Changing a "wicked" person is always difficult because it often involves deep seated beliefs, ingrained behaviors, a lack of self-awareness, potential underlying psychological issues, and a resistance to admitting fault or accepting the need for change, making it challenging to motivate them to alter their actions, even when confronted with the consequences of their behavior. Highlighting the stiff resistance, our Sanskrit scholars has a verses dedicated to them.
कर्पूरधूलि रचिताSSलवाल:कस्तूरिकाकुङ्कुमलिप्तदेहः|
सुवर्णकुम्भैः परिषिच्यमानो निजं गुणं मुञ्चति किं पलाण्डुः||
Karpoordhooli rachitaaalavaalah kastoorikakunkumaliptadehah.
Suvarnakumbhaih parishichyamaano nijam gunam munchati kim palanduh.
Karpooradhooli = powdered camphor. Rachitaalavaala = Rachitaa + aalvaal. Rachitaa = made, placed.
Aalvaala = a round basin made at the root of a plant or tree for watering purposes..
Kastoorikaakumkumaliptadehah = Kastoorikaa + Kumkum + lipta + dehah. Kastoorikaa = musk, an extract from a gland of a Musk deer, known for its sweet smell.
Kumkuma = saffron (dried petals of a flowerused for flavouring and colouring food.
Lipta = smeared with.
Dehah = body.
Suvarna = gold.
Kumbhaih = pitchers. Parishichyamaano = sprinkling of water.
Nijam = one's own.
Gunam = qualities.
Munchati = abandons,
Kim = what, can ?
Palanduh = Onion, known for its pungent smell.
Ths verses simply states that ; Even if powdered camphor is mixed as manure in the basin around an onion plant and it is watered with a pitcher made of gold, and the onion bulb is smeared with a paste of musk and saffron, can the onion abandon its inherent qualities (pungent smell.)?
By indirectly directing to the wicked person and associating them with the onion plant. The verses highlights that as the onion plant does not abandon its pungent smell even by using camphor as manure and on being smeared with musk and saffron paste. Likewise wicked persons also do not change their behaviour in spite of treating them politely and nicely.