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 ||
Wika ni Bhishma: O Yudhishthira na makapangyarihan ang bisig, kapag ang mga kasapi ng isang republika ay laging abala sa gawaing paniktik at diplomasya, sa lihim na pagninilay at pagpapasya para sa kapakanan ng estado, sa pagbalangkas ng mga kautusan, at sa pag-iipon ng yaman ng kabang-bayan, sila’y umuunlad sa lahat ng panig. Ang aral sa dharma: ang sama-samang pagbabantay, disiplinadong payo, at matatag na pananalaping pampubliko ang saligan ng isang maunlad na pamahalaan.
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.