If you can’t handle success, failure is not far

A person may become very learned and may achieve greatness, but if he has greed in his heart, he is sure to be tied down, just like a lion in captivity is tied down by his chain.

From the book Yoga Vasishtha comes the story of the demons Dama, Vyala and Kata. There was a chief of demons called Sambara who built an opulent magical city in the sky. The riches of this city surpassed even heaven. There was intense rivalry between the gods and the demons, who fought frequently. To destroy the gods, Sambara produced three demons through his magical powers.

They had the names Dama, the snare; Vyala, the snake; and Kata, the mat, given to them for entrapping, enfolding, and enwrapping the enemy. Sambara sent his armies under the leadership of the three demons against the gods. A fierce battle raged between the two armies, and the sounds of their clashing weapons filled the sky.

The demoniac powers of Dama, Vyala and Kata proved too much for the gods, whose army fled on all sides like a flooded river overflowing its banks. The defeated gods went to Brahma and narrated their misery. Brahma told them to be patient and bide their time.

He told them that the demons may be stronger presently, but their strength will vanish like the image of a man in a mirror. He predicted that the demons would not be able to handle their success. On the other hand, the gods had risen above pain and pleasure. Dama, Vyala and Kata were elated with their success, but their greed would lead them to their ruin.

A person may become very learned and may achieve greatness, but if he has greed in his heart, he is sure to be tied down, just like a lion in captivity is tied down by his chain. Buoyed by Brahma’s words, the gods went back to their homes. When they had rested and regained their strength, they again sounded the bugle of war. Another fierce battle with the demons commenced. The battle went on for 35 years. The demons harassed the gods with their superior strength and magical powers.

As the war dragged on, the demons became confident of their victory. They engaged in eating, drinking and merry-making. Falling prey to egotism and selfishness, the demons began to forget their past acts of bravery and instead only thought about how to keep their bodies safe in the war.

They began to hesitate to join the warfare and became as timid as the deer, who are afraid of furious elephants ravaging the forest.

Finally, the demons were overpowered by the gods and fled from the battlefield. No matter how successful one is, if one lets success go to one’s head, if one forgets what made one successful, loses the zeal and begins to take success for granted, one is hurrying like a blind person to one’s fall.