citizens’ lives will be put in danger if there is no king.

गोपहीन यथा गावः विलयं यान्त्यपालिताः ।

एवं नृपतिहीना हि विलयं यान्ति वै प्रजाः ॥

- प्रतिमानाटक

Without the shepherd, the cows all get dispersed. Their life is in danger because lone cows are eaten up by predators. Just like that, citizens’ lives will be put in danger if there is no king.

- Pratimanataka

A herd of cattle gets scattered and the individual animals fall into disarray and would even face death or disintegration if they are not tended and controlled by an expert cowherd. Similarly the subjects of a kingdom would move without direction into disintegration and possible loss of life even if they are controlled, protected and ruled over by an efficient king.

यथा just like, similar to गोपहीनाः bereft of protector cowherd अपालिताः getting no protection गावः catle विलयं destruction, disarray यान्ति attain एवं like that हि too नृपति हीनाः without king प्रजाः the subject अपि aksi विलयं यान्ति वै get into disarray, disruption indeed.