Wednesday 2 April 2014

Cosmotheandric Spirituality


“Everything in the world is interrelated and that beings themselves are nothing but relations” says Raimundo Panikkar in his book, Worship and Secular Man. The concept, “cosmotheandrism” is a fusion of three words: Cosmos, Theos and Andros, that is, the world, God and Humans. The whole reality is inter-related, perichoretic or mutually penetrating and at the same time, every being is something unique and basically good. Therefore, the eco-spirituality I uphold is “Cosmotheandric Spirituality.”

Cosmic: Like Krishna who shows to Arjuna his divine presence in the battle field (the world or the karmabhūmī), every person is nothing but a ‘viśvarūpadarśana’ for others. Take a tiny atom. We see the same pattern that of universe: protons and neutrons in the center, and electrons encircling in a fantastic velocity, just as the planets are revolving in a fixed orbit. On the other hand, the same atom was present at the time of creation, call it the Big-Bang, Hiraṇyagarbha or Logos. The same atom is present in every being in the universe, be it in the earth or space.

Theistic: What a chimera is this world?! Mystery of mysteries unfolding in the nature. I have no words but to join the mystic Kabir Das, “jis ki rachana kitni sunder, voh kitna sunder hoga?” Would there be a creation if the rate of expansion were to increase or decrease one millionth of a second? Not at all possible. See a tiny flower, a butterfly, forces of universe and sources of nature. Who sustains them? It is my God and my Lord. I see God in everything. Therefore, my concept of God is Pan-en-theisitic.

Andric: When I consider the cosmic and divine dimension of the universe, I see trees, streams, rivers, oceans, fishes, animals, and birds as ‘my cousins.’ At the same time human beings as much more than cousins, as my own blood relatives, brothers and sisters. This forbids me to sacrilege the planet, because, the universe is the body of the Lord and we are the part of that body. There is a deeper Advaita in every being. This relation enables me to forget the dissension. There is no black or white, no higher or lower, no caste and creed, but are all sons and daughters of one ancestor. Though I am equal to everyone in the creation, I am unique, as Psalmist says, “You have created me little less than angel.” This uniqueness in diversity invites me to be a care-taker or steward of it. Let this cosmotheandric eco-spirituality make every being happy and prosperous as the sage prayed, “Sarve janāḥ sukhinobhavantu, aum śānti, śānti, śānti.”



Fr. Raju Felix Crasta

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