Vyasa visited the Pandavas, and as always, Yudhistira saw this as his chance to ask a few questions and expand his knowledge. When asked about whether the dharma of giving was more difficult or the dharma of austerities, Vyasa shared the story of Mudgala as an example and said the dharma of giving was the most difficult one.
Mudgala was a common man who lived in Kurukshetra a long time ago. He followed his dharma and led a simple yet contented life without feeling jealous of others. He was observing a sacrifice called ishtikrita (where one sacrifices one’s wishes). He, his wife, and his son ate for a fortnight. For the next fortnight, he lived like a pigeon by collecting one drona of vrihi (one drone = 1/16th of a khári). He dutifully observed the full moon and new moon rituals and happily served whoever visited his home as guests. Since he was such a pious man, the rice stocked in his house never ran empty. No matter how much he donated, the quantity remained the same. This allowed him to serve hundreds of Brahmins.
One day, Rishi Durvasa went to Mudgala’s house wearing nothing but air (naked). He transformed into a lunatic with a temper and demanded food from Mudgala, who welcomed him with respect and treated him as he would treat everyone.
Mudgala continued to serve food, and the lunatic continued to eat. This went on until he had nothing left in his house. Then the lunatic smeared the leftover bits on his body and left. On the next auspicious lunar day, the lunatic arrived again to eat everything in Mudgala’s house. Mudgala had to go out to gather more food to feed the lunatic. However, he wasn’t irritated or worried. He took it in stride and did what he had to do.
Rishi Durvasa repeated the same six times. Not once did Mudgala resent the lunatic or feel any negative emotion. He was happy to collect more food to feed his guests, even if he himself had nothing to eat. Durvasa then said to him that controlling the fickle mind wasn’t an easy task, but he (Mudgala) had mastered it. He had conquered the world with his selfless deeds and had obtained a place in heaven.
Even as he spoke, the golden chariot from heaven descended to carry Mudgala to heaven. It was yoked to swans and cranes and had bells tied to it. Mudgala asked the messenger to tell him more about people who resided in heaven, what divine happiness meant, and if there were any shortcomings so that he could act accordingly.
The messenger said Mudgala had obtained a place in heaven, so he didn’t have to do anything for it. He described it as where the Vasus, Maruts, Sadhyas, Vishwas, and others resided. It was where rishis who performed severe austerities went after discarding their bodies. Heaven had no sorrow, no old age, no repentance, etc. However, the place was not permanent, and one could fall from heaven for various reasons.
After listening to the various descriptions of heaven, Mudgala thought about it and bowed to the messenger. He asked the messenger to leave since he didn’t want to go to heaven. He didn’t want to experience the unhappiness of a fall. Mudgala said he would find a region with no sorrow or dislodging once he entered. Then, he returned to his routine of collecting rice grains and feeding his guests. As years passed, he attained moksha.
Vyasa assured Yudhistira that happiness and unhappiness were cyclic and would come and go. He asked him to be confident of regaining his lost kingdom.