of hankering and/or attachment.
Mudgala demonstrates a very high degree of restraint, which was tested to the limits by Durvasa and also the temptation by the Devadhoota. Even under dire circumstances, Mudgala was rooted in santhushta (contentment). The contented state is declared as the golden state of the mind that produces elixir (போதும் என்ற மனமே பொன் செய்யும் மருந்து - Pothum endra maname pon seyyum marunthu). Desire is the state of the mind where the jiva feels the need for something external for its completeness. It may be the next meal or another person or mere idea of being respected. Mudgala’s episode is worth pondering deeply as it has layers of information beneath the simple story.
Starvation is not fasting: Many people are poor and starve regularly in the world around us. Yet we do not come across Mudgala equivalents. Starvation or forced conditions, either from outside or within, do not produce these desirable changes in the mind. This is the same reason mere rituals fail to produce the highly spoken of results. The mind has to be engaged in a steady fashion with a thorough understanding of the different factors. This can happen subconsciously by cultivating high idealistic virtues or by consciously diving and scrubbing the depths of the mind.
Many Sanatana Dharma practices include vrathas (that train periodic fasting on auspiscious occasions), yet also has many opportunities for festivals to exactly counter the hankering of the mind. By repeatedly training the mind becomes stronger and doesn’t crave. In the same way, training the mind to focus on a higher goal and realize its real SELF weans its firm grip on the lower. Trying to force this on the mind normally results in violent and disastrous consequences.
Mudgala practiced a very extreme form, which was in vogue in modified form, even in early 20th century. The bedrock of such practice is to enjoy only what is left out and deemed as no value to others, being contented with what one gets, doing daana with even those meager options and contemplate on higher ideals. Mudgala even though subjected repeatedly to extreme testing of Durvasa is firmly rooted in santosha.
Don’t let the good overlook the better and best: A normal sensory driven life is a choice for everyone. Mudgala chose the path of self restraint by slowly training his mind. The fruits of such a practice attracted even the Devas to come and partake the havis (offering). It culminated in an open invitation to come and enjoy every conceivable pleasure in svarga. Mudgala not only demonstrated extreme santhushta but also a keen sense of balance and intellect, even after fasting for months. He wanted to know the pros and cons of svarga. He was keen on understanding what was the best using this wonderful opportunity to quiz the Devadhoota.
Many mistake being contented means to not aspire for the higher. Contentment gives us the firm foundation to launch ourselves towards the highest, rather than get distracted with the good. Getting out of this eternal samsaric cycle is of highest good, which makes it an easy choice to look beyond the pleasures of svarga, provided the mind is contented.
The secret is all Karma: Karma is born from every action, due to our wrongful association. Karma causes Janma, which is the reason for more Karma. Most religions relate the fruits of our life or hereafter to Karma. But except Sanatana Dharma, none proceed beyond the titillating pleasures of svarga or evil side effects of naraka. Most religions try to market themselves that merely signing up on their side, all bad karmas are negated and good karmas are multiplied infinitely that one stays in svarga forever. These appeal only to the intellectual dullard as its emotional marketing.
The currency of our enjoyment of our own deeds is our own Karma. The Karmaphala gets exhausted once we enjoy it. Mudgala’s questioning brings out this fact. Interestingly the Devadhoota also highlights the fact that our world is the only place we earn more Karmas, hence refers it as Karmabhumi. One may enjoy the fruits in svarga or naraka but can only earn more Karma in this loka. Mudgala understood that even the highest Satyaloka is a temporary place to stay fueled by our own karma. Hence he looked beyond to extricate himself out of this never ending cycle of Karma-Janma-Karma.
Mudgala benefited himself immensely from his association with the Devadhoota. Instead of treating him as a transporter, he used him as a person of resource who freely gave more information. Santosha earned him the privilege to chat with the Devadhoota, yet it was this satsangha that propels him to the beyond. Regular satsangha is the key to keeping us on the path of dharma, stay inspired and focused, and is an assured proven safe easy way to Moksha. Yoga Vasishta declares satsangha as one of the four sentinels that guard the citadel of Moksha, along with santosha. May we strive to periodically associate with such wisdom by regularly studying Itihasapuranas, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. May we continue to protect this flickering lamp of good buddhi by reinforcing more fuel in the form of our good karmas.
ॐ तत् सत
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