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 ।।
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 ||
尤地湿提罗说道：“我看见，邦联之国覆亡的根本原因，正是彼此间的内讧与离心。我深信，在人数众多的大社群中，要隐匿任何秘密谋议或计划都极其困难。噢制伏仇敌者，我愿尽闻其详：请告诉我，噢大王，凭何等手段，这样的联盟或伽那之邦能不在内部裂解。”
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.