Square 31: Plane of sanctity (yaksha-loka)

Square 31 in Leela is the Plane of sanctity, yaksha-loka in Sanskrit. It is the point where the divine stops being an idea and becomes lived experience, through understanding of cosmic principles. It lies in the fourth row, Attaining Balance, beside the Plane of balance at 32, and it is a plain square with no arrow or snake.

What square 31 means

Johari describes the Plane of sanctity as divine grace experienced through understanding of cosmic principles. The emphasis is on experience. Before this point the sacred may have been a belief, a hope or a rule; here it becomes something felt and recognised. The understanding that opens the door is not a theory but a sense of how life is ordered, which makes grace perceptible in everyday events.

Yaksha-loka is the plane of the yakshas, nature spirits of Indian tradition associated with trees, waters and hidden treasure, guardians who stand between the human and the divine. In Leela the name marks a threshold of the sacred: a place where the subtle becomes present and approachable, and where reverence comes naturally rather than by effort.

The square belongs to the row of Anahata, the heart chakra of air. In the heart, knowing and feeling meet, and this is what lets grace be received. Coming right after Good tendencies, it suggests an order the player can test in life: steady habits clear the ground, and understanding then lets grace be noticed where it was always present. Sanctity here is not reserved for temples. It can be felt in a conversation, a kind act or a quiet hour, whenever the heart is open.

On the board

The Plane of sanctity is a plain square in row 4, with no arrow or snake beginning or ending here. A player arrives by an ordinary throw, a 1 from Good tendencies (30), a 5 from Sorrow (26) or a 6 from Good company (25). From 31, a throw of 1 to 5 stays in the heart row, while a 6 lands on True awareness (37), whose arrow lifts the player to the Plane of bliss at 66.

The Bhagavad Gita and this square

Its verse is Gita 10.10: to those devoted and full of love, Krishna gives the understanding that leads to him, and grace becomes living experience when you listen with the heart. The Mahabharata episode is the Yaksha's questions, in which a yaksha tests Yudhishthira at a lake and wise answers restore life.

To those devoted and full of love, Krishna gives the understanding that leads to him. Grace becomes living experience when you listen with the heart.

Gita 10.10 · The Yaksha's questions

Questions to reflect on

• Where do I feel grace?
• What in my life feels sacred without needing an explanation?
• When did I last listen with the heart rather than the mind?