Mahabharata - Story of Mudgala and Durvasa

Sage Mudgala was a pious, truthful person who performed hard austerities together with hims family members. He used to live in Kurukshetra. He lived like a pigeon, i.e. lived by collecting grains from the fields after they have been cut by their owners, also called Unccha vritti, a form of severe austerity. Yet he used to entertain his guests with his limited means. He also performed Vedic injunctions and sacrifices. He collected with his family members the grains from the field for a fortnight and then ate them after duly offering them to the gods and the guests. By the virtue of his penance the food increased manifold when guests came to visit him and many pious and learned Brahmanas partook of that sanctified food. Even the king of gods Indra used to take part in that Yajna and took his share, such was the power of the penance.

One day, sage Durvasa, who was noted for his quick temper, came to hear of the the sacrifice of the sage Mudgala and decided to test him. In behavior and look he was like a maniac. He wandered the earth devoid of any possession or any care for his body. He was always angry and cursed whosoever failed to discharge their duty properly. Everybody was afraid of Durvasa, because of his ability to curse others on account of the toughest austerities that he underwent. Mudgala extended a warm welcome to the sage and washed his feet and gave him an excellent meal with all the grains collected over a period. Durvasa ate up all of that and  smeared all over his body the remaining food without leaving anything fro Mudgala and then went away. Mudgala was not at all angry. He again went for collecting the grains.But Durvasa came again in the next season and ate up all that was offered. Mudgala was not all affected by anger although he was very much afflicted by hunger. Durvasa again came and did the same several times more. Yet, the sage Mudgala, though worn out by hunger, never once did harbour any anger against the sage. Durvasa, who himself had failed to control his anger, was now defeated. Very pleased by the behavior of the sage he said, that by his behavior and extra ordinary self control Mudgala had performed a wonderful feat. Nobody can control the pangs of hunger. Hunger and sense gratification drive even pious men to lose their temper. Mudgala had set example of self restraint. By remaining calm and serene even under the gravest provocation by Durvasa, by completely overcoming the pangs of hunger, Mudgala had conquered those realms of heaven that are unconquered by even the mightiest sages. Therefore he would soon go to his heavenly abode. As soon as Durvasa spoke, the heavenly chariot with the messenger appeared and requested Mudgala to accompany him to the heaven.

Mudgala however asked the celestial messenger to describe him about heaven and then he would decide whether he wanted to go there or not. The celestial messenger said that only pious and virtuous can reach heaven and can enjoy all the pleasures there. In heaven there is neither grief nor sickness nor old age. People enjoy eternal youth and enjoy in the company of the other celestial maidens and gods and get all the objects of enjoyment. There is only pleasure and no pain. People are ever joyous, beautiful and ever free. Higher above the realms of the heaven of Indra are the realms of Brahma where only sages and the highest of the gods live. They are above all pains and pleasures and they enjoy divine bliss. However there is one disadvantage of all heavenly pleasures, that they are temporary. People can live in heaven as long as their karma permits. Once their merits are exhausted they fall back to earth and are born among men and once again go through all the pleasures and pains of life. If perchance they happen to lead a sinful life they may have even inferior births. So the people who have to leave behind heavenly enjoyments and take birth are unhappy as they fall from heaven upon exhaustion of their merits. This is the reality for even Brahma Loka. There the sages may enjoy greater bliss for a greater duration but they will have to take birth again.

Hearing this Mudgala asked him, "is there any realm from where there is no return?" The celestial messenger said that higher than even the realm of Brahma there is the realm of the Vishnu, the Supreme Being, wherefrom there is no return. However only people in whom the knowledge has dawned of the futility of the world of senses can go to that region and they are above all duality of pleasure and pain. They have completely mastered their senses and are not attracted by desires for the material world. They lead a completely selfless and blameless life and in the end attain to the Supreme Being.

Hearing this Mudgala said that he wanted to go to the realm wherefrom there was no return. He did not want the heavenly pleasures as that did not attract him. The celestial messenger and the sage Durvasa went back, and sage Mudgala resorted to his Unccha practice, completely mastered his senses, engaged himself in Yogic contemplation of the Supreme Being and being steadfast on his goal of liberation merged his mind and ego with that of the Supreme Being and thus gave up his body. He became fully emancipated and attained to the supreme Brahman, the pure existence, consciousness and bliss.