Commentary On The Praises of 21 Taras - Chapter 1/3

 

The praises are extremely common and renowned amongst the four Mahayana traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Not only the great meditators, yogis and pundits, but the common people who rely Tara experience quick success and achieve the happiness they wish for.

Brilliant Rays of Light

A Commentary on the Praise to Tara

Homage to the noble lady Tara!

Homage to Tara, she who liberates from the suffering of samsara. She is swift in aiding beings and gallant in conquering afflictions. Her glance flashes like flares of lightning, a statement that serves as an analogy for its luminosity. She was born in the heart of a blossoming lotus or utpala flower that rose from the tears of the Triple-World’s Lord, Avalokitesvara.

Homage to her, whose countenance is comparable to many hundreds of full moons, each as radiant white as on the fifteenth day of the lunar month, gathered together in autumn. This image illustrates the immeasurable number of light-rays that shine from her; this is also conveyed by the image of her smiling and glowing with brilliant radiance, like a thousand stars clustered, ablaze. 



Homage, golden-blue coloured lady, shining like the light reflected upon refined gold. A lotus holds in her left hand; it is graced with the symbolic implement of a water-born lotus flower. Through the practice of the six pāramitās: the pāramitā of generosity; the pāramitā of diligence; The pāramitā of endurance; serenity, or, the pacification of afflictions; the pāramitā of patience; and the pāramitā of meditation; and through embodying the pāramitā of wisdom, she attained the form of the goddess Tara. This is illustrated by her emblem, the utpala flower. 

Homage to her, whose total victories over demons, enemies, and all such opposing forces are endless. She is the jewel adorning all the great Tathāgatas’ crowns. She is well served, honoured, and praised by all the Bodhisattvas, the heirs of the Victors, those who’ve accomplished all the perfections—the ten pāramitās, which are the essence of all ten bhūmis.  

Homage to her, who with the power and light from the mantra syllables tuttāre and hūṃ, fills the desire realms, and the form realm, and the formless realm, unto the ends of space. She tramples underfoot the seven worlds—the five types of desire realm for the five types of beings, and the form and formless realms—and has the strength to summon—to bring others, like kings, under her control—and to fulfil all the wishes of sentient beings.  

Homage to her, praised and venerated by Indra, the king of gods, and by Agni, Brahmā, Maruts, and their lord, the great and powerful Śiva. All the eight classes of gods and demons; the bhūtas, such as Gaṇapati; the vetālas, such as Maheśvara; the gandharvas, such as Pañcaśikha; and the yakṣas, such as Vaiśravaṇa, pay tribute to her.   

Homage to her, who with the fierce utterances of traḍ and phaṭ crushes the enemies’ Yantras,  all their evil concoctions, to dust, thereby averting their schemes. With the posture of the right leg bent in and left leg extended, shining, she treads or tramples, the meaning of which is explained above, amidst the flames wildly blazing, a sign of her majestic stance.   



Homage to her, who with the sound of ture dispels the dangerous demons. She is the fearsome lady, for she strikes terror into these demons. She is the destroyer of the most powerful demons of the afflictions. Having conquered them, she defeats the other three demons as soon as they arise. Tara’s lotus-face, like a blooming lotus flower, is astonishingly beautiful like that of a heroine, while her deep-furrowed brow reveals her wrath. She is the slayer of each and every foe, such as the opposing forces of the afflictions.   

Homage to her, whose left thumb and ring-fingers gracefully hold a lotus flower to her heart. Her three other fingers are extended to symbolize or display the mudrā of the Three Jewels. Her right hand is extended in the mudrā of supreme generosity, and the palm is graced by a wheel adorning every direction.Light streams forth from this wheel, in a dazzling radiance that overwhelms all.   



Homage to her, who fulfils the wishes of all sentient beings with supreme joy. She is beautified by a radiantly jewelled garland that crowns her head in a splendour that outshines all others. Smiling and laughing with the sound of the mantra tuttāre, it is through the laughter of this mantra that she brings demons and the world under control.   

Homage to her, who can summon the hosts of earthly guardians, the guardians of the ten directions; they follow her orders and thus act as her messengers.Her frown it quivers, for she is the wrathful lady, whose heart center is marked by the syllable hūṃ. She delivers all of us sentient beings from the suffering of every misfortune—the torment of bad circumstances and absence of good circumstances—thereby establishing us in bliss. 


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Aspiration For Bodhichitta
For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen
May it arise and not decrease
But increase further and further.


Dedication of Merit
By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.
Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.
May we liberate migratory from the ocean of existence.
With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.


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