Mukund, a commissioned officer in the Indian Army's Rajput Regiment, was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra for his actions during a counterterrorism operation while on deputation to the 44th Rashtriya Rifles battalion in Jammu and Kashmir.

[1][6] Mukund received his Bachelor of Commerce From Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Viswa Mahavidyalaya at Kanchipuram and a diploma in journalism from the Madras Christian College, Chennai.

[1] He was promoted to Major on 18 October 2012 and was deputed to the 44th Battalion of the Rashtriya Rifles that December and posted in the Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir.

[12][6] On 25 April 2014, Mukund led a cordon and search operation in a village in South Kashmir, based on intelligence inputs regarding the presence of militants.

After successfully crossing the orchard, they entered the house, where they were met with intense firing, and Mukund was grazed by a bullet on his forearm.

Vikram Singh and his comrade approached the cement outhouse, believing that a grenade deployed moments earlier had neutralized the threat inside.

Though some of Asif Wani's shots hit Mukund in the process, he initially appeared unharmed as he emerged from the outhouse.

[13] The citation by the Government of India during the declaration of the Ashok Chakra read:[2] During the operation, before attaining martyrdom, Major Mukund displayed exemplary leadership skills, raw courage, planning and swift action, which culminated in the elimination of the three top ranked Hizbul Mujaheddin terrorists.Mukund is the fourth recipient of the Ashoka Chakra from the state of Tamil Nadu.

[20] In 2024, a Tamil-language film, Amaran, was released, based on Mukund's life and the 44 Rashtriya Rifles' fight against terrorism.

Sivakarthikeyan portrayed Major Mukund Varadarajan and his wife Indu Rebecca Varghese was played by Sai Pallavi.