सर्पः क्रूरः खलः क्रूरः सर्पात्क्रूरतरः खलः ।
मन्त्रौषधिवशः सर्पः खलः केन निवार्यते ।।
sarpaḥ krūraḥ khalaḥ krūraḥ sarpāt krūrataraḥ khalaḥ |
mantraoṣadhi-vaśaḥ sarpaḥ khalaḥ kena nivāryate ||
(Cāṇakya-nīti)
“A snake is cruel, and the wicked are cruel. The wicked [however] are even more cruel than a snake. A snake can be controlled by mantras and medicinal herbs, but how are the wicked subdued? [i.e., They cannot be subdued by anything].”