Shloka 17
Śīla-prāpti and Śīla-lakṣaṇa (शीलप्राप्ति-शीललक्षणम्) | On the Acquisition and Marks of Character
दुराचारान् यदा राजा प्रदुष्टानू न नियच्छति । तस्मादुद्धिजते लोक: सर्पाद् वेश्मगतादिव,जब राजा दुष्टों और दुराचारियोंको दण्ड देकर काबूमें नहीं करता है, तब सारी प्रजा घरमें रहनेवाले सर्पकी भाँति उस राजासे उद्विग्न हो उठती है
durācārān yadā rājā praduṣṭān na niyacchati | tasmād udvijate lokaḥ sarpād veśmagatād iva ||
王が悪徳の者ども、邪悪の者どもを抑え、罰して制し得ないとき、民はその支配者を恐れ憂い、家に入り込んだ蛇に心を乱される人のように落ち着きを失う。
कामन्दक उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king must restrain and punish wrongdoers; otherwise public safety collapses and the ruler himself becomes a cause of fear. Justice (daṇḍa) is presented as a necessary instrument of rājadharma to protect the innocent and maintain order.
Kāmandaka states a principle of statecraft: if the king does not check corrupt and wicked persons, the populace grows alarmed and uneasy, comparing such a kingdom to a home troubled by a snake inside it.