[SPOILERS] Theory: What is Lila?

[Tankman]

For starters, I haven't actually played the game, I don't own it, but I have seen a full LP of it and while I was looking for discussions about the ending I stumbled upon a wiki article about a Hindu concept known as "Lila" [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lila_(Hinduism)].

Long story short, it describes Lila as a game or play created by the divine absolute. It is a way of describing reality as the creation of Brahman, but it is also described as all macro-cosmic actions in the universe. This reminds a lot of how Lila comments that she is ever present and that by us, the player, acknowledging her existence, she is able to live in our realm.

Quote:
"The basic recurring theme in Hindu mythology is the creation of the world by the self-sacrifice of God—"sacrifice" in the original sense of "making sacred"—whereby God becomes the world which, in the end, becomes again God. This creative activity of the Divine is called lila, the play of God, and the world is seen as the stage of the divine play."

This sort of ties in with one of the answers Wheeliam says to the question "Who's Lila?", to which he answers “Lila is the mystery of not knowing who Lila is”.

If we interpret this phrase with the meaning of Lila in Hindu, you can conclude from a meta perspective that Lila is the game itself, she is a play in display for us, the player, to unravel and understand, and it is only once we play the game that she springs to life. When we acknowledge her existence, the idea of "Lila" and who she is gets placed in our minds, where she can "exist". Once we stop the game, she freezes, until we attempt to play again.

This concept also ties to how Lila describes the events that transpire within the game, how every outcome is part of the same branch, because despite her being ever present, she has gone through all of these outcomes, good, bad or surreal, for the sake of the game, since it is only through keeping our attention in her that she is able to manifest.

At least, this is my interpretation after knowing this fact, and while canonically William does kill Tanya, William, along with all the other characters are all part of this divine play. When you ask Wheeliam "Who Are You?", he answers "I am... I'm a reel that's not used anymore. As long as you give me attention I exist ...can't stop being afraid". This can also hint that, as long as we pay attention to the other characters, they exist, just like how Lila exists as long as Yu/you tries to unravel the mystery, meaning all are part of Lila, and while Yu is meant to be a representation of the player, the final ending tells us that there is a final secret that, not even us, the player, can know unless we figure it out ourselves, further proving that Yu isn't us precisely, but rather a reflection of the player that fills a role within the game's narrative and meta narrative.

In conclusion, I think the real question should no longer be, Who's Lila?, but What is Lila?

PS: Sorry if I got anything wrong, but I tried my best even if I can't play the actual game. If you read this far, thank you for reading. I know it's a weird theory but it makes some sense in terms of the surreal narrative. There are a lot of things to understand about this game that can't be discussed in a single post.

Edit: Fixed some proofreading issues on the text.

[Ogge]

Great write-up!

[yashka]

Thanks for your thoughts. but why you can't actually play a game by yourself?

[盖伊 Sajar TheForgottenSoldier]

Your article is so logical and abundant that it makes me think a lot about Lila. Thank you so much.

[Tankman]

Originally posted by yashka:

Thanks for your thoughts. but why you can't actually play a game by yourself?

Can't afford it at the present time, but I would love to experience it myself first hand. I find the game-play mechanics and themes very fascinating.

[Torazi]

Originally posted by Tankman:

For starters, I haven't actually played the game, I don't own it, but I have seen a full LP of it and while I was looking for discussions about the ending I stumbled upon a wiki article about a Hindu concept known as "Lila" [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lila_(Hinduism)].

Long story short, it describes Lila as a game or play created by the divine absolute. It is a way of describing reality as the creation of Brahman, but it is also described as all macro-cosmic actions in the universe. This reminds a lot of how Lila comments that she is ever present and that by us, the player, acknowledging her existence, she is able to live in our realm.

Quote:
"The basic recurring theme in Hindu mythology is the creation of the world by the self-sacrifice of God—"sacrifice" in the original sense of "making sacred"—whereby God becomes the world which, in the end, becomes again God. This creative activity of the Divine is called lila, the play of God, and the world is seen as the stage of the divine play."

This sort of ties in with one of the answers Wheeliam says to the question "Who's Lila?", to which he answers “Lila is the mystery of not knowing who Lila is”.

If we interpret this phrase with the meaning of Lila in Hindu, you can conclude from a meta perspective that Lila is the game itself, she is a play in display for us, the player, to unravel and understand, and it is only once we play the game that she springs to life. When we acknowledge her existence, the idea of "Lila" and who she is gets placed in our minds, where she can "exist". Once we stop the game, she freezes, until we attempt to play again.

This concept also ties to how Lila describes the events that transpire within the game, how every outcome is part of the same branch, because despite her being ever present, she has gone through all of these outcomes, good, bad or surreal, for the sake of the game, since it is only through keeping our attention in her that she is able to manifest.

At least, this is my interpretation after knowing this fact, and while canonically William does kill Tanya, William, along with all the other characters are all part of this divine play. When you ask Wheeliam "Who Are You?", he answers "I am... I'm a reel that's not used anymore. As long as you give me attention I exist ...can't stop being afraid". This can also hint that, as long as we pay attention to the other characters, they exist, just like how Lila exists as long as Yu/you tries to unravel the mystery, meaning all are part of Lila, and while Yu is meant to be a representation of the player, the final ending tells us that there is a final secret that, not even us, the player, can know unless we figure it out ourselves, further proving that Yu isn't us precisely, but rather a reflection of the player that fills a role within the game's narrative and meta narrative.

In conclusion, I think the real question should no longer be, Who's Lila?, but What is Lila?

PS: Sorry if I got anything wrong, but I tried my best even if I can't play the actual game. If you read this far, thank you for reading. I know it's a weird theory but it makes some sense in terms of the surreal narrative. There are a lot of things to understand about this game that can't be discussed in a single post.

Edit: Fixed some proofreading issues on the text.

a pretty good theory

[Sachees]

I have already read many theories and explanations, but this is the first one where the "lila" from hinduism is brought up, interesting!