THE FIRST PLEDGE
amandeep
THE first pledge of the Nirankari Mission is that our body, mind and
wealth, belong to God. He is their true master. He has bestowed these
upon us as a trust. He may take these back, partially or wholly, any
time. We are to make use of these as a trustee and not lay claim to
them, nor be proud of our physical strength, wisdom, learning or
possessions.
A little thought proves the truth of this pledge. Let us take our
body. Its birth does not lie in our hand, its death is out of our
control, its functioning, too, is not controlled by us. The essential
functions on which life depends may be enumerated as breathing,
beating of heart and pulse, digestion of food, circulation of blood.
All these functions go on all the twentyfour hours without any break.
If there is a little hindrance in any of these, we have to rush to a
physician. In case the hindrance is not removed, death may take place
any time. Are these functions on which depends our life are being
performed by us? Evidently no. Then how can we claim to be the master
of our body. Had it been under our control, we would never grow old.
We would like to remain ever young and healthy like angels. Thus, it
is clear that we are not the master of our body, mind and wealth.
This pledge conveys the message that we should not develop undue
attachment to the gifts of God. The greater the attachment, the more
miserable the life. Our lifespan has two end-points-birth and death.
These are like two sides of a coin; one cannot be separated from the
other. The first act on our arrival in the world is breathing in, and
our last act will be breathing out at the time of our departure from
the world. Thus, breathing in may be considered a symbol of life and
breathing out, of death. Both these are inseparable. The instinct of
attachment is present in us since our birth. A child tries to grab
whatever it sees: he need not learn the art of possessing, hoarding,
or attachment. But the other end, that is, death, warns us that we
shall have to leave all our possessions behind. The message conveyed
by the first pledge is that as we grow in years, as we go on
approaching death, the sense of non-attachment and non-possession
should also grow, side by side. Only then our life can be free of
tension and worry, resulting in happiness. Our body is unhealthy when
its harmony is disturbed. Similarly, undue attachment towards the
world keeps our mind disturbed. Our hearts should be full of love sans
attachment. The first pledge is also essential for assimilation of God-
knowledge.
This pledge is a 'theorem' and the other four pledges its
'corollaries'. Unless we follow this pledge in our practical life, we
cannot move further on the path of virtue; we cannot be altruistic in
the true sense of the word and cannot vindicate Self-realisation.
Thus, the first pledge ensures a peaceful and happy life and
experience of the bliss of Self-realisation. May the True Master bless
us all with the wisdom to adhere to this pledge in our daily life.
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