यथा यमः प्रियद्वेषौ प्राप्ते काले नियच्छति ।
तथा राज्ञा नियंतव्याः प्रजास्तद्धि यमव्रतम् ॥
- मनु स्मृति
A king must punish the guilty even if they are his own relatives. Much similar to the way how Yama (Death) takes away a person as soon as his time is over. This penance of impartiality expected from a King is known as Yamavrata (penance of Yama).
- Manu Smriti
दण्डः शास्ति प्रजाः सर्वाः दण्ड एवाभिरक्षति ।
दण्डः सुप्तेषु जागर्ति दण्डं धर्मं विदुर्बुधाः ॥
- मनुस्मृति
Punishment is what helps the king rule his subjects justly. It protects all the subjects (from miscreants). It protects even those who are sleeping (from thieves). Hence the wise men think that punishment is an integral part of Dharma (moral code of life)
- Manu Smriti
ज्ञात्वाऽपराधं देशं च कालं बलमथापि वा ।
वयः कर्म च वित्तं च दण्डं दण्ड्येषु पातयेत् ॥
- याज्ञवल्क्य
A king must consider all the following to give appropriate punishment for a crime – nature of the crime, place where it happened, time when it happened, strength of the perpetrator, his age, his occupation, his financial status. Only then will it be just.
- Yajnavalkya
साम्नैव यत्र सिद्धिः न तत्र दण्डो बुधेन विनियोज्यः |
पित्तं यदि शर्करया शाम्यति कोऽर्थः पटोलेन ||
- पञ्चतंत्र, मित्रभेद
What can be got by exercising reasonable patience must never be escalated to a full fledged conflict. The wise men know this. Sour sensation in the mouth can be mitigated by eating sugar. Why would one resort to bitter-gourd instead?
- Panchatantra, Mitrabheda
सामादिदण्डपर्यन्तो नयः प्रोक्तः स्वयंभुवा |
तेषां दण्डस्तु पापीयान् तं पश्चाद्विनियोजयेत् ||
- पञ्चतंत्र, मित्रभेद
The creator (of the world) has enumerated many ways deal with adversaries – starting from patience to punishment. Among them punishing/penalizing some one has some sin attached to it. Hence one must resort to punishment only as a last resort.
- Panchatantra, Mitrabheda