Leela (or Lila) in Sanskrit translates roughly to game, sport, or divine drama. As a philosophy, Leela is the view that what we experience as life and reality is actually a form of play. It has origins across several traditions in India (including Shaivism, Vedanta, and Bhakti Yoga).
Leela as a physical board game has unclear origins. Across India, there are many versions of a game board that resemble the version of Leela we are providing. In each, squares contain Sanskrit states of being or consciousness, and vices and virtues (snakes and arrows) create upward and downward paths along a journey to higher consciousness. These boards vary from 72 square formats to more than 300.
While it appears these various boards and variations likely have a common root, that origin is unknown. What is left is many variations of an attempt to put Leela as a philosophy onto a game to be played – a mapping of the ways we experience dual consciousness in the normal highs and lows of life. They each are an attempt to map the soul’s path through karma, illusion, insight, and enlightenment.
Today, the more widely used version of the board originated from Harish Johari in 1980. He found a board in a thrift shop, a 72 square version, likely of Hindu origin. Under his belief, Leela may date back thousands of years, and was originally a way for seers to explore consciousness through the form of a game. Johari codified a version of Leela that was expressly a form of play designed for self-discovery and self-transformation.
Which brings us to our version, Banyan Leela. We adapted the high-level knowledge of Leela to be more immediately accessible to a player stepping into the philosophy for the first time. While maintaining integrity to the original arc of the board, our rephrased squares, updated board with unique snakes and birds (traditionally arrows), and option for various modes of play allow everyone to connect with this ancient game.