Moksha Pattam

Long before it became known to the world as Snakes and Ladders, Moksha Pattam was played in India to learn life, karma, and spiritual balance. Each ladder represented virtues and good deeds, while every snake symbolized vices, ego, and actions that pull us away from our higher self. The game taught a timeless truth: while good karma helps us rise, bad karma often pulls us down with even greater force. To live well is not only to pursue virtue, but also to remain mindful of the choices that lead us astray.

This design transforms that philosophy into a wearable journey. At the base of the shirt lie the checks of Moksha Pattam, adorned with silver zardozi and inscribed with virtues and vices. Small ladders emerge from these squares, while a long serpent winds across the garment- from back to front, sometimes visible and sometimes hidden- symbolizing how the consequences of our actions often linger far beyond the moment they are created.

As the journey moves upward, the artwork gradually dissolves into a realm inspired by Van Gogh's Starry Night. We chose this inspiration because both Moksha and Starry Night belong to the world of illusion rather than observation. Neither has been seen exactly as depicted, yet both continue to inspire those who seek something beyond the visible.

On the back of the shirt, the seven chakras ascend towards a golden lotus, symbolizing spiritual awakening and liberation. The design reminds us that life will offer both ladders and snakes, victories and setbacks. Moksha Pattam teaches the art of balance. Every life encounters snakes that bring us down and ladders that lift us up. The wise neither lose hope in a fall nor become consumed by pride in a rise. They continue forward with equanimity, knowing that both are temporary stops on the journey towards Moksha. Because the path to Moksha is found in maintaining Santulan- the sacred balance where one is neither intoxicated by the climb nor destroyed by the fall.