A guide to observation of the inner self through the ancient Indian game of Leela, which mirrors the path of obstacles and insights one encounters in self-development, offers lessons in self-understanding. Original. RELIGION / PERSONAL GROWTHPLAY THE ORIGINAL GAME OF SELF-KNOWLEDGE USING THE ENCLOSED FULL-COLOR FOLDOUT GAME BOARD Just as the origins of modern playing cards are rooted in the tarot, the popular children's game of Chutes and Ladders is derived from the ancient Hindu game Leela, or Snakes and Arrows, which charts the ups and downs of the soul's path toward reunion with the Infinite. Snakes and Arrows was designed by the seers and saints of India as a tool for understanding the relationship of the individual self to the Absolute Self. For thousands of years the 72 spaces on this game board have enabled players to chart the paths that represent the course of their lives. Each space represents a virtue or a vice, an aspect of consciousness, or a plane of reality and is accompanied by a commentary explaining its meaning. The player's progress on the board is dictated by the fall of a die corresponding to the forces of karma. Repeated encounters with the snakes and arrows on the board reveal the full meaning of the commentaries and can give shape to habitual patterns of the player, resulting in greater self-understanding and even a gradual detachment from the ego's delusions.The Yoga of Snakes and Arrows assists the seeker through the stages and trials of self-development, mirroring both the obstacles of karma and the rewards of self-obtained insight. There is really only one game in life and that is Leela, the game of self-knowledge and the universal play of cosmic energies. Harish Johari (1934-1999) was a respected teacher, artist, and composer who studied with many of the great saints of India. He worked for decades to introduce the culture of his homeland to the West and authored twelve books on Eastern spirituality, including Breath, Mind, and Consciousness; Chakras; Ayurvedic Healing Cuisine; The Healing Power of Gemstones; Numerology; and Tools for Tantra. Preface ix Introduction 1(7) Rules of Play 8(3) Meaning of the Game 11(12) Numerology of the Game 23(5) The Commentaries First Row: The Fundamentals of Being 28(15) Genesis (janma) 28(1) Illusion (maya) 29(3) Anger (krodh) 32(2) Greed (lobh) 34(1) Physical plane (bhu-loka) 35(2) Delusion (moha) 37(1) Conceit (mada) 38(2) Avarice (matsar or matsarya) 40(1) Sensual plane (kama-loka) 41(2) Second Row: The Realm of Fantasy 43(11) Purification (shuddhi) 43(2) Entertainment (gandharvas) 45(1) Envy (eirsha) 46(1) Nullity (antariksha) 47(1) Astral plane (bhuvar-loka) 48(1) Plane of fantasy (naga-loka) 49(1) Jealousy (dwesh) 50(1) Mercy (daya) 51(1) Plane of joy (harsha-loka) 52(2) Third Row: The Theater of Karma 54(12) Plane of action (karma-loka) 54(1) Charity (daan) 55(2) Atonement (saman paap) 57(1) Plane of dharma (dharma-loka) 57(2) Celestial plane (swarga-loka) 59(1) Bad company (ku-sang-loka) 60(1) Good company (su-sang-loka) 61(1) Sorrow (dukh) 62(2) Selfless service (parmarth) 64(2) Fourth Row: Attaining Balance 66(13) Apt religion (sudharma) 66(2) Irreligiosity (adharma) 68(2) Good tendencies (uttam gati) 70(1) Plane of sanctity (yaksha-loka) 71(1) Plane of balance (maha- or mahar-loka) 72(3) Plane of fragrance (gandha-loka) 75(1) Plane of taste (rasa-loka) 76(1) Purgatory (narka-loka) 77(1) Clarity of consciousness (swatch) 78(1) Fifth Row: Man Becomes Himself 79(13) True awareness (gyana; traditionally, jnana) 79(2) Plane of life energy (prana-loka) 81(2) Plane of elimination (apana-loka) 83(1) Plane of circulation (vyana-loka) 84(1) Human plane (jana-loka) 85(2) Plane of fire (Agni-loka) 87(1) Birth of man (manushya-janma) 88(1) Ignorance (avidya) 89(1) Right knowledge (suvidya) 90(2) Sixth Row: The Time of Penance 92(15) Conscience (vivek) 92(2) Plane of neutrality (Saraswati) 94(1) Solar plane (Yamuna) 95(2) Lunar plane (Ganges or Ganga) 97(1) Plane of austerity (tapa- or tapar-loka) 98(2) Earth (prithvi) 100(1) Plane of violence (himsa-loka) 101(2) Liquid plane (jala-loka) 103(1) Spiritual devotion (bhakti-loka) 104(3) Seventh Row: The Plane of Reality 107(14) Egotism (ahamkara) 107(3) Plane of primal vibrations (Omkar) 110(2) Gaseous plane (vayu-loka) 112(1) Plane of radiation (teja-loka) 113(1) Plane of reality (satya-loka) 114(2) Positive intellect (subuddhi) 116(1) Negative intellect (durbuddhi) 117(1) Happiness (sukh) 118(1) Darkness (tamas) 119(2) Eighth Row: The Gods Themselves 121(12) Phenomenal plane (prakriti-loka) 121(2) Plane of inner space (uranta-loka) 123(1) Plane of bliss (ananda-loka) 123(3) Plane of cosmic good (Rudra-loka) 126(1) Cosmic Consciousness (Vaikuntha-loka) 127(1) Absolute plane (Brahma-loka) 128(1) True nature (satoguna) 129(2) Activity (rajoguna) 131(1) Inertia (tamoguna) 132(1) Further Reading 133