Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 137
अपमर्दश्च सततं गजैर्वन्यैश्च देहिभिः । तृड्बुभुक्षा च सर्पाणां क्रोधो दुःखं च दारुणम्
apamardaśca satataṃ gajairvanyaiśca dehibhiḥ | tṛḍbubhukṣā ca sarpāṇāṃ krodho duḥkhaṃ ca dāruṇam
There is constant crushing and trampling by wild elephants and other embodied creatures. For serpents too there are torments—thirst and hunger, and fierce anger that itself becomes dreadful suffering.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)
Listener: Mother (Pārvatī/Umā)
Scene: Wild elephants crash through undergrowth, trampling smaller creatures; serpents writhe in thirst and hunger, their anger flaring as a visible aura of suffering; the forest feels oppressive and unsafe.
FAQs
Embodiment brings recurring afflictions—fear, hunger, and destructive emotions—encouraging restraint and detachment.
None; the verse is part of a general teaching on saṃsāra.
None explicitly.