3 ideas
The manual opens by saluting not a god but the kingdom itself, as the thing that bears the fruits of dharma, artha and kama, the three aims of life. Rule is treated as an instrument, not an end: a kingdom is justified only when it produces righteousness, prosperity and legitimate enjoyment for its subjects. A king whose power fails to deliver these has lost the ground for holding it.
Punishment (danda) exists to protect subjects and hold off the rule of the fish, where the strong devour the weak. It is not an outlet for the ruler's anger or a source of revenue. Excessive severity makes subjects fearful and hostile, and excessive leniency makes the ruler despised, so the penalty must be matched to the offence to preserve order with the least harm.
Because the outcome of battle is uncertain and its costs fall on the kingdom whoever wins, a ruler should exhaust conciliation, gifts and dividing the enemy before resorting to force. Violence is kept within statecraft but demoted from a first tool to a residual one, used only when the other means fail.