Lila (Sanskrit: लीला ) or leela can be loosely translated as "divine play". The concept of lila asserts that creation, instead of being an objective for achieving any purpose, is rather an outcome of the playful nature of the divine. As the divine is perfect, it could have no want fullfilled, thereby signifying freedom, instead of necessity, behind the creation.
The concept of lila is common to both non-dualist and dualist philosophical schools of Indian philosophy, but has a markedly different significance in each. Within non-dualism, lila is a way of describing all reality, including the cosmos, as the outcome of creative play by the divine absolute (Brahman). In Vaishnavism, lila refers to the activities of God and devotee, as well as the macrocosmic actions of the manifest universe.
There are multiple theories about the derivation of lila. It may be derived from the Sanskrit root lal, which suggests playfulness of children or someone delicate.[1]
According to Edwin Bryant, lila cannot be translated as "sport" or "game," since those word suggest a motivation of competition. In contrast, lila is "pure play, or spontaneous pastime,” which has no purpose other than experiencing joy.[2]
Lila first appears in the Brahmasūtra 2.1.33 as "lokavat tu līlākaivalyam" (However, [it is] but līlā, as [occurs] in daily experience.) This sutra responds to the objection that Brahman is not the cause of the world because causation requires motive. The reason given is that Brahman's act of creation is lila, in the same way lila takes place in the world. Shankara, in his commentary, likens Brahman to a king whose needs have been fulfilled, but engages in recreational activity. In another comparison, he says that it is Brahman's nature to create freely as it is our nature to inhale and exhale. Further, lila is not a necessary attribute of Brahman i.e. Brahman does not have to engage in lila.
Hindu denominations differ on how a human should react to awareness of lila. Karma Yoga allows a joyful embrace of all aspects of life ("intentional acceptance") while maintaining distinction from the Supreme, while Bhakti and Jnana Yoga advocate striving for oneness with the Supreme. Lila is an important idea in the traditional worship of Krishna (as prankster) and Shiva (as dancer), and has been used by modern writers like Stephen Nachmanovitch, Fritjof Capra, and Alan Watts.
In Vaishnavism, lila refers to the activities of God and his devotee, as well as the macrocosmic actions of the manifest universe,[3] as seen in Srimad Bhagavatam, verse 3.26.4:[4]
sa eṣa prakṛtiḿ sūkṣmāḿ
daivīḿ guṇamayīḿ vibhuḥ
yadṛcchayaivopagatām
abhyapadyata līlayā
"As his pastimes, that Supreme Divine Personality, the greatest of the great, accepted the subtle material energy which is invested with three material modes of nature."
Lila also includes Raslila plays in which human actors re-enact Krishna and Rama's divine play to remember the deities and experience their presence.
Lila is comparable to the Western theological position of Pandeism, which describes the Universe as God taking a physical form in order to experience the interplay between the elements of the Universe.[5]
"The Lila Solution" is a proposed answer to the problem of evil. It suggests that God cannot be blamed for sufferings because God is simply playing without any motivation. Lipner argues that since God is not "playful" by nature, but effortlessly acts as such, God maintains the law of karma and rebirth even while playing.