Mahabharata 2:Desire For Lust May Never Abate Poem by Aniruddha Pathak

Hard is desire for lust abated
The more is passion consummated,
More the fuel feeds raging flames
The more the hungry fire inflames.

With gems and jewels is earth replete,
Gold, cattle, with wealth of women complete—
But to one be given that stuff,
He hardly may find it enough,
So thinking let man be discreet.
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Transliteration of the original verses is given here:

na jātu kāmah kāmānāmupabhogenashāmyati |
haviśhākŗśhņa vartma iva bhūyah eva abhi-vardhate || ādi.75-50 ||
pŗthivī ratna-sampūrņāhiraņyam pashavah striyah |
na alam ekasya tat sarvam itimatvā shamam vrajet || ādi.75-51 ||

This series of translations from Mahabharata deals with selected verses on philosophy of life.
Desire, a basic motive that makes the world move, is akin to fuel. If there is no desire man may not even bother to breathe. Desire therefore is a vital force in the world. Yet, man must guard against two things: the quality and quantity, the value and volume of desire.

To tell the story briefly, king Yayati succumbed to queen Devayani's maid, Sarmishtha's charm and this angered her, who complained to his father, who in turn cursed Yayati with pre-mature old age. He borrowed years from his son Pūru's lifespan. The old king enjoyed the kingdom with the joys of youth once again. But when the period ended he realised the futility of chasing lust. It seems even in that age man became wiser only after the event, not before. This is what he had to advise to the posterity: very well-known verses and oft quoted.