Transformation of Consciousness: Decoding Conceptual Metaphors in Mira Bai

Mira Bai, a saint-poet of North India is an important figure in medieval Hindi literature. Her "bhajan"-s (songs) profoundly represent the transforming of consciousness working through conceptual metaphors which fall in the realm of religious poetry wherein target domains are generally abstract. Since, the working of the mind is more powerful than anything else, consciousness has become the central issue in modern philosophy of mind and metaphysics. Can we try to gauge abstract ideas and consciousness? What do we need to make such ideas explicit? What happens when the line between the abstract and the real becomes blur or transparent, especially with respect to spiritual experience? It is here that metaphors step in providing us glimpses into representational relation between mental processes, state of mind and the material world. Therefore, this present paper attempts to study conceptual metaphors which are replete in Mira Bai's poetry conforming to her spiritual journey. The paper is divided into three sections viz. Mira Bai, Understanding Conceptual Metaphor, and A Study of Mira Bai's Selected Poetry.