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 ||
ಭೀಷ್ಮನು ಹೇಳಿದರು— ಮಹಾಬಾಹು ಯುಧಿಷ್ಠಿರನೇ! ಗಣರಾಜ್ಯದ ಸದಸ್ಯರು ಗುಪ್ತಚರ/ದೂತಕಾರ್ಯಗಳಲ್ಲಿ, ರಾಜ್ಯಹಿತಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಗುಪ್ತ ಮಂತ್ರಣೆಯಲ್ಲಿ, ವಿಧಿನಿರ್ಮಾಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಮತ್ತು ಕೋಶಸಂಚಯದಲ್ಲಿ ನಿತ್ಯವೂ ತೊಡಗಿರುತ್ತಾರೆ; ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಅವರು ಎಲ್ಲ ದಿಕ್ಕುಗಳಿಂದ ವೃದ್ಧಿಯಾಗುತ್ತಾರೆ.
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.