Japji sahib pauri intuitive understanding

Sat Nam,

Yes. All that happens is by God's will. Even our free will is a Gift from the Creator. Numerous times the Guru says something along the lines of "the Lord draws some near, and some further away," and "All that happens is by Your command."

ਕਰਮੀ ਆਪੋ ਆਪਣੀ ਕੇ ਨੇੜੈ ਕੇ ਦੂਰਿ ॥ करमी आपो आपणी के नेड़ै के दूरि ॥ Karmī āpo āpṇī ke neṛai ke ḏūr. According to their own actions, some are drawn closer, and some are driven farther away. - Guru Angad Dev, page 8, Line 12

In Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji, it says that God is the Architect of Karma, meaning that God has created karma and everything works according to that Divine system. Every action done has an opposite or equal reaction. It is a basic law everything is subjected to. In Japji Sahib, Guru Nanak speaks about the countless types of human beings that God has created, and how they are all subject to His will, His system of Karma. Many people will often ask the questions "Why do 'bad' things happen? Why did he make these people? Why would God do this to us?" This comes from an ignorance about the true state of the universe. There are two polar opposites that make up the universe, "positive" (light) and "negative" (darkness), which counterbalance each other. Where there are saints, there are villains, and vice versa. Without that, the universe would not be able to exist. The interesting thing is that God does not take a side. He is neither one polarity or another. He is ALL polarities. The greatest eternal question comes in here: "Who is right and who is wrong?" No one. Nothing is right or wrong. Free will gives us the choice to literally live in the flow of the universe (which is the vibration of God), being able to bend and see the reality of both "darkness" and "light" without losing our neutrality.

What does this mean? As karma works, God's will is presented to us and we have a CHOICE whether to obey it or not. It also means that decisions are based upon the context of the situation, rather than a staunch set of rules and values that do not apply to every situation. Have you ever heard people say "Things are not always as they seem?" That refers to the fact that not every situation can be judged by appearance alone. You cannot make a plan and expect things to happen the way it is imagined. One must be able to flow with what is happening every second, to be blessed to see God's will in everything. The entire SGGS is a plea to the heart to be able to expand and understand this truth. Your heart will tell you the Truth, no matter what. You will know, by your OWN understanding, what is going on and what YOU have to do in the situation. That is the gift ... (more)