From matter to spirit: metaphors of enlightenment in Bhagavad-gītā
The article examines the use of metaphors in a prominent Hindu scripture named Bhagavadgītā. Although Hindu scriptures have been analyzed for centuries, the focus is rarely on metaphors. Bhagavad-gītā has 700 verses in 18 chapters and it records a historical conversation between Lord Krishna and...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
2017
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| Online Access: | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/11633/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/11633/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/11633/1/14706-52951-2-PB.pdf |
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ukm-116332018-05-06T13:52:47Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/11633/ From matter to spirit: metaphors of enlightenment in Bhagavad-gītā Kumaran Rajandran, The article examines the use of metaphors in a prominent Hindu scripture named Bhagavadgītā. Although Hindu scriptures have been analyzed for centuries, the focus is rarely on metaphors. Bhagavad-gītā has 700 verses in 18 chapters and it records a historical conversation between Lord Krishna and Prince Arjuna. Krishna teaches Arjuna philosophical concepts, which are frequently articulated through metaphors. The article selects an English translation of Bhagavad-gītā by Swami Prabhupāda and it pursues a text analysis, which is grounded in conceptual metaphor theory (CMT). The analysis identifies the source and target domains for the metaphors, and interprets their functions. The article only explores metaphors of enlightenment, as Bhagavad-gītā instructs people to become enlightened. The concept of enlightenment is conceptualized by ENLIGHTENMENT IS A JOURNEY, KNOWLEDGE IS SIGHT, KNOWLEDGE IS TASTE and KNOWLEDGE IS AN OBJECT. Bhagavad-gītā conceives people as body, mind and soul because a body and mind (matter) are required to understand a soul (spirit). It endorses four yogas or methods (devotion, meditation, transcendental knowledge, virtuous acts) to obtain the results of enlightenment, which terminate reincarnation and grant Paradise. Bhagavad-gītā lists two guides (mentor, scripture) although personal endeavor must be invested to move from matter to spirit. The article traces the choice of metaphors to physical and cultural experiences, besides the motivation of the translator. These metaphors may be inspired by the human body or ancient India but they should resonate with modern people. Moreover, Prabhupāda’s translation utilizes the metaphors to make Vaishnavism comprehensible to Westerners and to validate the denomination. Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2017-05 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://journalarticle.ukm.my/11633/1/14706-52951-2-PB.pdf Kumaran Rajandran, (2017) From matter to spirit: metaphors of enlightenment in Bhagavad-gītā. GEMA: Online Journal of Language Studies, 17 (2). pp. 163-176. ISSN 1675-8021 http://ejournal.ukm.my/gema/issue/view/967 |
| repository_type |
Digital Repository |
| institution_category |
Local University |
| institution |
Universiti Kebangasaan Malaysia |
| building |
UKM Institutional Repository |
| collection |
Online Access |
| language |
English |
| description |
The article examines the use of metaphors in a prominent Hindu scripture named Bhagavadgītā.
Although Hindu scriptures have been analyzed for centuries, the focus is rarely on
metaphors. Bhagavad-gītā has 700 verses in 18 chapters and it records a historical
conversation between Lord Krishna and Prince Arjuna. Krishna teaches Arjuna philosophical
concepts, which are frequently articulated through metaphors. The article selects an English
translation of Bhagavad-gītā by Swami Prabhupāda and it pursues a text analysis, which is
grounded in conceptual metaphor theory (CMT). The analysis identifies the source and target
domains for the metaphors, and interprets their functions. The article only explores metaphors
of enlightenment, as Bhagavad-gītā instructs people to become enlightened. The concept of
enlightenment is conceptualized by ENLIGHTENMENT IS A JOURNEY, KNOWLEDGE IS SIGHT,
KNOWLEDGE IS TASTE and KNOWLEDGE IS AN OBJECT. Bhagavad-gītā conceives people as
body, mind and soul because a body and mind (matter) are required to understand a soul
(spirit). It endorses four yogas or methods (devotion, meditation, transcendental knowledge,
virtuous acts) to obtain the results of enlightenment, which terminate reincarnation and grant
Paradise. Bhagavad-gītā lists two guides (mentor, scripture) although personal endeavor must
be invested to move from matter to spirit. The article traces the choice of metaphors to
physical and cultural experiences, besides the motivation of the translator. These metaphors
may be inspired by the human body or ancient India but they should resonate with modern
people. Moreover, Prabhupāda’s translation utilizes the metaphors to make Vaishnavism
comprehensible to Westerners and to validate the denomination. |
| format |
Article |
| author |
Kumaran Rajandran, |
| spellingShingle |
Kumaran Rajandran, From matter to spirit: metaphors of enlightenment in Bhagavad-gītā |
| author_facet |
Kumaran Rajandran, |
| author_sort |
Kumaran Rajandran, |
| title |
From matter to spirit: metaphors of enlightenment in Bhagavad-gītā |
| title_short |
From matter to spirit: metaphors of enlightenment in Bhagavad-gītā |
| title_full |
From matter to spirit: metaphors of enlightenment in Bhagavad-gītā |
| title_fullStr |
From matter to spirit: metaphors of enlightenment in Bhagavad-gītā |
| title_full_unstemmed |
From matter to spirit: metaphors of enlightenment in Bhagavad-gītā |
| title_sort |
from matter to spirit: metaphors of enlightenment in bhagavad-gītā |
| publisher |
Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia |
| publishDate |
2017 |
| url |
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/11633/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/11633/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/11633/1/14706-52951-2-PB.pdf |
| first_indexed |
2023-09-18T20:00:47Z |
| last_indexed |
2023-09-18T20:00:47Z |
| _version_ |
1777406834283380736 |