Scholars point out that other verses in the same text offer a more complex picture:
कितवान् कुशीलवान् क्रूरान् पाषण्डस्थांश्च मानवान् ।विकर्मस्थान् शौण्डिकांश्च क्षिप्रं निर्वासयेत् पुरात् ॥ २२५ ॥ manusmriti chapter 9 verse 225
The 9th-century commentator Medhātithi explains that these individuals are banished to prevent them from spreading vice and to maintain social order. Scholars point out that other verses in the