The Indian Dharma

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Sage Dhurvasa and the Deva-Dhootas explaining about the Svarga Lokha, Satya Lokha and finally the Vaikunta to Mudgala. As the explanation about the Svarga Lokha goes on, Mudgala isn’t quite satisfied as he wants to enter into some other Lokha where he doesn’t need to come back again into the present “Manushya Lokha”. The “Deva-Dhootas” then further explain how Bhagawan Brahma’s “Satya Lokha” is even better than the “Svarga Lokha”, however, one cannot reside there permanently as well. This made Mudgala more unconvinced. Moving forward with his explanation thus, the “Deva-Dhootas” now explain about the Vaikunta or the “Nithya Lokha” which is the abode of Bhagawan Vishnu. This is the only Lokha from which nobody comes back to any of the previously explained Lokhas, including the “Manushya Lokha”. 

Continuing this explanation thus, the “Deva Dhootas” say to Mudgala: “Oh Mudgala! This “Vaikunta” is the only Lokha in this entire universal creation wherein no Rajo Guna or Tamo Guna exist. There is only Satva Guna everywhere. There is no jealousy nor pride nor greed nor anger here. It is only happiness, and it is permanent happiness!” As Mudgala listens to all this, he thinks for a while. Now he has to make a decision quickly as the “Deva Dhootas” are waiting for him with the “Vimaana”. Mudgala replies after a big thought process thus, “Oh Deva-Dhootas”! Your proposal for me to come along with you to the “Svarga Lokha” seems very attractive and there is no doubt about that. However, I’m not a person who goes behind luxuries and happiness at the sake of “Dharma”. For me, following the path of “Dharma” is the one that gives me endless happiness, which I’m already getting in this “Manushya Lokha” itself. Even though me and my family are starving without much food, we take it in the right sense and we enjoy being this way. Hence, just because there are a lot of luxuries and happiness, I do not want to enter into a “Lokha” which gives all this only on a temporary basis. I’m looking for the permanent happiness and the permanent divine experience at the end of my life, for which, I’m ready to go to any extent to follow the path of “Dharma” and be devoid of any unwanted desires and pleasures. Hence, my decision is to reject your offer of coming with you to the “Svarga Lokha” and I shall follow your guidance meticulously to strive towards attainment of the “Vaikunta”, which gives us the permanent happiness and the ultimate divine experience. For this, I’m ready to continue with my “Dharma” of picking up the food grains which are worth consuming as per the “Dharma”, and I shall gladly wait for fifteen days to have one sumptuous meal. I do not have any problem with this, as I’m used to this kind of a life for so many years now. Hence, you needn’t worry about my physical health. Thus, I’m not coming with you to the “Svarga Lokha” at all!” 

Saying thus, Mudgala rejects the offer and the “Deva-Dhootas” are extremely happy about it! Sage Dhurvasa too is rejoicing this moment and appreciates Mudgala for his firmness in the decision to follow and implement “Dharma” at any cost. This kind of a mindset is very difficult for people to obtain, isn’t it? Even though he is being tempted with so many luxuries and other advantages, Mudgala stands firm in his “Dharma” by rejecting everything that comes by! So for today, let us understand Mudgala’s firmness and his steadfast attitude towards “Dharma” and we shall wait till the next episode to continue this discussion further! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Sage Dhurvasa granting Mudgala the right to transcend to the “Svarga Lokha” for all the “Punya-Karma” that he had been performing throughout his life. However, Mudgala isn’t ready as yet, to transcend to the “Svarga Lokha” as he keeps asking questions to the “Deva-Dhootas” who come to escort him. As Mudgala asks the characteristics of the “Svarga Lokha”, the “Deva-Dhootas” explain all the positives of it, without mentioning the negatives. However, Mudgala is more interested in the negatives than the positives. He asks for it again, and the “Deva-Dhootas” explain the only negative aspect of the “Svarga Lokha” – If our “Punya-Karma” account empties out, one cannot reside in the “Svarga Lokha” even for a minute. He / she would be pushed back mercilessly into the “Manushya Lokha” and the “restart” button for our “Karma” would be pressed! This is the grave danger of getting to the “Svarga Lokha”. Of course, until our “Punya Karma” account has “valid points”, things are very luxurious and completely full of resources. We can enjoy every bit of things there. However, when our “validity” of our “Punya-Karma” comes to an end, we would be pushed back. This concept is very similar to how our “Sim cards” act in our mobile phones – Until we have the validity period of our call plans, we would be able to enjoy the benefit of making calls or sending messages. However, if the plan’s validity comes to an end, immediately from the next minute onwards the facility will be withdrawn, isn’t it? Similar is the story here also! 

Thus, as the Deva-Dhootas explain this point, they once again try to convince Mudgala to come with them to the “Svarga Lokha”. They explain thus, “Oh Mudgala! Of course there is this one disadvantage only. But for this one point, why do you want to compromise on the enormous enjoyment and pleasure that is waiting for you out there? You’ve accumulated enough and more “Punya” to have a good time there. Hence, please come with us. The “Vimana” is waiting for you!” As the “Deva-Dhootas” explain this way, Mudgala thinks once again. He is still not convinced. Meanwhile, as this conversation goes on and on, Sage Dhurvasa starts leaving that place. However, Mudgala is not going to let Sage Dhurvasa get away just like that! He asks one more question to both Sage Dhurvasa and the “Deva-Dhootas” thus, “Oh Sage Dhurvasa! Oh Deva-Dhootas! Whatever you’re saying is right! I do not have any problem with that. However, I have only one concern – You’re saying that the “Svarga Lokha” has all the benefits and resources, but it seems to me that it is not a permanent one. I want to go to some “Lokha” wherein I do not want to come back to this “Manushya Lokha” again. It should be permanent in nature. Is there any “Lokha” like that wherein I can experience permanent happiness and bliss?”

As Mudgala asks thus, Sage Dhurvasa intervenes. He explains thus, “Oh Mudgala! Now you’ve asked an important question. There are many Lokhas in this world, just like how we have the “Manushya Lokha” here. For example, apart from the “Svarga Lokha” which the “Deva-Dhootas” have been talking about till now, there is the “Satya Lokha” of Bhagawan Brahma. However, if you ask the same question whether it is temporary or permanent, it is once again temporary. When your “Punya-Kaalam” comes to an end, you should come back here once again. Next, if you transcend further from the “Satya Lokha”, you will reach the “Virajaa Nadhi” (A river in the Celestial space). You might still ask whether if we can take the “Punya-Snaan” in the Virajaa Nadhi and reside there itself in its banks? The answer is “No”! You cannot do that! Of course, if you take the “Punya-Snaan”, all your “Paapa-Karma” will be washed away, and you will be left with your “Punya-Karma”, which will once again take you to the “Svarga Lokha”, and once your “Punya-Karma” gets completed, you will have to come back to the “Manushya Lokha” once more! However, if we go beyond the “Virajaa Nadhi”, we will reach a Lokha called “Vaikunta”, which is the “Nitya-Lokha”. This is where Bhagawan Vishnu resides. If one reaches this “Vaikunta”, he / she is never going to come back anywhere – Be it Manushya Lokha or Naraka Lokha or Svarga Lokha or Satya Lokha. It is a permanent residence with unending bliss, owing to the divine presence of Bhagawan Vishnu! Hence, to answer your question in a nutshell – Yes. There exists one “Lokha” wherein you will get unending joy and happiness and this is nothing but the “Vaikunta”! This “Lokha” is also called “Vishnu-Padam” or “Parama-Padam”!” 

So for today, let us understand up to this point, and let us appreciate the significance of “Vaikunta” over all the other Lokhas. We shall wait till the next episode to witness how Mudgala reacts to this answer from Sage Dhurvasa! Stay tuned for more updates! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Mudgala asking about the significance of the “Svarga Lokha” and the “Deva-Dhootas” giving a beautiful reply for the same. The “Deva-Dhootas” explain how the “Svarga Lokha” is a self-sufficient and a self-sustained place with all the luxuries possible. There would be no dearth for food, water, happiness, etc. and the entire “Svarga Lokha” is something that can never even be compared for an inch with the “Manushya Lokha”, which is full of pain, suffering, misery and sorrow in many ways! Hence, the “Deva-Dhootas” assure Mudgala that once he transcends to the “Svarga-Lokha”, he wouldn’t need to wait for fifteen days for one sumptuous meal! They also assure him that he would be taken care of very nicely and he would receive the best of the best hospitality that he could ever imagine! But now, the question is very simple – Is Mudgala going to accept this offer and transcend to the “Svarga Lokha” along with the “Deva-Dhootas”? Or, does Mudgala have other ideas? Let us witness Mudgala’s decision in today’s episode. 

Listening patiently to all these, Mudgala asks the “Deva-Dhootas” thus, “Oh Deva-Dhootas! All what you’ve said seems to be fine. However, I’m puzzled – How can a place exist without any problems? How can a place have 100% happiness and luxuries? Or, are you trying to hide the negative aspects of the “Svarga Lokha” from my purview? I’m sure that every Lokha will have both positives and negatives. Hence, please tell me the negative aspects of the “Svarga Lokha”!” As Mudgala asks thus, the Deva-Dhootas try to give a befitting reply: “Oh Mudgala! Of course you’re right! No Lokha in this world can be 100% perfect in terms of only the positives. There is just one negative aspect when it comes to the “Svarga Lokha”! However, please do not worry! We’ve told you 100’s of positives about the “Svarga Lokha”, haven’t we? So, you would be having a good time there if you come with us!” This reply from the “Deva Dhootas” seemed a mere “Sales / Marketing talk” for Mudgala. He asks back thus, “Oh Deva-Dhootas! There you go! Now tell me that one negative aspect pertaining to the “Svarga Lokha”. I want to listen to it, evaluate the negative vs. all the 100 positives that you had mentioned earlier. Only if I find that this negative aspect is worth tolerating, I shall come with you!” 

As Mudgala firmly says thus, the Deva-Dhootas realize that no marketing talks would work with him! 🙂 They’re now pushed to tell the truth! Now the Deva-Dhootas reply thus, “Oh Mudgala! Since you’re asking us repeatedly and firmly, let us explain you the negative aspect – We’ve explained all the luxuries and the other positives haven’t we? You can experience all these luxuries only until the time that your “Punya-Kaala” is valid! After this “Punya-Kaala” is over, you would be pushed back into the “Manushya Lokha” again! This is the only glitch there! However, when you’re going through the “Punya-Kaala”, you would be able to enjoy all the available luxuries that you would have never imagined of otherwise!” In other words, there will be a certain time period that would be fixed for all of us as we enter into the “Svarga Lokha”. This time period depends upon the amount of “Punya Karma” that we’ve accumulated over our birth(s). More the “Punya-Karma” in our account, more the time that we will get to spend in the “Svarga Lokha”. However, when the time of exit comes, we would be mercilessly pushed out of the “Svarga Lokha”, only to be taking a re-birth in the “Manushya Lokha”, to accumulate more “Punya / Paapa Karma”. 

Thus, we can understand one thing very clearly here – The “Svarga Lokha” is not a place where we can reside permanently, and this is exactly what Mudgala is also understanding here! So for today, let us understand up to this point and let us wait till the next episode to witness what is Mudgala’s decision – Whether to still transcend to the “Svarga Lokha”, experience all the luxuries and come back to the Manushya Lokha? Or, is Mudgala’s decision something else? Stay tuned for an interesting accord! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the importance of “Saathvika Aahaara” as a continuation of our discussion on how Mudgala earned enormous “Sathva Guna” through meticulous “Aahaara Shuddhi”. In this context, we’ve witnessed yesterday as to how consuming non-vegetarian food items increases our “Rajo Guna” and “Tamo Guna” and how our “Sathva Guna” deteriorates drastically. We should always remember that for progressing in the spiritual path, our “Sathva Guna” should increase and in turn, our “Rajo Guna” and “Tamo Guna” should come down. For this, the food that we consume plays an important role. As we’ve witnessed earlier, while we consume non-vegetarian food items, we also consume a lot of negative energy from the dead bodies of animals. This negative energy in turn makes us unwantedly aggressive or lazy, which would make us deviate from the path of “Dharma” and spirituality. We should remember this point very importantly as all of us here are spiritual seekers in some way or the other. 

Moving on further, we shall now come back to the context of Mudgala and Sage Dhurvasa. As we had seen earlier, Sage Dhurvasa provides his divine “Anugraha” to Mudgala for transcending to the “Svarga Lokha”. The “Deva-Dhootas” (Messengers from the Celestial Beings) have already arrived at Mudgala’s place to take all of them to the “Svarga Lokha”. But the question here is whether Mudgala is ready to go with them or not. The normal expectation would be Mudgala to transcend to the “Svarga Lokha”, isn’t it? However, what happened here was on the contrary! As the “Deva Dhootas” are waiting with the divine “Vimaana”, Mudgala is not willing to get up! He seems to be completely uninterested in this mission! Mudgala asks back thus, “Oh Sage Dhurvasa! Oh Deva Dhootas! I do not know anything about the “Svarga Lokha! I do not have any idea of how people would be there in that Lokha. I’ve been accustomed all these years to where I am and where I live. So please tell me what the “Svarga Lokha” looks like and how are people there!” 

We should think on a lighter note here – If any one of us gets an opportunity like this to transcend to the “Svarga Lokha”, will we keep asking questions like this, or will we start off immediately? Most of us will choose the latter option, isn’t it? Even if the town next to our locality is  named as “Svarga Lokha” by any chance, we would immediately pack all our bags and go there, without asking any questions, isn’t it? However, Mudgala is different here – He wants to first understand how the “Svarga Lokha” is and who lives there, before he goes! As Mudgala asks thus, the “Deva Dhootas” reply back: “Oh Mudgala! You’ve asked a very important question here. Let us reply back. Anyone who is a “Naasthika” (Talking against Bhagawan) cannot transcend to the “Svarga Lokha”. Anybody who is not rich in “Tapas” cannot transcend there. Anybody who is devoid of “Bhakti” cannot reach the “Svarga Lokha”. Anybody who does not have the “Aatma Gnyaanam” (Knowledge about the Atman) cannot transcend there. Thus, a person who has all the above traits, viz. Tapas, Bhakti, Aatma Gnyaanam, etc. is the one who will be able to transcend to the “Svarga Lokha”. Moreover, a person who is devoid of jealousy, inferiority complex, a person who is an embodiment of compassion towards all other living beings is the one who goes there!” 

The Deva Dhootas continue thus, “Oh Mudgala! A person who reaches the “Svarga Lokha” never experiences any sort of pain, hunger, sleep and thirst. The person gets a divine physical body there and can enjoy all the luxuries that are present. In the centre of the Svarga Lokha you would see the huge “Indra-Sabha” (Courtroom of Indra, who is the leader of the Devas). In that Indra-Sabha it would be music, dance and other events continuously happening without a break! You will be able to enjoy everything. You will never face any discontent in the “Svarga Lokha”. Oh Mudgala! Please understand – You don’t even need to wink your eyes there! There is no necessity to use the washroom. There are no bad smells at all. There is no dirt at all! Such are the characteristics of the “Svarga Lokha” to which you’re going to transcend to! Only divine people live there. In the Svarga Lokha, there is no dearth of any kinds of resources. Everything looks fresh. Everything is so luxurious. You cannot even compare this Manushya Lokha with the “Svarga Lokha” by any chance!” 

So for today, let us understand the characteristics of the “Svarga Lokha” as narrated by the “Deva-Dhootas”. We shall continue this discussion forward in the next episode as well to find out more such important aspects of the “Svarga Lokha”! Stay tuned for an interesting accord! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed how “modernizing” our food habits seems to backfire at us very badly in terms of newer diseases and most importantly leading to the loss of our “Sathva Guna” and in turn raising our “Rajo Guna” and the “Tamo Guna”. If we’re consuming food that is not offered to Bhagawan as “Naivedhya”, we’re going to consume an enormous amount of “toxic” substances that come along with it, which leads to all the complications that we’re seeing today. Moreover, if we’re consuming food at fast food centres and restaurants, there is a glitch here – We never know with what ingredients the food is being prepared. Moreover, the moods and emotions of the people who are making the food is also of paramount importance. We never know with what anger or frustration are these people preparing the food. These emotions would certainly enter into the food that is being prepared and served to us. If we now consume that food which contains all these bad and negative emotions, our “Rajo Guna” and “Tamo Guna” will be on the rise, and our “Sathva Guna” will reduce. This is where we start deviating from the path of “Dharma” and we start doing whatever we feel like! 

Moving on further, I would also like to stress another important point which is also connected to this current discussion. I’m sure that many of us after reading through our blog page for so many months and years would have tried our level best to discontinue the habit of consuming non-vegetarian food. I’ve been stressing upon this many times earlier as well. If we’re consuming non-vegetarian food, our “Rajo Guna” and the “Tamo Guna” will always rise, which will lead us away from the direction of the spiritual path that we’re trying to take. We should understand here that all living beings have the right to lead a life in this world and we do not have any right to take away their lives, for our selfish needs. If an animal is being killed for making the non-vegetarian food item(s), there is an enormous amount of negative energy that emulates from the animal’s body as it is being tortured and killed. Just let us think of this point – Which living being in this world would want to die with all that torture and pain? If we are subjected to such treatment, how would we feel? For instance, we see a lot of cow slaughtering today and this is becoming a “trend” these days, just for the sake of maligning our “Sanaatana Dharma”. Our Hinduism worships cows as one of the most sacred animals in this world. Hence, if there should be one way to demean Hinduism, it is through cow slaughtering! However, as this slaughter happens, many times, the mother cow is killed in front of its calf! Now we must imagine here – How painful will it be for the poor calf to see its mother being slaughtered right in front of its eyes? If our mother or father is subject to such extreme cruelty in front of our eyes, will we be able to tolerate it? Definitely not! If such is the case, how will the poor animal tolerate it? Just because these poor animals cannot talk or raise their voice against such cruelty, will we stoop to such low levels for fulfilling our selfish motives? We’ve to think along these lines, and if we do so, we will automatically stop consuming non-vegetarian food items! 

Thus, the reason why I’m repeatedly highlighting this point is that, when we talk of “Aahaara Shuddhi”, our food should be of the “Saathvika Aahaara” type. If we consume all these stupid non-vegetarian food items, we’re never going to walk the path of spiritual growth. Of course, I understand that these habits aren’t easy for us to come out of. I’m sure many of us are trying hard as well. However, there will always be this peer pressure and family pressure to continue consuming non-vegetarian food. We should develop “Vairaagya” (Will Power) to discard all that peer pressure and overcome the habit. If all of us develop that pledge, the world would become a much safer place for all the living beings to live peacefully, isn’t it? More than just the “Saathvika Aahaara” part, let us also think along the lines of global peace and harmony, wherein all living beings should be able to lead a life without tears in their eyes! Isn’t that responsibility ours, as ardent followers of our “Sanaathana Dharma”? Hence for today, let us give this a serious thought and for those of us who are still trying to come out of the habit of consuming non-vegetarian food, let us take a pledge today to somehow relieve ourselves from this! We shall wait till the next episode to continue further with what Mudgala replied to Sage Dhurvasa! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Sage Dhurvasa explaining how our “Aahaara Shuddhi” enhances our “Sathva Guna” and how Mudgala was a perfect epitome of it. As we’ve witnessed, Mudgala had this unique way of collecting food grains for the meal of his family and they consumed food only once in fifteen days. Even with this, Sage Dhurvasa came six times and denied them their food. However, Mudgala was unfazed and he was prepared to sacrifice his physical health for offering the “Dhaanam” to Sage Dhurvasa. This is how Sage Dhurvasa’s heart melted and he provided his divine “Anugraha” to Mudgala and his family, with which they attained the “Svarga Lokha” and from there, the highest “Moksha” as well. Thus, in this context, Sage Dhurvasa explains how Mudgala’s “Aahaara Shuddhi” brought about enormous amounts of “Sathva Guna” to thrive in Mudgala. It is this “Sathva Guna” that made Mudgala obtain that enormous strength and will power to execute his “Dharma”. 

This is where we had a short discussion yesterday upon the food that we consume today and how it contributes to our character and “Gunas” that we accumulate within ourselves. We’ve seen how our day-to-day culture has grossly changed these days and how we prefer to eat outside food more than home-cooked ones. Ideally, as we had witnessed yesterday, consuming outside food is quite dangerous as we never know the ingredients with which the food items are cooked. This might cause many physical ailments, which we might not even realize for a long period of time. Apart from this, the “Gunas” that we accumulate within ourselves by eating outside food is under a big question. We never know with what mood and thought process the chef at the restaurant cooks the food. If he / she is in a bad mood and with a lot of anger and frustration and is cooking the food, our “Rajo Guna” increases by consuming that food. This is something that all of us should give a thought. It is for this reason, in our olden days, people were not consuming outside food at all. People in those days preferred only home-cooked food, not because they did not have the disposable income at their bank accounts, but to be careful of nurturing the “Sathva Guna” within themselves. Moreover, if we consume food that is not offered to Bhagawan as “Naivedhya”, it is also considered to be something that doesn’t foster our “Sathva Guna”. 

Of course, in the modern day if we talk of all these things, people would immediately discard us as those who follow the “Old school of thought” and would brand us as “Oldies” who do not know anything and who aren’t in sync with the “modern world”! We should understand one thing very clearly here – The more “modern” we go in our food habits, the more diseases we imbibe each day! For instance, how many cases of cancer are we seeing today? Did we see such a huge number of cancer patients in the past – Maybe 30-40 years ago? It was never the case! This can be felt by the number of “cancer hospitals” that are blooming today in various cities and how much business that these hospitals are making! If we perform a small bit of research on this, we would come to a startling finding – Most of the cancer types that we see today are because of the food habits that we follow in the so-called “modern day”! This might be alarming to many, but this is a fact! We cannot deny this! This is why we always say that whatever food that we eat, should be pure and offered to Bhagawan before consuming. It is always better to avoid outside food, of course, barring a few exceptions here and there. Of course, I’m not making a sweeping statement by saying that we should never visit restaurants, but all that I’m saying is we can always limit our visits! Moreover, even if we prepare our own food at home, we should never consume it without offering it to Bhagawan. This will remove all the toxins that the food might contain, which in turn would enhance our “Sathva Guna”. 

So for today, let us once again ponder over this point, and in the next episode, we shall wait to see whether Mudgala really accepted Sage Dhurvasa’s “Anugraha” to transcend to the “Moksha”! Stay tuned for an interesting accord! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Sage Dhurvasa testing Mudgala to the maximum extent possible. After every fifteen days when Mudgala’s family will be preparing themselves to have a sumptuous meal, Sage Dhurvasa would make his way to their place and would consume all the food that they had prepared! Mudgala too would be very pleased and happy to offer everything to Sage Dhurvasa as a token of “Dhaanam”, without caring for the fact that he and his family would starve without any food or water for the next fifteen days! This continued for around three months until Sage Dhurvasa himself questioned Mudgala’s consistency. As Sage Dhurvasa asks thus, Mudgala never exhibited any sort of frustration or facial expressions towards performing the “Dhaanam”. He was doing it with a lot of “Shraddha” (Perfection) and “Bhakti” (Devotion). This melted Sage Dhurvasa’s heart and he provides Mudgala his divine Anugraha of granting him and his family the highest “Moksha” through the “Svarga Lokha”. He ordered that a “Vimaana” would come and pick them up and take them to the “Svarga Lokha” with immediate effect. 

Even as Sage Dhurvasa orders thus, the “Dhootas” (Messengers) from the Deva Lokha are already arriving one after the other to pick up Mudgala and family. As Mudgala is preparing himself to transcend, all the people around him feel happy too. Internally they were also thinking thus, “Oh wow! Mudgala is getting what he really deserved to get for a long time now! Whatever we’re not getting is what he is getting. This is where we’ve to work and strengthen our path towards “Dharma”! We should take Mudgala as a role model and follow his footsteps carefully for attaining the ultimate goal!” As the people think thus, none of them fall in jealousy with him. Nobody felt bad that Mudgala is transcending to the “Svarga Lokha”. This is also primarily because, Mudgala had offered the “Dhaanam” in whatever ways to all these people around him! Hence, the “Dhaanam” that he had offered with all his “Sathva Guna”, has transformed all the people around him! Since they have obtained the “Dhaanam” from such a person, they’ve also obtained the “Sathva Guna” from him, along with the material “Dhaanam” that they had received! Hence, we can understand from this point as to how important our “Aahaaram” (Food) is! 

We should remember one important aspect here – Our entire character and “Gunas” are determined completely by the food that we consume! The “Shaastras” have prescribed a balanced diet, which would be enriching not only our stomach and physical health, but also with the most important “Sathva Guna”, which is the fundamental requirement for a good character. Obviously only if we have a good character, will we be having that interest to pursue the path of “Dharma”. Hence, all are interlinked here. In today’s context, we’re crossing all our boundaries with regards to food. We’re consuming more and more outside food from restaurants and fast-food centres, owing to our change in lifestyle. Now we’re talking about how the “Sathva Guna” has transferred from Mudgala to the others, isn’t it? If we’re going out and eating from restaurants, apart from the ingredients and the raw materials that are used to prepare the food, do we know as to who is cooking that food and with what kind of “Gunas” and intentions? If the chef is full of “Rajo Guna” or “Tamo Guna” and with a lot of anger and frustration, and if we consume the food that he / she cooks, then what “Gunas” are we imbibing? This is where we get into a lot of mess and ultimately start deviating from the path of “Dharma”. 

Of course, I’m not trying to say that we should close down all the restaurants or anything like that. We should of course enjoy that once in a while, but fundamentally we should make sure that we consume home-cooked food as much as possible. This is because, if we’re cooking at home, we would be very careful with all the ingredients with which we cook. Moreover, if we chant our “Mantra” or any slokas pertaining to our favourite deity while cooking, the essence of that slokas or “Mantra” would transcend into our food, which would enhance our “Sathva Guna” further! Once our “Sathva Guna” increases, automatically we would start following the path of “Dharma” without any invitation from anybody! This is where the loop is. Hence, we can see from here as to how “Aahaara Shuddhi” plays a very crucial role in our pursuit towards the path of “Dharma” and this is exactly what Mudgala and family illustrate with their practice too. Even while collecting the grains, we’ve seen how Mudgala meticulously took efforts to collect every single grain. This is why there was a fifteen-day time lag between every meal. Hence, we can imagine how much of “Sathva Guna” that Mudgala and family possessed, which paved the way for Sage Dhurvasa to order the “Svarga Lokha” / “Moksha” to them!  

So for today, let us understand this point very clearly and let us consciously take a step forward towards implementation of the same. Of course, it would take time for us to slowly imbibe it, but we’ve to start somewhere, isn’t it? Hence, let us make the head-start today! We shall wait till the next episode to continue this discussion further! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Sage Dhurvasa making his way to Mudgala’s house at the Kurukshetra-Desha not once, but around six times – Once every fifteen days when Mudgala’s wife would prepare a meal for their family. Everytime Sage Dhurvasa would come, Mudgala and his wife would offer all the cooked food to him and for the next fifteen days the entire family would starve. Again at the end of the fifteenth day when the paddy volume is coming up to a considerable level, Mudgala’s wife would cook some food for all of them, only for Sage Dhurvasa to come and consume everything and go! This was continuing on and on, and for the next two months or so, the family of Mudgala was starving. Yet, Mudgala was firm on his “Dharma” of offering “Dhaanam” to Sage Dhurvasa whenever he comes. 

As Sage Dhurvasa comes for the sixth time in the continuum, he looks at Mudgala’s facial expressions and body language. He knows very well that Mudgala is being tortured in some way and is being exploited. Sage Dhurvasa observes Mudgala’s face and thinks thus,”Oh wow! Let me see today whether Mudgala has any anger on his face. Let me see if he exhibits that regret on his face due to the anger. Let me observe if Mudgala is feeling bad that I’m coming again and again every time! If I find any such expressions on his face, it means that he is performing the “Dhaanam” just for the sake of doing it, and is not doing it whole-heartedly!” As Sage Dhurvasa thinks thus and observes Mudgala, the result was contrasting to his thoughts! Mudgala’s face showed no signs of anger or frustration or regret. He was with his original smile and gratitude written all over his face, exactly the same way as he served Sage Dhurvasa for the first time! Indeed, Mudgala was extremely grateful to Sage Dhurvasa that he had obtained that great opportunity to serve a great sage not once, but six times continuously! Surprised by Mudgala’s calm body language and demeanour, Sage Dhurvasa who is known for his high anger asks him thus, “Oh Mudgala! You’re meticulously serving me with all your food that you had stacked up for the past fifteen days without eating anything! You’ve not done it once, but this is the sixth time you’re doing it! However, I find no sense of anger that I’m always coming to snatch away your food. I find no signs of regret in your facial expressions that this Sage Dhurvasa is coming every now and then and making my family starve! Is my observation correct? Aren’t you frustrated or sad with my arrival every now and then, which makes you and your family starve?” 

As Sage Dhurvasa asks thus, Mudgala is in tears of joy! He replies thus, “Oh Great Sage Dhurvasa! We are extremely fortunate that your divine lotus feet touched upon our home. Moreover, we’re even more grateful to you for accepting what little we offer you. In fact, to be very frank with you, I was scared internally every day as to whether I’m satisfying your appetite properly or not, because the paddy that I bring home is extremely low in quantity. I was scared whether you would get angry and we would fail in our “Dharma” of not offering the “Dhaanam” to your fullest content. Indeed, I’m happy that your appetite is satisfied and we do not care about our appetite at all. We are more concerned about the “Dharma” of offering the “Dhaanam” and as a family, we are extremely fortunate that we’re getting an opportunity to serve a great Sage like you! Indeed, I consider this as a resultant of some “Punya-Karma” that I might have performed during some of my earlier birth(s)! Hence, we do not have any regret in serving you. Indeed we’re happy to be with you!” 

Saying thus, Mudgala falls on Sage Dhurvasa’s feet with tears in his eyes. Upon seeing Mudgala’s unconditional surrender and his noble sacrifice, Sage Dhurvasa’s heart melts! He too is in tears and immediately lifts Mudgala from his feet! Sage Dhurvasa replies to Mudgala thus, “Oh Mudgala! I have been testing you for the past six times! You’ve indeed passed my test with flying colours! Nobody in this world is as good as you when it comes to offering “Dhaanam” meticulously without “Madam” (Pride) and “Maastaryam”. You’re a “down-to-earth” person and even if it is a small quantity of paddy, you’re offering it with all your heart! Even Kubera in the Deva-Lokha cannot be equal to you when it comes to giving! Moreover, let me tell you one thing – Why do you think your mind is extremely pure and focused on “Dharma”? It is because of your “Aahaara-Shuddhi” (Extremely austere food practices). I know how you collect the paddy every day and I know how meticulously your wife supports you in executing your “Dharma” properly. Hence, this “Aahaara Shuddhi” has brought about the “Sathva Guna” in you at an advanced level. This is the reason why your mind and body are sound, even if you’re starving for so many days continuously without any food or water! Hence, I’m ordering hereby – There will be one divine “Vimaana” that would come exclusively for you from the “Svarga Lokha”. You can get into it and transcend to the “Svarga Lokha” and from there, you would go to the ultimate “Moksha-Samrajya”. I hereby provide my divine “Anugraha” for the same to happen immediately!” 

So for today, let us understand up to this point and let us also join hands with Mudgala and Sage Dhurvasa to celebrate this auspicious moment! We shall continue this discussion in the next episode as well, to find how Mudgala transcended towards the “Svarga Lokha” and move on further from here! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Sage Vyaasa narrating a beautiful anecdote about Mudgala who lived in the Kurukshetra-Desha. The context here is to highlight the importance of “Dhaanam” and how “Saathvika Dhaanam” in a human being makes him / her equivalent to the Devas (Celestial beings). Mudgala was living in a small hamlet with his wife and children and he used to go and collect small quantities of paddy everyday for their food requirements. Since the quantity was extremely small per day, the family consumed a sumptuous meal only once in fifteen days. The way in which Mudgala collected paddy was very unique – He would collect only those grains of paddy which had fallen off the sacks, and which aren’t being consumed by small living beings such as ants, etc. Of course, this amount would be extremely less per day and this is how things were going. Even Bhagawan was extremely impressed upon Mudgala’s “Dharma”. Moreover, before consuming the meal once in that fifteen days period, Mudgala would make sure that the food is offered to Bhagawan with all the rituals being correctly followed. If a guest comes home, Mudgala would never bother to sacrifice his meal to feed the guest. 

In this way, Mudgala shone as an epitome of “Saathvika Dhaanam”, until one fine day when Bhagawan decided to test him! Sage Dhurvasa was once passing by Mudgala’s home and upon hearing the significance of Mudgala’s “Saathvika Dhaanam”, he wanted to obtain something as well. Thus, Sage Dhurvasa makes his way to Mudgala’s home and Mudgala happily receives him with all the due respects. As Sage Dhurvasa gets comfortable, Mudgala offers food for him as a token of “Dhaanam”. That day was the culmination of the fifteen days for which Mudgala’s family was waiting to have sumptuous food. However, with the arrival of Sage Dhurvasa, Mudgala decided that a small portion of the cooked food be given as a “Dhaanam” to the great sage. Sage Dhurvasa too accepted the “Dhaanam” gleefully and started consuming the food. Unexpectedly for Sage Dhurvasa, the food was extremely tasty, coupled with the enormous “Sathva Guna” with which it was prepared, and hence, Sage Dhurvasa’s hunger started increasing by the moment. Thus, as Sage Dhurvasa asked for more and more food, Mudgala and his wife had no other option but to serve the entire meal that was prepared for themselves. However, Sage Dhurvasa’s hunger still wasn’t satisfied! 

Now all of us know who Sage Dhurvasa is – He is a great sage, but is an epitome of anger! If he gets angry, we know what would be his next course of action – To curse! We’ve seen in the past as well as to how many people were affected because of Sage Dhurvasa’s curse! Now, as the food was getting over, Mudgala too had this same fear in him! What if Sage Dhurvasa’s hunger doesn’t get satisfied and if he comes to know that the food was over, what would be his reaction? Such things were running continuously in Mudgala’s mind, as the other big worry was that there were no ingredients left in the kitchen to prepare fresh food! Luckily by Bhagawan’s grace, Sage Dhurvasa’s hunger came to an end! He got satisfied with Mudgala’s offerings and with this, he decided to take leave! As Sage Dhurvasa departs, he provides his divine “Anugraha” to Mudgala and his family and all of them are happy. 

However, there’s one glitch here – As Sage Dhurvasa had consumed all the food that was prepared, now what would Mudgala and family eat? They did not have anything and the kitchen was completely empty! Hence, they had to wait for the next fifteen days to consume the next tranche of food! Nevertheless, Mudgala and family never bothered about all this and they patiently waited for the fifteenth day for the paddy to come and to cook a good meal for themselves. However, on the fifteenth day, Sage Dhurvasa came to see them again! Mudgala welcomed him once again and offered all the cooked food as a token of “Dhaanam” to him! Again, the family had to starve because Sage Dhurvasa had consumed all the food that was prepared! This saga continued for the next six times! Once in every fifteen days, Sage Dhurvasa used to come and visit Mudgala and he would give all the cooked food to Sage Dhurvasa and the entire family would starve! So for today, let us understand up to this point and in the next episode, we shall continue to witness what happened subsequently! Was Sage Dhurvasa happy? Or, did he get annoyed by any chance with Mudgala? Stay tuned for an interesting accord! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Sage Vyaasa’s continuation of his accord with Yudishtra, to explain how significant is “Dhaanam”. He emphasizes the point that the way in which we’re offering the “Dhaanam” is more important than the material that we’re offering. If we’re even offering gold or any higher order material, but with a tinch of expectation of any sorts, it would not be considered as “Dhaanam” at all. Thus, while offering the “Dhaanam”, we should not have even an iota of expectation or attachment towards the object that we’re offering, and this is what real “Dhaanam” is all about! To illustrate this point, Sage Vyaasa is explaining a beautiful story of a person called Mudgala who lived in the Kurukshetra-Desha. This Mudgala used to collect paddy bit by bit everyday with a lot of austerity. Thus, once in fifteen days, as the volume of paddy that he collects comes up to a certain level, his wife will cook a meal for the family and have it. Thus, we should understand here that Mudgala and family have a full meal only once in fifteen days! Even here, before consuming the meal, Mudgala is meticulous to offer the food to Bhagawan and if some guest comes home at that particular time, Mudgala will not hesitate to give the entire cooked food as “Dhaanam” to that guest! This means, Mudgala and family will not consume any food again for the next fifteen days! 

As Sage Vyaasa explains this accord on Mudgala, he becomes very happy within himself! He tells Yudishtra thus, “Oh Yudishtra! I get butterflies in my stomach when I talk about Mudgala! See how he is an epitome of “Dhaanam”! He will not consume even a grain of food without offering the “Dhaanam” and without offering the food to Bhagawan! If such is the case, imagine how much of “Satva Guna” he would have developed over the years! Of course, he might be physically weak because of lack of adequate food and water, but this is not at all a problem! Spiritually advanced people wouldn’t consider this as a weakness at all! Oh Yudishtra! What is real physical weakness? It is when our physical body is completely devoid of the “Satva Guna”, and not when our physical body is not well-nourished with food and water! This is what we’ve to understand here. Hence, Bhagawan likes those people who are nourishing themselves with the “Satva Guna”, and not just with the food and water!” 

Saying thus, Sage Vyaasa continues further, “Oh Yudishtra! As days, months and years passed by, one fine day, there was a test awaiting Mudgala! It was a really tough test. One day, Sage Durvasa came by that way, and he too knows Mudgala’s significance. Hence, he had a sudden wish to meet Mudgala and obtain a “Dhaanam” from his divine hands. With this intention, Sage Durvasa proceeds towards Mudgala’s house. Buoyed by Sage Durvasa’s arrival, Mudgala is extremely happy and welcomes him with all his love and respect! Sage Durvasa straightaway expresses himself thus, “Oh Mudgala! I’ve heard a lot about your “Dhaanam” and how pure and divine you are in this aspect of “Dharma”. I’ve come here today to receive your offering as food. So please, can you serve me some food?” As Mudgala hears this, he is more than happy to serve Sage Durvasa, and coincidentally, this was the fifteenth day wherein the meal was being cooked by his wife. Hence, Mudgala prepares Sage Durvasa’s plate and serves him a little food. Of course, we know how much food Mudgala and family would be having, because of the less quantity of paddy that he brings home. Even then, Mudgala’s wife offers Sage Durvasa a portion of what she had cooked. Sage Durvasa is happily consuming the food from the plate and surprisingly his hunger started to increase by the minute! 

Thus, as Sage Durvasa’s plate is becoming empty, he requests Mudgala for more food. Mudgala’s wife again comes with the second serving, only for Sage Durvasa’s hunger to increase further! Then comes the third serving, and with this, the entire food that is cooked for the day gets over! Sage Durvasa’s hunger is only increasing by the minute and he wants more and more!” So for today, let us understand up to this point and we shall wait till the next episode to witness what happened to Mudgala after this point! Stay tuned for a very interesting accord! 🙂