Where There's Hoarding, There's Misery

Have you ever given much thought to dragons? They’ve been on my mind lately since studying an episode in the Devi Bhagavatam in which a dragon hoards all the moisture in the world, causing a massive drought.

It got me thinking: there are at least two kinds of dragons.

The lucky dragon—light, fantastic, generous—bestows wealth to all fortunate enough to encounter them. Coins pour from their lovely claws, an endless font of fortune.

And then there’s the other kind: hiding in mountain lairs, sleeping on hoarded riches, flame-broiling anyone who dares approach their treasure.

These dragons are misers—and where there is hoarding, there is misery.

The word miser literally means “wretched” or “unfortunate,” and misery comes from the same root. To hoard is to make oneself wretched.

(I’m speaking here about hoarding our gifts—our kindness, attention, compassion—not the complex psychological condition that causes material hoarding, which deserves understanding and care.)

So which kind of dragon are we going to be?

The Miserly Dragon: Hoarding our gifts, guarding them grumpily, living in miserable isolation.

Or the Lucky Dragon: Bestowing our riches freely, sharing fortune with all we encounter.

The opposite of miserable is fortunate. When luck is given freely, when fortune is shared readily, when one is experiencing generosity—they are a native of Fortune. They are innately abundant. They are fortune-native.

So one who finds themselves in a miserable state can ask: What am I being miserly with? Am I hoarding attention? Am I being miserly with my kindness, my friendliness, my compassion?

If we find ourselves in a miserable state, we might ask: What can I give in this moment in order to turn my misery into fortune?

I’ve been both a miserable, miserly dragon and a lucky dragon in my lifetime. I imagine you have as well. But now we know what to do when we’re feeling miserable.

Find ways to share our treasure.

As it says in the Devi Bhagavatam (Chapter 34): “It is wealth’s very nature that she leaves those that hoard her.”

(Interested in acquiring a practice which reduces moments of misery? Consider learning Vedic Meditation. Learn more here. https://www.jameyhoodmeditation.com/)