Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 25
Gaṇānāṃ Vṛttiḥ — On the Sustenance and Cohesion of Assemblies
Gaṇa-nīti
गणमुख्यैस्तु सम्भूय कार्य गणहितं मिथ: । पृथग्गणस्य भिन्नस्य विततस्यथ ततो5न्यथा
gaṇamukhyais tu sambhūya kāryaṁ gaṇahitaṁ mithaḥ | pṛthag gaṇasya bhinnasya vitatasya atha tato 'nyathā ||
毗湿摩说道：“当使行会与议众之首领汇聚一处，彼此商议，施行有利于整体之事。然而一旦共同体分裂——成员离散、四散各处——同样的事务便须以别法处置，因为合一乃共同福祉之根本。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Public welfare is best achieved through unified deliberation among responsible leaders; when a community fractures and disperses, governance and decision-making must adapt, because common action depends on cohesion.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and polity. Here he advises how leaders of corporate bodies (gaṇas) should assemble to decide matters for the common good, and how strategy changes when the group is divided.