Shloka 30

Gaṇānāṃ Vṛttiḥ — On the Sustenance and Cohesion of Assemblies

Gaṇa-nīti

Devanagari script

जात्या च सदृशा: सर्वे कुलेन सदृशास्तथा

Transliteration

jātyā ca sadṛśāḥ sarve kulena sadṛśās tathā | udyogabuddhirūpasampattau tu na sarveṣām ekarūpatā sambhavati || śatravaḥ gaṇarāṣṭreṣu bhedabuddhiṃ janayitvā tebhyaś ca kecid dhanena krītvā api sarvasya saṅghasya bhedaṃ kurvanti | tasmāt saṅghabaddhatā eva gaṇarāṣṭranāgarāṇāṃ mahān āśrayaḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma sprach: „Alle mögen nach Geburt gleich sein und ebenso nach Abstammung; doch ist es unmöglich, dass alle im Fleiß, im Verstand, in Schönheit und Wohlstand gleich seien. Feinde können, indem sie unter den Menschen einer Republik das Gefühl der Verschiedenheit säen und einige mit Reichtum bestechen, einen ganzen Bund entzweien. Darum ist Einigkeit—als ein Leib zusammengebunden zu stehen—die große Zuflucht der Bürger einer Republik.“

Word by Word

• जात्या: by birth/caste
• जात्या: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाति
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• सदृशाः: similar/alike
• सदृशाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सदृश
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• कुलेन: by family/lineage
• कुलेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• सदृशाः: similar/alike
• सदृशाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सदृश
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तथा: so/likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• enemies (śatravaḥ)
• gaṇarāṣṭra (republic/commonwealth)
• saṅgha (confederation/assembly)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even if people share the same birth and lineage, differences in capability and fortune remain; hostile forces exploit these differences through factionalism and bribery. Hence, collective unity is the strongest protection for a republic or confederation.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance and dharma after the war, Bhishma advises Yudhishthira on political stability, warning how enemies fracture gaṇa-states by creating internal divisions and buying off individuals, and urging steadfast cohesion.