Shloka 9
Gaṇānāṃ Vṛttiḥ — On the Sustenance and Cohesion of Assemblies
Gaṇa-nīti
मैं देखता हूँ, संघबद्ध राज्योंके विनाशका मूल कारण है आपसकी फूट। मेरा विश्वास है कि बहुत-से मनुष्योंके जो समुदाय हैं, उनके लिये किसी गुप्त मन्त्रणा या विचारको छिपाये रखना बहुत ही कठिन है ।। एतदिच्छाम्यहं श्रोतुं नेखिलेन परंतप । यथा च ते न भिद्येरंस्तच्च मे वद पार्थिव,“परंतप राजन! इन सारी बातोंको मैं पूर्णरूपसे सुनना चाहता हूँ। किस प्रकार वे संघ या गण आपसमें फूटते नहीं हैं, यह मुझे बताइये
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | paśyāmi saṅghabaddha-rājyānāṃ vināśasya mūla-kāraṇaṃ paraspara-bhedam | mama viśvāso 'sti—bahu-manuṣya-samūheṣu gupta-mantraṇāṃ vā vicāraṃ vā gopayituṃ su-duṣkaram iti || etad icchāmy ahaṃ śrotuṃ na-akhilena parantapa | yathā ca te na bhidyeraṃs tac ca me vada pārthiva ||
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Vejo que a causa raiz da ruína dos estados confederados é a dissensão mútua. Estou convencido de que, em grandes comunidades de muitas pessoas, é extremamente difícil manter oculto qualquer conselho ou plano secreto. Ó subjugador de inimigos, desejo ouvir tudo isso por inteiro: diz-me, ó rei, por que meios tais uniões ou repúblicas não se partem entre si.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that the chief danger to confederated polities is internal division, and that secrecy in collective governance is hard; therefore stability depends on practices that prevent factional splits and manage counsel wisely.
In the Śānti Parva’s discussion of governance, Yudhiṣṭhira questions a kingly authority about why leagues (saṅghas/gaṇas) collapse through discord and asks for a complete explanation of how such unions can remain unbroken.