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 the ministers does not deserve the throne; he is spurned and disgraced. His kingdom has no peace and security. The mind is the monarch in you, the senses are the ministers. It is the slave of its servants and so, the realm has no peace. Every Sadhaka (spiritual aspirant) who aspires to achieve the expression and expansion of the Divine in oneself has therefore to earn mastery over the senses. That is the first step. The next one is the conquest of the mind. The third is uprooting the Vasanas (innate tendencies), and the fourth, attainment of Jnana (spiritual wisdom). The branches are the senses, the trunk is the mind and the roots are the innate tendencies. All three have to be overcome and destroyed, so that the awareness of the Atmic Reality can be gained. (Divine Discourse, May 6, 1983)