Shloka 8
Gaṇānāṃ Vṛttiḥ — On the Sustenance and Cohesion of Assemblies
Gaṇa-nīti
भेदमूलो विनाशो हि गणानामुपलक्षये । मन्त्रसंवरणं दुःखं बहूनामिति मे मतिः
bhedamūlo vināśo hi gaṇānām upalakṣaye | mantrasaṃvaraṇaṃ duḥkhaṃ bahūnām iti me matiḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Aku melihat bahwa kehancuran komunitas dan dewan berakar pada perpecahan di dalam. Dan menjaga nasihat serta kebijakan tetap rahasia menjadi kesukaran bila banyak orang terlibat—itulah pandanganku.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A polity or community collapses primarily due to internal factionalism; and effective governance requires confidential counsel, which becomes difficult to preserve when too many people are included in deliberations.
In the Śānti Parva’s discussions on dharma and rulership after the war, Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on practical causes of political failure—especially dissension within groups and the challenge of maintaining secrecy in collective decision-making.