lila means the play of god’s spirit manifested in the universe; divine play, creative spiritual energy.
Why “lila” is a great word
The spontaneous, playful manifestation of the divine as the cosmos itself, a performance of pure creative energy for its own sake, transliterated from the Sanskrit लीला (līlā, "play, sport, pastime"). Unlike maya, which casts the perceived world as a veil of illusion obscuring reality, or karma, which binds existence to the moral mechanics of cause and consequence, lila describes creation as divine freedom without necessity or goal. It is Krishna stealing butter as a child, the swirling of galaxies in a purposeless dance, the terrible and beautiful spectacle of existence understood as a rapturous game—the profound suggestion that all of this is how the divine breathes out for fun.
Etymology
Transliteration of Sanskrit लीला (līlā).
noun
- The play of god’s spirit manifested in the universe; divine play, creative spiritual energy.e.g.“His face shone with joy when he read good books, thought new thoughts, heard news about the country's welfare, or when God's lila filled his mind.” — 2015, Tridip Suhrud, translating Govardhanram Madhavram Tripathi, Sarasvatichandra I, Orient BlackSwan 2015, p. 11
name
- A female given name from Arabic.e.g.“Your name is flowery too. I used to say Mamita would have called you Lady Viola; but violet colors and lilac colors are cousins, and they both suit your complexion and your name, Mamita Lila.” — 1867, Lydia Maria Francis Child, A Romance of the Republic, Ticknor and Fields, published 1867, page 149:
- A female given name from Sanskrit used in India.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- maya 60% match — Magic; supernatural power as held by the gods. vs lila →
- shakti 53% match — the divine force that pervades the universe. vs lila →
- playlike 51% match — Resembling or characteristic of a play (dramatic production). vs lila →
- ludic 51% match — Playful. vs lila →
- tandava 51% match — A divine dance performed by the Hindu god Shiva. vs lila →
- tattva 50% match — An element or aspect of reality conceived as an aspect of deity, forming the basis of human experience. vs lila →
- lilt 50% match — To do something rhythmically, with animation and quickness, usually of music. vs lila →
- vivarta 48% match — A turning or whirling. vs lila →