Shloka 31
Gaṇānāṃ Vṛttiḥ — On the Sustenance and Cohesion of Assemblies
Gaṇa-nīti
न चोद्योगेन बुद्धया वा रूपद्रव्येण वा पुन: । भेदाच्चैव प्रदानाच्च भिद्यन्ते रिपुभिर्गणा:
na codyogena buddhayā vā rūpadravyeṇa vā punaḥ | bhedāc caiva pradānāc ca bhidyante ripubhir gaṇāḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: Sekalipun orang-orang sama dalam kelahiran dan garis keturunan, mereka tak mungkin sama dalam daya upaya, kecerdasan, maupun rupa dan kekayaan. Musuh memanfaatkan perbedaan itu: menabur benih perpecahan dan menyuap sebagian anggota hingga tubuh republik terbelah. Karena itu, bagi sebuah gaṇa, persatuan yang teguh adalah perlindungan dan kekuatan terbesar warganya.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unity is the strongest protection for a republic or collective polity. Since people naturally differ in effort, intelligence, and wealth, enemies can exploit these differences through factionalism and bribery; therefore, maintaining solidarity is essential.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance and social order, Bhishma advises about the vulnerabilities of a gaṇa (republic/assembly). He explains how adversaries destabilize such polities by creating internal divisions and buying off members.