Square 41: Human plane (jana-loka)
Leela Atlas team · Updated
Square 41 in Leela is the Human plane, jana-loka, the central square of the fifth row and the fifth of the seven lokas that form the spine of the board. Johari calls it the abode of sages and saints, where the player gains a true perspective on humanity and may become a teacher. The arrow from square 27 lands here.
What square 41 means
Johari describes jana-loka as the fifth loka, the abode of siddhas and saints. Here the player gains a true perspective on humanity and may become a teacher or seer. It is a place of maturity: the player has seen enough of karma, balance and loss to understand people as they are, with compassion rather than judgement.
Jana means people, or the born, and loka means world or plane. Jana-loka is the world of those who have become fully human. It is one of the seven lokas that run up the central column of the board, from 5 Bhu-loka through 14, 23 and 32 to 41, then on to 50, 59 and finally 68. Each loka marks the heart of its row.
Row 5, Man Becomes Himself, is linked to Vishuddha, the throat chakra. Johari maps this row onto the years 28 to 35 of life, the stage of the teacher. The throat is the centre of speech, and a teacher is someone whose understanding has found its voice.
The square teaches that what you have lived can be passed on. It also carries a caution: the Human plane is a high station, but it is not the goal. Teaching others does not end one's own journey.
On the board
Square 41 is the middle square of row 5 and sits on the central spine of the board. One arrow ends here: the arrow of Selfless service from square 27, which lifts a player from row 3 straight to the Human plane. Others arrive by a throw from squares 35 to 40, except the arrow base at 37. Square 41 has no arrow or snake of its own, so play continues normally.
Arrows arriving here: 27 Selfless service.
The Bhagavad Gita and this square
The verse is Gita 8.16: all worlds up to Brahma's lead back to return, so even the high human state is a station and not the final goal. Its episode is Markandeya's teachings in the forest, where the ageless sage instructs the exiled Pandavas, an image of the teacher this square describes.
All worlds up to Brahma's lead back to return. Even the high human state is a station, not the final goal.
Gita 8.16 · Markandeya's teachings in the forest
Questions to reflect on
- What could I teach?
- What have I learned through experience that others around me are still struggling with?
- Where am I tempted to treat a high point as the end of the road?
Questions
What happens when you land on square 41 in Leela?
Square 41, the Human plane, has no arrow or snake of its own, so you stay there for the turn. It is the central square of the fifth row and one of the seven lokas on the board's spine. Many players arrive here by the arrow of Selfless service from square 27.
Which arrow leads to the Human plane in Leela?
The arrow of Selfless service starts on square 27 and ends on square 41, the Human plane. Johari writes that the human plane is often gained directly from the third chakra by this arrow. Working without concern for reward lifts the player two full rows, from the Theater of Karma to the row where one becomes oneself.
Related squares
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