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
Ang tṛṣṇā na iyon ay walang simula at walang wakas, at nananahan sa loob ng katawan ng tao. Kapag ito’y sumibol, winawasak nito sila gaya ng kalawang na kumakain sa bakal.
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.