भगव यायतारादे ा नम कारै क वश त तो म्

The Twenty-One Praises to Tara

ॐ नमो भगव यै आय ी-एक वश ततारायै ॥

om namo bhagavatyai āryaśrī ekaviṃśati tārāyai

oṃ Noble and exalted Tara, I bow to you.

नम तारे तुरे वीरे तु ारे भयना श न।

तुरे सवाथदे तारे वाहाकारे नमोऽ तुत॥े

namastāre ture vīre

tuttāre bhayanāśini
ture sarvārthade tāre
svāhākāre namo’stute

oṃ

Homage to Tārā, so swift and courageous,

Mother who banishes fear with tuttāre,
With ture, you meet all our needs and our wishes
With svāhā, great mother, we bow down before you.
 नम तारे तु रे वीरे ण ु त नभे णे ।

ै लो यनाथव ा ज वकस के सरो वे ॥ १॥

namastāre ture vīre

k ṣ a ṇ a dyuti nibhek ṣ a ṇ e ,

trailokya nātha vaktrābja

vikasat kesarodbhave ॥ 1 ॥

Homage to Tara, so swift and courageous.

Your eyes flash like lightning, so quick and all-seeing,

Born from the tears of the Lord of Trailokya

At the heart of a beautiful lotus in blossom.

 नमः शतशर सं पू ण पटलानने ।

तारासह नकर हस करणो वले ॥ २॥

nama ḥ śata śaraccandra

sampūr ṇ a pa ṭ alānane
tārā sahasra nikara prahasat
kira ṇ ojjvale ॥ 2 ॥
.

Homage to Tara, whose smile is as radiant,

As one hundred million full autumnal moons;

Ablaze with the light of the stars in their thousands

You shine with a transcendent light of perfection.

 नमः कनकनीला ज- पा णप वभू ष ते ।

दानवीयतपःशा त त त ा यानगोच रे ॥ ३ ॥

nama ḥ kanaka nīlābja pā ṇ i

-

padma vibhū ṣ ite

dāna vīrya tapa ḥ śānti titik ṣ ā
dhyāna g ocare ॥ 3 ॥

Homage to Tara, our golden-skinned mother;

Adorning your hand is an azure-blue lotus.

K ind, open-handed, hard-working and patient,

And one with the state of samadhi perfected.

 नम तथागतो णीष वजयान तच ा र ण ।

अ शे ष पार मता ा त जनपु नष े वते ॥ ४ ॥

namastathāg ato ṣṇ ī ṣ a
vijayānantacāri ṇ i
aśe ṣ apāramitāprāpta
jinaputrani ṣ evite ॥ 4 ॥

Homage to Tara, whose victories are endless,

The crown on the heads of the Tathagatas.

P raised by the masters of all the perfections,

All bodhisattvas rely on your guidance.

 नम तु ार ं कारपू रताशा दग तरे ।

स तलोक मा ा त नःशे ष ाकष ण मे ॥ ५ ॥

namastuttāra hu ṅ kāra
pūritāśā dig antare
saptaloka kramākrānt ni ḥ śe ṣ
ākar ṣ a ṇ a k ṣ ame ॥ 5 ॥

Homage to Tara, our spellbinding Mother,

You create all of space with your hū ṃ and tuttāre,

All beings you magnetize, without exception,

And trample the seven worlds under your feet.

 नमः श ानल म े रा च ते ।

भू त वे तालग वगणय पु र कृ ते ॥ ६ ॥

nama ḥ śakrā nala brahma

marud viśveśvar ārcite ,

bhūta vetāla g andharva g a ṇ a

yak ṣ a purask ṛ te ॥ 6 ॥

Homage to Tara, whom all the gods worship,

Indra, Marut, Agni, S hiva and Brahma;

P raised by the demons who harm and assail us,

G hosts, spirits, zombies, g a n d ha rva s and y a k ṣ a s.

 नम ड त फ ट् कार परय म द न।

यालीढ पद यासे श ख वालाकु लो वले ॥ ७ ॥

namastri ḍ iti pha ṭ kāra

parayantra pramardini
pratyālī ḍ ha padanyāse
śikhi jvālā kulojjvale ॥ 7 ॥
_

Homage to Tara, who crushes black magic,

With tra ṭ and with p ha ṭ you destroy harmful forces;

You dance, right knee bent and the left leg extended,

All magic consumed in a blazing inferno.

 नम तु रे महाघ ोरे मारवीर वना श न।

भृ कु ट कृ तव ा जसवश ु नष ू द न ॥ ८ ॥

namasture mahāg hore

māra vīra vināśini
bh ṛ ku ṭ ī k ṛ ta vaktrābja
_

sarva śatru ni ṣ ūdini ॥ 8 ॥

Homage to Tara, whose spine-chilling ture

V anquishes even the powerful Mara;

Wrinkling her beautiful brow in fierce anger,

S he crushes all foes and destroys them completely.

 नम र नमु ाङ ् क दया ल वभू ष ते ।

भू ष ताशे ष द च नकर वकराकु ले ॥ ९ ॥

namastrīratna mudrā ṅ ka
h ṛ dayā ṅ g uli vibhū ṣ ite
bhū ṣ itā śe ṣ a dikcakra
_

nikara sva karākule ॥ 9 ॥

- -

Homage to Tara, the radiant lady,

You form at your heart the three R are and S upreme,

Mother, whose radiance fills all directions

With brilliant light that bedazzles all thinking.

 नमः मु दतो त मु कु टा तमा ल न।

हस हसतु ारे मारलो क वशङ ् क र ॥ १० ॥

nama ḥ pramuditoddīpta
_

muku ṭ āk ṣ ipta mālini

hasat prahasat tuttāre
māralokavaśa ṅ kari ॥ 10 ॥

Homage to Tara, whose sparkling tiara,

S hines with the light of her limitless j oy.

Your laughter and tuttāre topple all demons,

S ubduing all worlds with exultant delight.

 नमः सम त भू पाल पटलाकष ण मे ।

च ल दभृ कु ट ं कार सवापद वमो च न ॥ ११॥

nama ḥ samasta bhūpāla

_

patal ākar ṣ a ṇ a k ṣ ame

calada bh ṛ ku ṭ i hū ṃ kāra
sarvāpada vimocini ॥ 11 ॥

Homage to Tara, the Mother who summons

All the world’s leaders with hū ṃ and a frown.

You free us from hardship, from need and misfortune

F rom homelessness, poverty, hunger and thirst.

 नमः शख ड ख ड े मु कु टाभरणो वले ।

अ मताभजटाभार भा वर करण ु वे ॥ १२॥

nama ḥ śīkha ṇḍ a kha ṇḍ endu - -

muku ṭ ā bhara ṇ oj jvale - |

amitābha ja ṭ ā bhāra- - -

bhāsvara kira ṇ a dhruve ॥ 12 ॥

- -

Homage to Tara, whose bright shining tiara,

Is graced with a brilliant crescent new moon.

S itting amidst your thick mane of black tresses,

Is Lord Amitabha irradiant with light.

 नमः क पा त तभु वालामाला तर ते ।

आलीढ मु दताब रपु च वना श न ॥ १३ ॥

nama ḥ kalpānta huta bhug a

_

jvālāmālāntara sthite
ālī ḍ ha muditābaddha
ripucakravināśini ॥ 13 ॥

Homage to Tara, encircled by fire,

Infernos of flames, like the end of all time.

Truth’s enemies and their great armies you vanquish,

And spin, right leg stretched with your left leg drawn in.
 नमः करतलाघ ात च रणाहतभू त ले ।

भृ कु ट कृ त ं कार स तपातालभे द न ॥ १४ ॥

nama ḥ karatalā g hāta

_ _

ć ara ṇ āhatabhūtale ,

bh ṛ ku ṭ īk ṛ ta hū ṃ kāra
saptapātāla bhedini ॥ 14 ॥

Homage to Tara, who strikes the earth’s surface

You pound with your palms and you stamp with your feet;

With hū ṃ and a glowering scowl, all your anger

S hatters the underworld’s layers, all seven.

 नमः शवे शु भे शा ते शा त नवाणगोच रे ।

वाहा णवसं यु े महापातकना श न ॥ १५ ॥

nama ḥ śive śubhe śānte

_

śānta nirvā ṇ ag ocare ,

svāhā pra ṇ ava sa ṃ yukte

_

mahāpātaka nāśini ॥ 15 ॥

Homage to Tara, the one who is blissful,

You are liberation, your province is peace,

With o ṃ and with svāhā, so perfectly rendered

You lay waste to all the worst evils and sufferings.

 नमः मु दताब रपु गा भे द न।

दशा रपद यासे व ा ं कारद पते ॥ १६ ॥

nama ḥ pramuditābaddha
_ -

ripu g ātra prabhedini

-

_ daśāk ṣ ara pada nyāse -

vidyā hū ṃ kāra dīpite ॥ 16 ॥

- -

Homage to Tara, immersed in deep rapture,

You shatter the bodies of all of your foes;

D eclaiming your ten letters and hū m of wisdom,

You liberate every suffering being.

 नम तु रे पादघ ात ं काराकार ब ी जते ।

मे म वव य भु व न यच ा ल न ॥ १७ ॥

namas ture pādag hāta

hū ṃ kārākāra bījite ,

meru mandharva vindhyaśca

bhuvana trayacālini ॥ 17 ॥

Homage to Tara, the bold dancing lady,

With ture, you stomp and all obstacles perish,

With hū ṃ, Mount Meru, Mandara, and V indhya,

And the three worlds of existence all tremble.

 नमः सु रे श राकार ह रणाङ ् ककर ते ।

तार फ ट् कार अ शे ष वष ना श न ॥ १८ ॥

nama ḥ sureśarākāra
_

hari ṇ ā ṅ ka kara sthite

tārā dvirukta pha ṭ kāra
_

aśe ṣ avi ṣ a nāśini ॥ 18 ॥

Homage to Tara, who holds in her white hand,

A moon – deer-marked moon – like a heavenly lake;

E xpunging all traces of toxins and venom

You purge all the poisons with tāra tāra p ha ṭ .

 नमः सु र गणा य सु र क रसे वते ।

आब मु दताभोग क र ः व ना श न ॥ १९॥

nama ḥ _sura ga ṇ ā _dhyak ṣ a

surakinnara sevite
ābaddha muditābhoga
kari du ḥ _svapnanāśini ॥ 19 ॥

Homage to Tara, who all the gods count on,

Their kings and their gods and kiṃnaras all trust;

Your armour of joy and contentment is splendid,

It clears away nightmares and soothes away strife.

 नम ाक स ू ण नयन ु तभा वरे ।

हर तु ारे वषम वरना श न ॥ २०॥

namaścandrārka sampūr ṇ a
nayana dyutibhāsvare
hara_dvirukta tut-tāre
vi ṣ amajvara nāśini ॥ 20 ॥

Homage to Tara, whose lustrous eyes sparkle

And shine with the light of the sun and full moon,

Uttering hara hara and tuttāre,

You pacify all the most vicious pandemics.

 नम त व व यासे शवश सम वते ।

हवे तालय गण ना श न वरे तु रे ॥ २१॥

nama stritattvavinyāse
śiva-śakti samanvite
graha vetāla yak ṣ aga ṇ a
nāśini _pravare ture ॥ 21 ॥

Homage to Tara, who with three tathātās,

Commands all the power she needs to bring peace.

Supreme Ture, you are the one who annihilates,

The hordes of grahas, vetālas, and the yakṣas.

This is the verse of praise to Arya Tara based on the root mantra,

And the verses of praise and homage to the twenty-one Taras.