Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 42
अनाद्यंता तु सा तृष्णा ह्यंतर्देहगता नृणाम् । विनाशयति संभूता लोहं लोहमलो यथा
anādyaṃtā tu sā tṛṣṇā hyaṃtardehagatā nṛṇām | vināśayati saṃbhūtā lohaṃ lohamalo yathā
Cette tṛṣṇā est sans commencement ni fin et demeure au-dedans du corps des hommes ; une fois née, elle les détruit, comme la rouille ronge le fer.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)
Scene: Close allegory: an iron sword or vessel slowly covered by reddish rust labeled ‘tṛṣṇā’; beside it, a human figure with a faint inner red corrosion at the heart, contrasted with a polished, shining iron symbolizing contentment.
FAQs
Craving is an inner corrosion; when indulged it consumes one’s life from within, like rust eating iron.
No holy place is named; this is a general dharma instruction.
None directly; the implied remedy is sustained inner purification and restraint.