Shloka 19
Gaṇānāṃ Vṛttiḥ — On the Sustenance and Cohesion of Assemblies
Gaṇa-nīti
चारमन्त्रविधानेषु कोशसंनिचयेषु च । नित्ययुक्ता महाबाहो वर्धन्ते सर्वती गणा:
cāramantravidhāneṣu kośasaṃnicayeṣu ca | nityayuktā mahābāho vardhante sarvatī gaṇāḥ ||
Bhishma dit : Ô Yudhishthira aux bras puissants, lorsque les membres d’une république sont sans cesse appliqués aux tâches de renseignement et de diplomatie, aux délibérations secrètes pour le bien de l’État, à l’établissement d’ordonnances et à l’accumulation du trésor, ils prospèrent de toutes parts. La leçon morale est que la vigilance commune, le conseil discipliné et des finances publiques solides sont les fondements d’un ordre politique florissant.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A polity—especially a gaṇa or republic—prospers when its members are consistently disciplined in (1) intelligence and diplomacy, (2) confidential policy deliberation aimed at public welfare, (3) sound lawmaking/administration, and (4) careful accumulation and protection of the treasury.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma advises Yudhishthira about the practical causes of a state’s stability and growth, highlighting how organized collective effort in counsel, legislation, intelligence, and finance leads to all-round prosperity for a republican assembly.