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 dit : «Tu m’as déjà exposé la conduite d’un roi avide de conquête. À présent, ô le meilleur des sages, je souhaite entendre la conduite et la manière de vivre des gaṇa—des États gouvernés par une assemblée—afin que soit compris leur ordre moral et leur organisation pratique.»
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.