Leela Journal
Seventy-two questions,
one board
Long before it became Snakes & Ladders, this was a game about the mind. Here we write about its cells, its snakes and arrows, and the small rituals of reflection it invites.
0112 journaling prompts from an ancient Indian game
Twelve questions from the cells of Leela, the Indian game of self-knowledge: on anger, envy, rest, dharma and silence, and how to write through them.
02Snakes & Ladders was once a game about karma
Before it was a children's race, the Indian game of knowledge made the die your karma, the snakes your vices and the ladders your virtues. How that moral map worked.
03The 72 planes of existence: a map of the Leela board
A tour of the Leela board, row by row: eight rows of nine cells, from Genesis and Anger up to the Plane of Reality and cell 68, Cosmic Consciousness.
04Which snake is biting you? The ten snakes of the Leela board
Envy, jealousy, egotism, darkness: the ten snakes of Leela, where each one drops you, and a question to ask yourself before the next bite.
05The arrows that lift you: the ten virtues of the Leela board
Mercy, charity, dharma, devotion: the ten arrows of Leela, where each one carries you, and what they suggest about the qualities that move a life upward.
06How to play Leela in 4 steps
Set an intention, wait for the six of birth, follow the arrows and snakes, and answer one honest question on every cell until you reach cell 68.
07How to choose an intention for self-reflection
A good intention is a real question, not a wish. How to phrase one for a game of Leela, with examples, three reliable starting points and the traps to avoid.
08A 15-minute evening reflection ritual
A simple minute-by-minute evening practice built around one question from the Leela board: arrive, choose a cell, write, read back and close the day in silence.
- 09
Cell 68: Cosmic Consciousness, the goal of the game
Why Leela ends on cell 68, Vaikuntha-loka, and not on the last square: the two ways to reach it, the cells beyond it, and what winning means in a game of self-knowledge.
10An Indian game of self-knowledge for Diwali evenings
Diwali has an old custom of dice games. This year, on the night of 8 November 2026, try one where the die asks questions instead of taking bets.
11The history of Leela: from Gyan Chaupar to the game on your phone
A dated chronicle of the Indian game of knowledge: Hindu, Jain and Sufi boards, the Victorian Snakes and Ladders, and Harish Johari's revival as Leela.
12Leela vs Snakes & Ladders: what changed when the game became a children's toy
Same dice, same falls, very different games. A side-by-side look at Leela's 72 named cells and the 100 blank squares of the nursery classic.