The equanimity of Mind

Sage Mudgal was a very pious soul. He had taken a vow and accordingly would pick up for support grains left on field by husbandmen after had gathered and carried away the sheaves. In a fortnight he would collect about 32kg of grains. Thereafter he used to perform sacred Yajna, give food to Brahmins and himself take the food that remained after the deities and the guests had eaten. On Amavasya (No moon day) and poornima (full moon day this was a usual practice. For fifteen days he would toil hard to earn his living and that earning was judiciously used in the yajna. In serving the guests and savoring the same as Prasad. Even the gods extolled him greatly. Insult and pangs of hunger agitate even great persons. But sage Mudgal always remained calm and peaceful. Not only he himself was so worthy but his wife also assisted him greatly in performing the virtuous deeds. Even his children had adapted to the mode of their father’s life the lustrous eyes of the sage verily reflected the virtues of fortitude, patience, peace, straightforwardness, generosity and austerity. He would conquer the heart of any one simply by casting a loving glance. Sage Mudgal had almost reached the stage of Self-realized jnani whose glances radiate spiritual magnetism, mysterious love and compassion through divine aura. Sage Durvasa heard of the virtuous Mudgal, observant of vows. The salf-realizedsage Durvasa, a sage and an evaluator, would foam around in the disguise of a livid man, a woman or a woman or a half-woman in order to test and thereby elevate the will power of devotees, the power of austerities obtained by the men of penance, and the renunciation of ascetics etc.. Upon discerning Mudgal a noble and virtuous being, the sage decided to ascertain his virtuosity. The strength and stability of a wooden stake to which an animal is tethered is duly assessed by shaking it repeatedly When a wooden post to which cattle are to be tethered is tested, the sadhaka, to whose heart God Himself will be tethered, who will be the mainstay of society, who will be the mainstay of the society who will serve as a lighthouse for men is verily tested by the Sadguru.

Disguised as an eccentric, sage Durvasa came to Mud gal and spoke in a harsh and bitter language, "O Mudgal! You should be aware of the fact that I’ve come to you for taking food."

Mudgalji: ‘’You’re Holiness! Highly obliged by your visit. Please take seat.

Incidentally Rishi Mudgal had just completed the yajna. With great reverence and affection he offered to Rishi Durvasa the Prasad of Yajna meant for4 himself, his wife and his child. The Rishi relished the food greatly because firstly the food was earned through great toil; secondly it was the left-over of sacred yajna thirdly it was offered with reverence; fourthly it was offered with serenity and fifthly it was given with a lot of affection. Rishi Durvasa practically consumed the entire food. Still the little bit that was left, he smeared on his body. Thereafter he looked at Mudgal but his face depicted no irritation, or resentment for anything.

"The Lord tests only those, whom He wants to bless.

"This is the way He showers His mercies His on devotees.”

Now let’s imagine how we would have reacted had we been in this situation. If we had not taken any food for as long as a fortnight and on the fifteenth day offering the yajna oblations and feeding guests denly emerged on the scene! Thereupon if he had ingested the whole amount of food meant for the entire family. Not only this still the residual food would have been smeared by him to his body imagine what would be the plight of our mind. Wouldn’t we like to hit the person with a wand or to give him a tight slap?

Mudgal Rishi had no irritation, unhappiness or astonishment. ‘It is fine! What the saint liked to do, he has done. Rishi Durvasa perceived no reaction from him. As soon as the food was over, he expressed his desire to depart. Now when will the meal be prepared next?

“Your Holiness! The self-ordained rule I follow is to take food after offering yajna oblations every full moon day and every no moon day.”

Do not worry. I’ll come on that day.’’ Rishi Durvasa came six times Six times every fortnight amounts to full three month’s duration for full three months the whole family had to remain without food. Still there was not an iota of resentment in their minds. Food is not the only thing that nurtures this physical body. Possess the key to remain well-nourished, healthy and cheerful, main well-nourished, healthy and cheerful, you can stay healthy and happy even in adverse circumstances. And above all as the mind perceives, the physical body behaves accordingly. Selfless service they rendered generated a kind of vital energy to keep hunger and thirst away.

Rishi Durvasa was pleased and asked him, “my dear child! Ask me for a boon!”

“Your Holiness! Your pleasure is all that we would have asked for.”

In spite of rendering such an exemplary service, Mudgal did not ask for anything from the sage just imagine the great selflessness in his pure intellect. The contentment of Rishi Durvasa heightened the bliss of gods also. A messenger from heaven alighted on earth in a paradisiacal plane and said, “Gracious sage! The effect of your meritorious deeds has become so great that we wish you to come to paradise along with the physical body. Those who perform yajnas do get to heavens after death, but your patience, equanimity, endurance and contentedness are so great that you are being invited to heavens in the physical body itself. Upon this Mudgalji enquired, "what does one get in the paradise?"

“There is a range of boughs and gardens to roam about, gorgeous damsels to dally with, elixir to drink, an extensive range of sumptuous food to relish and many other thongs to enjoy. Paradise is paradise; there is nothing equal to it.’’ Thus the divine messenger praised the charms of heaven.”

“Virtue and vice, pleasure and pain, good and bad go hand in hand. So better you describe both positive and negative aspects.”

“The divine messenger said, “The luxuries and good points I have already described. Now listen to the bad ones. People there have attachment and malice towards one another. Fear from more powerful ones, jealousy and conflict with equals and hatred towards the less privileged is widely prevalent in the paradise. Above all, what to talk of the luxuries of paradise even the opulence of Brahamloka is not perennial. Ultimately one has to descend here on this earth after enjoying the pleasures of these worlds.

Then Sage Mudgal says;
I will only attain that harmless Supreme State reaching where every agony, pain or affliction gets absolutely relieved and the Supreme Bliss is verily attained

I do not want to dwell in paradise, Brahamloka or Vaikuntha. I want to attain Self-realization> don’t want a seat or posit ion attained by going somewhere from where I’ ll be made to descend again this earth; I don’ t want happiness that will be lost. Rather I’ ll dive in that perennial sea of bliss:

‘The Lord dwells in my heart I just need to peep within to meet Him.’

I want to attain the state of Supreme Bliss Where there is absolutely no room for sorrow. Pray I want to repose in my True Self from where there is no reversion. I am grateful to you for your coming and to Lord Indra for his cordial invitation. But I don’t want heaven as reward for my actions. You may please return to your abode.’’ With this sage reverently bade them goodbye.

Maharishi Mudgal refused the luxuries of paradise but there arose no pride in his mind on having done so. The true devotees of the Lord bear all triasls and tribulations but never complain because the more is the selflessness in a heart the more is upsurge of the nectar of Self -Bliss within.

Therefore keep on filling your mind. Therefore keep on filling your mind with firm determination and pious thoughts like, ‘I’ ll accomplish all my duties only for the Lord’s pleasure not for the sake of appreciation and fame, for worldly gains or to denigrate someone someone. Whatever I do, I’ll do for the sake of divine love, for making myself entitled to the God’s grace and for Will. In this way I’ll associate myself with the divine Endeavour’s of God and God Realized saints will make myself pious thereby.

The journey-from a drop of water to a handful of ash!

Your life begins with a drop of water and ends in a handful of ash.

Childhood was not yours youts is not yours and old age will not be yours. You are the changeless Atman;

Not the ever changing body. Ego you are not; nor are you the mind that is unstable like mercury. Your marks are bliss, spontaneity;

Coolness and purity. Your life begins with a you spend the day eating; will you spend the night in sleep?

Even new if you don’t yearn for Sadguru, you will repent in the end.

When death can strike any time. Why do you delay? Life begins with a…

Come O mind! Let us go and take refuge at the feet of the Sadguru;

Now we will besmear ashes on our body there. By surrendering our life to to Sad guru, we shall make our life blessed.

We shall not leave the Guru‘s place unti he says, ‘This is your last birth’ your life begins with a drop of water to…

*Erroneously you have believed that you are the body. Actually you are not the body. Composed of five great elements.

All the beings are portions of Myself; they are My portions and are eternal. All the worlds dissolve at the time of final dissolution; yet I remain indestructible. Simi larly, the bodies of the beings, indestructible for they are akin to myself.

When the Lord Himself says that we are akin to Him, What do we lose in accepting Lord as our kin?