!!top!! — Manusmriti Chapter 9 Verse 225

Those who profit from the sale of intoxicants were frequently targeted in ancient texts as contributors to moral decay. Historical and Social Context

Kautilya also heavily regulated gamblers, actors, and liquor sellers. However, instead of blanket banishment, the Arthashastra often suggests centralizing, taxing, and utilizing them. For example, Kautilya explicitly recommends using actors, prostitutes, and liquor vendors as spies for the state's intelligence network because they have easy access to the secrets of both ordinary citizens and foreign dignitaries. Manu, taking a purely moralistic and structural legal stance, prefers total expulsion over strategic utilization. Modern Relevance and Critical Reflections manusmriti chapter 9 verse 225

: As clarified in the very next line, Manusmriti 9.226 , these individuals are explicitly classified as pracchanna-taskarāḥ (disguised or hidden thieves). They do not break down doors at night; instead, they slowly drain the wealth and morals of the populace through vice. Those who profit from the sale of intoxicants

The targeting of gambling and liquor distribution remains a highly relevant legislative debate. Modern governments still struggle with whether to ban these activities entirely (as Manu suggests) or to legalize, regulate, and tax them (as Kautilya suggested and most modern states do). Conclusion They do not break down doors at night;

"Gamblers, dancers and singers, cruel men, men belonging to heretical sects, men addicted to evil deeds, and dealers in wine—these the King shall instantly banish from his town."

Manu’s logic appears to be one of intentionality and necessity :

कितवान् कुशीलवान् क्रूरान् पाषण्डस्थांश्च मानवान् । विकर्मस्थान् शौण्डिकांश्च क्षिप्रं निर्वासयेत् पुरात् ॥ २२५ ॥ Transliteration: