Leela, Dharma, Karma, Yoga: Four Gateways Into Truth

This is not philosophy. This is a transmission.

Leela. Dharma. Karma. Yoga.

These aren’t cute Sanskrit terms to sprinkle on a yoga class or spiritual meme. They are doorways into the Divine. And if you’re a teacher — in yoga, in spirituality, in life — you carry a responsibility when you speak them.

Because words like these shape how people live. When you flatten them, you lead people into bypass, victimhood, and shame. When you embody them, you point people back to Truth.

It’s no different than the Bible: translation after translation, stripped from its roots, turned into slogans and weaponized doctrine. The same thing happens here when leela gets reduced to “play,” or karma to “what goes around comes around.” The depth is lost, and distortion takes its place.

Leela: The Whole Play, Not a Pretty Game

Leela gets translated as “divine play.” People hear that and think joy, whimsy, Krishna with the gopis. That’s part of it. But leela is vaster. It’s the spontaneous expression of the Divine — free, effortless, encompassing everything.

That means all unfolds within Her play — beauty and horror, creation and destruction, tenderness and terror.

The distortion: “If it’s all leela, then life is playing me — and I’m the fool in the game.”
The truth: leela isn’t a cruel joke. It’s the vast theater of existence. Sometimes playful, sometimes fierce, sometimes incomprehensible. Nothing escapes the Divine.

And here’s the gift: when you remember this, even the hardest seasons become part of a greater story — not meaningless chaos, but a Field that still holds you.

Dharma: The Order in the Field

Dharma is what keeps the play in rhythm. Not “religion.” Not “rules.” Not just “duty.”

It’s the principle of truth, of alignment, of harmony.

• A tree’s dharma is to root and bear fruit.

• Water’s dharma is to flow and purify.

• A human’s dharma is to live in truth, protect life, and serve the whole.

The distortion: “My life is chaos. Nothing I do makes sense.”
The truth: when dharma is forgotten, the play devolves into confusion. When dharma is remembered, even suffering transforms into strength and clarity.

The gift of dharma is this: life flows more easily when you’re in alignment. It doesn’t mean pain disappears, but the path steadies under your feet.

Karma: The Bound Web of Action

Karma isn’t “what goes around comes around.” It’s action — and the consequences that follow.

Here’s the distinction: the Divine acts in freedom (leela). Humans act from conditioning. That’s karma. Until we align with dharma, our actions are bound by cause and effect.

The distortion: “Bad things keep happening, so I must have bad karma. I’m doomed.”
The truth: Karma isn’t punishment. It’s the mirror. It shows you what happens when you move out of truth — and what unfolds when you live deeply into it.

The gift of karma is that it always teaches. Every action is feedback. Every result is guidance. When you listen, karma itself becomes your guru.

Yoga: Union, Not Escape

Yoga means union. It means nothing is separate. But how often have you heard people twist it into escape?

“The world is illusion, so I don’t have to face it.”

I had a client who believed this. His teacher told him, “you’ve got it,” so he walked away thinking he was awake — while his life was crumbling all around him. Worse than that, he thought: poof, now I don’t have to face the mess I’ve made.

That’s not jnana (wisdom). That’s bypass.

The distortion: “If the world is illusion, then nothing matters.”
The truth: Illusion doesn’t mean nothing is real. It means what you see isn’t the whole truth. There are deeper layers, hidden currents, possibilities you can’t yet perceive. (I wrote more about this here.)

The gift of yoga is intimacy — with yourself, with others, with the Divine. No more running, no more hiding. Just union.

Where Victim Consciousness Hides

Victim consciousness creeps in when sacred words are flattened and handed out without depth. It twists teachings into excuses… (If you want to see how this actually plays out in someone’s life, read this Client Journey on Victim Consciousness.)

• “Bad things happen to me, so I must have bad karma.”

• “The world is too messed up. We’re doomed.”

• “If it’s all illusion, then nothing I do matters.”

• “If it’s all leela, then life is just playing me.”

And woven through all of this is shame. Shame says: “There’s something wrong with me. I deserve this. I’ll never get free.”

But shame is not truth — it’s just another layer of victim thinking. It keeps you from seeing what’s actually possible.

The truth:

• Karma isn’t punishment. It’s feedback — distortion mirrored and alignment affirmed.

• Leela isn’t a cruel game. It’s the Field that holds everything, including your freedom to transform.

• Illusion doesn’t erase meaning. It reminds you that surface appearances are never the final word.

Victim consciousness says: “I’m trapped, I’m doomed, I’m to blame.”
The Field answers: “You are not separate. You are responsible, yes — but that means you are powerful.”

Transmission to Teachers

If you’re teaching — yoga, spirituality, whatever you call it — hear this clearly: these words are not ornaments. They are living forces.

When you use them lightly, you mislead. When you embody them, you transmit Truth.

If your students walk away believing they’re “awake” but can’t face their own children, you’ve failed them. If your platform markets “alignment” but never explains responsibility, you’re complicit in distortion.

The Divine doesn’t need your trendiness. She needs your integrity.

Transmission to Seekers

And if you’re seeking — don’t settle for slogans. Don’t let a teacher tell you, “you’ve got it,” if your relationships are in ruins. Don’t believe anyone who hands you words they don’t live.

These teachings aren’t escape hatches. They’re invitations to wake up, to stand in the fire, to stop running from yourself.

✨ Closing Transmission
Leela, dharma, karma, yoga — they’re not separate. They’re one tapestry.

They don’t excuse you. They don’t let you bypass.

They demand something of you.
They call you to live awake, responsible, and in union.
They burn through illusion. They dismantle excuses.

If you dare to use them, let them work on you. Let them change you.
Anything less is distortion.

And this isn’t just about Sanskrit. The same truth applies to the Bible. Words taken out of context, translated flat, stripped of depth — they become weapons instead of wisdom. Whether it’s the Gita, the Vedas, or the Gospels, words without embodiment are distortion. Words lived as truth are liberation.

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