Charan ji,
Bahadur ji has given you what is enshrined in Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
Page 250, Line 9That was an echo of what Guru Nanak Devji had said earlier.
Page 463, Line 4As per the Hindu tradition in general Ishvar sits in meditation, absorbed in himself. When he dances the world comes into being. When he stops dancing the world comes to an end, restarting the whole process, in an infinite cycle of creation, preservation and destruction. A very similar idea exists in Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
Its metaphorical , poetic language.
For example, in Vishishtadvaita Vedanta creation is described through human procreation as a metaphor.
...or you can view it as an attempt of man to understand the cosmos. I won't tell you what to make of it.
And you are quite right to point out "eternal vs self-created" contradiction. It might have to do with the cyclical nature or samsara nature of the cosmos (no begining no end but cyclical, again as per Hindu tradition) but not too sure. I await responses from other members on this one.
One may choose to believe God = Universe but according to Sri Guru Granth Sahib. God is much greater than the universe but his presence is found in every part of the universe, its not pantheistic "all = God", its pan-EN-theistic "all within God". Thus everyone has an essence of God, leading to the notion of equality among races, gender, sex, etc that is found in Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
