Shloka 6
Gaṇānāṃ Vṛttiḥ — On the Sustenance and Cohesion of Assemblies
Gaṇa-nīti
विजिगीषोस्तथा वृत्तमुक्त चैव तथैव ते । गणानां वृत्तिमिच्छामि श्रोतुं मतिमतां वर,बुद्धिमानोंमें श्रेष्ठ पितामह! आपने विजया-भिलाषी राजाके बर्तावका भी वर्णन कर दिया है। अब मैं गणों (गणतनन््त्र राज्यों)-का बर्ताव एवं वृतान्त सुनना चाहता हूँ
vijigīṣos tathā vṛttam uktaṃ caiva tathaiva te | gaṇānāṃ vṛttim icchāmi śrotuṃ matimatāṃ vara ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Tuanku telah pun menghuraikan kepadaku tingkah laku seorang raja yang dahagakan penaklukan. Kini, wahai yang terbaik antara orang bijaksana, aku ingin mendengar tentang tata laku dan cara hidup gaṇa—negara yang diperintah oleh majlis perhimpunan—agar tersingkap susunan etika dan aturan amali mereka.”
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.