An able monarch will have his ministers under control

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An able monarch will have his ministers under control; he will direct them along proper lines and maintain the peace and security of the kingdom. On the other hand, a monarch who allows himself to be controlled by his ministers does not deserve the throne; he is spurned and disgraced. His kingdom has no peace and security. The mind is the monarch in man and the senses are the ministers. But, if the mind is enslaved by the senses, the individual knows no peace. Every Sadhaka (spiritual aspirant) who aspires to attain the Divine in him has, therefore, to earn mastery over the senses. That is the first step. The next one is the conquest of the mind, its elimination. The third is uprooting the Vasanas (innate tendencies), and the fourth, attainment of Jnana (spiritual wisdom). Only then can the awareness of the Atmic reality be gained.