स यच्छीलस्तच्छीलाः प्रकृतयो भवन्ति उत्थाने प्रमादे च तदायत्तत्वात् ॥ कZ_०८.१.१७ ॥
sa yacchīlas tacchīlāḥ prakṛtayo bhavanti utthāne pramāde ca tadāyattatvāt.
Sebagaimana watak penguasa, demikian pula unsur-unsur negara (prakṛti) menjadi; sebab inisiatif dan kelalaian mereka bergantung kepadanya.
Administrative performance mirrors the ruler’s personal discipline; the bureaucracy’s diligence or laxity follows the sovereign’s example and direction.
A negligent ruler institutionalizes negligence across departments, degrading readiness and execution capacity.