Daanveer Mudgala - who refused to go to heaven
In the Mahabharata we see plenty of upakathas or stories that are not directly relevant to the main story. One of these is the tale of Mudgala, who seems to be a good candidate for the Daanveer title.
Mudgala was an austere man, who would eat only what he had collected as Bhiksha. Along with his wife and children, this brahmana lived happily at Kurukshetra. He would give what he had to all those who came to his house seeking hospitality.
Once Durvasa turned up at his house, unclothed, his head bald, looking like a crazed man. Mudgala welcomed him as he did everyone, and offered him the food that he had collected that day. Durvasa ate it all up, smeared the leftovers on his body and walked away.
Without a moment's regret or anger, Mudgala simply went out again to collect food. Durvasa did the same thing on 6 separate occasions, each time, eating up all the food collected. Each time, Mudgala would patiently serenely go out to collect food again to feed himself and his family with not a trace of anger or frustration.
A very pleased Durvasa offered him heaven for his unmatched generosity. But Mudgala refused heaven and opted to continue his life on earth until he was eligible to get Moksha.
Thus, the brahmana was a man who selflessly offered everything he had, even if it meant he and his family gave up all the food they had and he did it without any expectation of getting something in return. Truly, a sign of generosity that should earn him the title of Daanveer.
