Shloka 15
Gaṇānāṃ Vṛttiḥ — On the Sustenance and Cohesion of Assemblies
Gaṇa-nīti
अर्थाश्वैवाधिगम्यन्ते संघातबलपौरुषै: । बाह्वाश्र मैत्रीं कुर्वन्ति तेषु संघातवृत्तिषु
arthāś caivādhigamyante saṅghātabala-pauruṣaiḥ | bāhvāśrayā maitrīṃ kurvanti teṣu saṅghāta-vṛttiṣu ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Wohlstand und weltliche Gewinne werden wahrlich durch die Stärke und Manneskraft der eigenen Partei errungen. Im Vertrauen auf die Macht ihrer Arme schließen die Menschen in solchen Kreisen Freundschaften—Bündnisse, geformt durch Gruppeninteresse und gemeinsamen Vorteil.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma highlights a realistic ethical insight: material success (artha) often comes through factional strength and collective power, and many ‘friendships’ formed in such settings are pragmatic alliances rooted in force and advantage rather than pure goodwill.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance and conduct, Bhishma explains to the listener that social and political relationships frequently operate through group power: people obtain gains via their coalition’s strength and cultivate amity within those power-based networks.