Square 18: Plane of joy (harsha-loka)
Leela Atlas team · Updated
Square 18 in Leela is the Plane of joy, harsha-loka in Sanskrit. It closes the second row, the Realm of Fantasy, and names the contentment of having moved past envy, nullity and jealousy. Johari calls this joy eternal yet brief: it is fully real in the moment, and then karma carries the player into the third row.
What square 18 means
Johari describes square 18 as the satisfaction that comes after the trials of the second row. The player has passed Envy at 12, Nullity at 13 and Jealousy at 16 without being pulled down, and a quiet gladness follows. It is not the excitement of winning something, but the lightness of no longer being gripped by comparison and fear.
The Sanskrit harsha means joy, delight, the thrill of gladness, and loka means world or plane. Harsha-loka is the world of joy. The paradox Johari names is that this joy is eternal and momentary at once. Joy itself never runs out as a possibility; any single experience of it passes quickly.
As the last square of the row ruled by the Svadhisthana chakra and the element of water, the Plane of joy marks the end of a stage. In Johari's life cycles the second row matches the years from seven to fourteen, the age of fantasy, and joy here feels like the end of childhood play. Then karma begins: the next square, 19, opens the Theater of Karma. Square 18 teaches the player to receive joy fully without trying to hold it, so that its passing does not become a new loss.
On the board
Square 18 is a plain square at the end of row 2, the Realm of Fantasy. No arrow or snake begins or ends here, so a player arrives only by an ordinary throw, having moved beyond Envy (12) and Jealousy (16). Nothing moves you on. Your next throw takes you into row 3, the Theater of Karma, which begins at square 19, the Plane of action.
The Bhagavad Gita and this square
Gita 5.20 describes the sage who neither exults at the pleasant nor grieves at the unpleasant; real, sattvic joy is quiet and grows from within, not from luck. The Mahabharata's svayamvara where Arjuna wins Draupadi is a moment of great joy that also sets the coming story in motion.
The sage neither exults at the pleasant nor grieves at the unpleasant. Real, sattvic joy is quiet and grows from within, not from luck.
Gita 5.20 · Arjuna wins Draupadi at the svayamvara
Questions to reflect on
- What am I truly glad about right now?
- What have I recently let go of that made me lighter?
- Can I enjoy this moment without needing it to last?
Questions
What does square 18 mean in Leela?
Square 18 is the Plane of joy, harsha-loka. It is the contentment that follows once the player has moved past envy, nullity and jealousy in the second row. Johari calls this joy eternal but brief: always possible, never held for long. It closes the Realm of Fantasy before the Theater of Karma begins.
What happens after the Plane of joy in Leela?
Square 18 is the last square of the second row, and it has no arrow or snake. Your next throw carries you into the third row, the Theater of Karma, starting at 19, the Plane of action. In Johari's reading, joy is followed by karma: having found contentment, the player now begins to seek identity, power and fulfilment.
Why is joy called brief on square 18?
Johari describes the joy of square 18 as eternal yet momentary. As a quality, joy is always available; as an experience, it passes. Trying to hold it turns it into attachment. The square invites the player to welcome gladness fully while it is here, and to let it go without turning its passing into a new sorrow.
Related squares
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