Sanskrit Terms Starting with L

Līlā is often translated as divine play. In Indian philosophy (both non-dual and devotional schools), līlā signifies that Brahman (the Absolute) freely unfolds the cosmos out of its own bliss, without motive or effort.

This concept encourages viewing reality as a kind of theater in which the soul (ātman) partakes in God’s play. In Bhakti Yoga, līlā also refers to the playful exploits of deities (e.g. Krishna’s childhood adventures) that devotees recount to cultivate love for God.

Understanding life as līlā can shift one’s attitude in yoga practice: instead of struggling or overly striving, the yogi learns to dance with the circumstances of life. The world, with all its ups and downs, is approached as a divine drama, real in experience yet ultimately illusory (a projection of the Divine, often connected with māyā).

By embracing Līlā Bhāva (the attitude of play), practitioners find joy and flexibility, knowing the play is cosmic in scale and guided by a higher wisdom. (In essence: the how of existence is playful creativity, and the yogi aims to participate in that play with awareness.)

Līlā Bhāva is the mood of divine play. In Bhakti and Tantra traditions, this term implies a devotional mindset that everything happening is a playful interaction with the Divine.

One who holds līlā bhāva perceives their actions and challenges as roles in God’s drama, thereby reducing ego-driven seriousness. A classic teaching from Vaishnava lore states that adopting līlā bhāva is a great boon: “This is the greatest boon of life, to have the lila bhava – fill our actions, activities, understanding and love”.

In practice, this attitude infuses one’s duties with joy and flexibility. For example, difficulties are met with a kind of cosmic humor or acceptance (“this too is part of the play”), and successes are worn lightly.

Līlā bhāva helps dissolve excessive attachment or aversion, because the practitioner “vibrates with the Lord’s play” – recognizing the divine in all scenarios.

In essence, it’s a spiritual mindset that life, in all its complexity, is God’s play, and by aligning with that playfulness, the yogi remains loving, detached, and present.

Liṅga translated is literally sign, mark, or characteristic. Philosophically, linga can mean a subtle indicatory mark (as in linga śarīra, the subtle body), but most commonly it denotes the Śiva-liṅga.

In Tantra and Shaivism, the Śiva-liṅga is revered as a symbol of Shiva as Pure Consciousness, without anthropomorphic form. The liṅga’s shape – an upright column often set in a round base (yoni) – embodies the union of the cosmic masculine and feminine principles.

Scriptures describe the liṅga as the symbol of Shiva-as-pure-consciousness, containing the seed of the entire universe. Thus, devotees do not worship a stone or pillar per se; they honor what it represents – the unmanifest source of all manifest creation.

In yoga practice, one might meditate on the liṅga to center the mind or focus on the ājñā chakra (sometimes called “liṅga chakra”). Additionally, linga in Sanskrit compound words can simply mean “facing” or “form” in asana names (e.g., salamba sirsasana being “supported headstand”, where sirs = head, asana = pose, unrelated to this context).

The key point is that Linga in the spiritual sense is a tool of concentration: a mark of the divine designed to turn the mind toward formless reality via a form.