As kids, and later when we had kids, we have played Snakes and Ladders, at one time or another. But how many of us know that the game originated in India, and was once used to teach the importance of leading a virtuous life to young kids? It was known in Ancient India as Moksha Padam or Parama Padam.Though there are stray references to Moksha Padam that dates back to 2nd century BC, the credit for developing the game is attributed to Gyandev, the 13th Century AD poet and saint.
As conceived by him, the Ladders represented the Virtues and the Snakes, the Vices. Many of the squares represented various virtues. For example, the square 12 dentoed faith, 51- Reliability, 57 - Generosity, 76 - Knowledge, and 78 was Asceticism. And obviously, these were the squares that had ladders, implying that if one has faith, or is reliable, or is genorous, or has knowledge, or is an ascetic, then he/she will climb up in life.
Likewise, Square 41 was the square of Disobedience, 44-Arrogance, 49-Vulgarity, 52-Theft, 58- Lying, 62-Drunkenness, 69-Debt, 73-Murder, 84-Anger, 92- Greed, 95-Pride, and 99-Lust. Needless to say, the head of the snake could be found in these squares, and one slips down in ones life if he/she were to be tempted by any of these vices.
The objective of the game was to reach square 100, that stood for Moksham or Nirvana, the ultimate aim of one's life as per Hinduism. And when you cross 90, and thus very close to Moksham, there are strong negative forces like Greed(92), Pride(95) and Lust(99), that can bring you crashing down to the bottom very fast. Also, the task of attaining moksham is made difficult, as you have to have the exact number on the dice required of you to reach 100, showing how difficult it is to attain nirvana.
The game was westernised mindlessly by the British, who renamed it as Snakes and Ladders, without imbibing the spirit behind it. And like many other things from our past, the real philosophical intent of the game was totally lost, though I understand that the game in some of its original form is available in certain parts of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
It is still not too late. You can buy a Snakes & Ladders, and rename the squares as above, or as per the starting point of ladders and snakes, to pass on some good value system to your kid.
