Lord Indra, the ruler of heaven, was facing a problem. His rule was being challenged by a demon. This demon had done intense tapes [austerities] with the aim of usurping Indra from his throne. Pleased with his tapas, Brahma, the Creator of the universe, had offered him the boon of being able to draw the energy of those who got angry with him.

As soon as he got the boon, the demon barged in through the portals of the heavenly court and proceeded to insult Indra before everyone. Indra was shocked by the demon's insolence and warned him not to speak rudely. While he was speaking, the demon rudely interrupted him, enraging Indra even further. The more provoked he became, the more Indra found himself exhausted. He could feel his energy level being depleted palpably. He could not understand why. He had not even started fighting with the demon. All that he had done was to raise his voice and issue stern warnings to the demon. Why then was he so tired?

Unable to understand what was happening to him, he approached his Guru. The Guru told him that the  demon had been granted a boon by Lord Brahma of being able to tap into the energy of those he made angry. He pointed out that Indra had foolishly allowed himself to rise to the demon's bait every time. The Guru advised Indra to return to court and to keep smiling no matter how hard the demon tried to  provoke him.

Indra did as he was told, and the demon found himself powerless against Indra's equipoise. Thus did Indra defend his heavenly reign.

The only way to victory is to remain calm and not let negative emotions like anger gain the upper hand.

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