History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c62.211.2

v4.c62.211.2

By their enemies gaṇas are broken by means of internal dissensions and bribes; therefore the greatest safety of gaṇas lies in union¹¹⁷. In these words the author of the Mahābhārata unerringly puts his finger on the weak spots of the rule of many viz. secrecy cannot be kept, there is corruption due to greed and jealousy, which bring about their downfall. In another place (Śānti 81) the Mahābhārata refers to the *saṅgha* of the Vṛṣṇis, of whom Kṛṣṇa was the president, and the great truth that the ruin of saṅghas is brought about by internal dissensions and corruption and it hits off the qualities required in the wise leader of the saṅgha to be four viz. sagacity, forbearance, self-control and giving up the acquisitive spirit. The words *saṅgha* and *gaṇa* are employed as synonyms in the Mahābhārata. Pāṇini (III. 3.86) states that *saṅgha* means gaṇa. Patañjali in his Mahābhāṣya (vol. II. p. 356) states that *saṅgha*, *samūha* and *samudāya* mean the same thing. Pāṇini knows two kinds of saṅghas viz. *āyudhajīvin* (who practised the profession of arms) and those that were not so and further he also indicates that in the Vāhīka country saṅghas included¹¹⁸ brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas and others (vide V. 3. 114). He names the saṅghas of Vṛkas, Trigartas, Yaudheyas, Parśus (V. 3.115-117) as *āyudhajīvin*. Kātyāyana by his *vārtika* ‘kṣatriyādekarājāt saṅghapratiṣedhārtham’ on Pāṇini IV. 1.168 shows that saṅgha was differentiated from monarchy. Acc. to Kauṭilya (p.