The Bowl of Saki Commentary
Commentary for:
A monarch is ever a monarch, whether crowned with a jeweled crown or clad in beggar's garb.
Commentary from Hazrat Murshid SAM (Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti, Samuel L. Lewis):
The Bowl of Saki Commentary, copyright © 1981, 2012 Sufi Ruhaniat International. All rights reserved.
This may be paraphrased as "Ruler is one who is ruler over oneself." No one can be called a monarch whose subjects do not obey. Who and what are the subjects of the monarch? They are not only the personalities who give real or pretended obeisance; they include the thoughts and passions of the personality and one's real or potential control over affairs.
Thought-concentration on a monarch, or by monarchs over their dominion, subtly connects the breath with the affairs of the domain. This means that there is a strong karmic link between all movements, inner or outer, of the monarch, and those of the domain. This is true for every individual, free or slave, whether one bows to another, has others bow to one, or neither bows or is bowed before.