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Buddhi Yoga (Samskrit : बुद्धियोगम्) refers to the Yoga of Understanding, as explained by Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. This Buddhi Yoga is seen to be manifested in an ancient game of snakes and ladders, known today by several other names like Gyan Chaupar and Mokshapatam.   

Snakes and Ladders was a board game that possibly originated in India. The game can be found in various versions with various names across India.  Vaikuntha Pali, Mokshapatam, Parampadam Sopaanam, Kailash Pheri, Ninyaanbe ka Pher, Karmaphal Pheri, Jnana Baazi, Jnana Chaupar, Leela are some of the names that are popularly associated to some ancient versions of this game.  However, there are Jain versions, Buddhist Versions, Sufi versions, Persian versions and many other contextual adaptations of this game as well.   

As social systems changed, the game evolved by accepting the changing beliefs and traditions of the "newer societies".  The Jain, the Sufi, the Buddhists and Islam, all accepted the beautiful design of the board game, but changed it's content and structure to suit their context.  The British also adopted the game and re-designed it as a game of morals and ethics. Their colonies adopted this new version of snakes and ladders as well, and thus was India's age old "mokshapattam" re-christened as snakes and ladders that we play today.

What I realised is that each one of the games encodes a particular belief, lifestyle, philosophy and social context within it.  If we attempt to document the hidden nuances of these games, we can possibly associate them to a society that believed in this philosophy and tried to propagate it.  

There must have been an ancient version of the snakes and ladders board game which reflected the beliefs of Vedic times. As social systems changed, the game evolved by accepting the changing beliefs and traditions of the "newer societies". The Jain, the Sufi, the Buddhists and Islam, all accepted the beautiful design of the board game, but changed it's content and structure to suit their context. The British also adopted the game and re-designed it as a game of morals and ethics. Their colonies adopted this new version of snakes and ladders as well, and thus was India's age old "mokshapatam", "vaikuntha pali", "jnana chaupar" and "karma pher" got renamed as snakes and ladders that we play today.

<blockquote>तेषां सततयुक्तानां भजतां प्रीतिपूर्वकम् | ददामि बुद्धियोगं तं येन मामुपयान्ति ते || (Bhag. Gita. 10.10)<ref>Bhagavad Gita ([https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BE/%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AD%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%83 Adhyaya 10])</ref> </blockquote>Meaning : To those who are thus in a constant union with Me, and adore Me with an intense delight of love, I give the Yoga of understanding by which they come to Me. Sri Aurobindo (Bhag. Gita. 10.10)<ref>Bhagavad Gita ([http://bhagavadgita.org.in/Chapters/10/10 Adhyaya 10])</ref>

Thus does Sri Krishna suggest the "Yoga of understanding", Buddhi Yoga to his disciples.  

Taking this thought further, we have re-created a very ancient version of the सर्प - सोपानं game that existed in ancient India. This was a 72 cell game board with some interesting words inscribed within each cell<ref>[[commons:File:Snakes_and_Ladders_(Game_of_Heaven_&_Hell)_Wellcome_L0035004.jpg|https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Snakes_and_Ladders_(Game_of_Heaven_%26_Hell)_Wellcome_L0035004.jpg]]</ref>.  Some seemed to be moral and karmic, while others were more difficult to understand.  However, since there were multiple games designs under the name Jnana Chaupar, I decided to call this particular version Buddhi Yoga.  This version is very similar to other versions like Leela, however, it does have some differences in the contents of some of the cells and the way the snakes have been configured.

We have re-created a very ancient version of the same under the name of Buddhi Yoga.  This design encodes our knowledge of the three main paths to liberation (मोक्षः); tantra (तन्त्रम्) or jnana (ज्ञानम्), karma (कर्म) and bhakti (भक्तिः).

Buddhi Yoga (Samskrit : बुद्धियोगम्) refers to the Yoga of Understanding, as explained by Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. <blockquote>तेषां सततयुक्तानां भजतां प्रीतिपूर्वकम् | ददामि बुद्धियोगं तं येन मामुपयान्ति ते || (Bhag. Gita. 10.10)<ref>Bhagavad Gita ([https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BE/%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AD%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%83 Adhyaya 10])</ref> </blockquote>Meaning : To those who are thus in a constant union with Me, and adore Me with an intense delight of love, I give the Yoga of understanding by which they come to Me. Sri Aurobindo (Bhag. Gita. 10.10)<ref>Bhagavad Gita ([http://bhagavadgita.org.in/Chapters/10/10 Adhyaya 10])</ref>

[[File:Buddhi Yoga.png|thumb|505x505px|Fundamental principles of the philosophy of Tantra.]]

 

Thus does Sri Krishna suggest the "Yoga of understanding", Buddhi Yoga to his disciples.  This design encodes our knowledge of the three main paths to liberation (मोक्षः); tantra (तन्त्रम्) or jnana (ज्ञानम्), karma (कर्म) and bhakti (भक्तिः). The snake in last cell suggested that the game was played differently than the "race to win" game that we know today.   

 

    [[File:Buddhi Yoga.png|thumb|505x505px|Fundamental principles of the philosophy of Tantra.]]

== Tantra (तन्त्रम्) or Jnana Marga (ज्ञानमार्गः) ==

== Tantra (तन्त्रम्) or Jnana Marga (ज्ञानमार्गः) ==