Shloka 6
Gaṇānāṃ Vṛttiḥ — On the Sustenance and Cohesion of Assemblies
Gaṇa-nīti
विजिगीषोस्तथा वृत्तमुक्त चैव तथैव ते । गणानां वृत्तिमिच्छामि श्रोतुं मतिमतां वर
vijigīṣos tathā vṛttam uktaṃ caiva tathaiva te | gaṇānāṃ vṛttim icchāmi śrotuṃ matimatāṃ vara ||
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „Du hast mir bereits das Verhalten eines Königs geschildert, der nach Eroberung dürstet. Nun aber, o Bester unter den Weisen, wünsche ich die Lebensweise und das Gebaren der gaṇas zu hören—der durch eine Versammlung regierten Staaten—damit ihre sittliche und praktische Ordnung erkannt werde.“
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames rājadharma as comparative political ethics: after learning the norms for a conquest-seeking monarch, Yudhiṣṭhira asks for the corresponding norms of gaṇa-polities, implying that dharma must be understood according to the form of governance and its responsibilities.
In the instruction-dialogue of Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira continues his inquiry into governance. Having heard about the behavior of a vijigīṣu king, he now requests an account of how assembly-governed states (gaṇas) function and what conduct sustains them.