Praises to the 21 Taras
 |
Tara’s mantra:OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA Praises to the 21 Taras (abbreviated version)OM I prostrate to the goddess foe destroyer, liberating lady Tara |
The Praises (English)
Invocation
From your sublime abode at the Potala, O Tara,
Born from the green letter TAM
Your crown adorned with Amitabha,
Action mother of the buddhas of the three times,
Tara, please come with your attendants.
The gods and demi-gods bow to your lotus feet, O Tara,
Your who rescue all who are destitute,
To you, Mother Tara, I pay homage
Praises to the 21 Taras
Om I prostrate to the noble transcendent liberator!
1. Homage! Tara, swift, heroic!
Eyes like lightning instantaneous!
Sprung from op’ning stamens of the
Lord of three world’s tear-born lotus!
2. Homage! She whose face combines a
Hundred autumn moons at fullest!
Blazing with light rays resplendent
As a thousand star collection!
3. Homage! Golden-blue one, lotus
Water born, in hand adorned!
Giving, effort, calm, austerities,
Patience, meditation her sphere!
4. Homage! Crown of tathagatas,
Actions triumph without limit
Relied on by conquerors’ children,
Having reached ev’ry perfection!
5. Homage! Filling with TUTTARE,
HUM, desire, direction, and space!
Trampling with her feet the seven worlds,
Able to draw forth all beings!
6. Homage! Worshipped by the all-lords,
Shakra, Agni, Brahma, Marut!
Honored by the hosts of spirits,
Corpse-raisers, gandharvas, yakshas!
7. Homage! With Her TRAD and PHAT sounds
Destroying foes’ magic diagrams!
Her feet pressing, left out, right in,
Blazing in a raging fire-blaze!
8. Homage! TURE, very dreadful!
Destroyer of Mara’s champion(s)!
She with frowning lotus visage
Who is slayer of all enemies!
9. Homage! At the heart her fingers,
Adorn her with Three Jewel mudra!
Light-ray masses all excited!
All directions’ wheels adorn her!
10. Homage! She so joyous, radiant,
Crown emitting garlands of light!
Mirthful, laughing with TUTTARE,
Subjugating maras, devas!
11. Homage! She able to summon
All earth-guardians’ assembly!
Shaking, frowning, with her HUM sign
Saving from every misfortune!
12. Homage! Crown adorned with crescent
Moon, all ornaments most shining!
Amitabha in her hair-knot
Sending out much light eternal!
13. Homage! She ’mid wreath ablaze like
Eon-ending fire abiding!
Right stretched, left bent, joy surrounds you
Troops of enemies destroying!
14. Homage! She who strikes the ground with
Her palm, and with her foot beats it!
Scowling, with the letter HUM the
Seven levels she does conquer!
15. Homage! Happy, virtuous, peaceful!
She whose field is peace, nirvana!
She endowed with OM and SOHA,
Destroyer of the great evil!
16. Homage! She with joy surrounded
Tearing foes’ bodies asunder,
Frees with HUM and knowledge mantra,
Arrangement of the ten letters!
17. Homage! TURE! With seed letter
Of the shape of syllable HUM!
By foot stamping shakes the three worlds,
Meru, Mandara, and Vindhya!
18. Homage! Holding in her hand the
Hare-marked moon of deva-lake form!
With twice spoken TARA and PHAT,
Totally dispelling poison!
19. Homage! She whom gods and their kings,
And the kinnaras do honor!
Armored in all joyful splendor,
She dispels bad dreams and conflicts!
20. Homage! She whose two eyes bright with
Radiance of sun and full moon!
With twice HARA and TUTTARE
She dispels severe contagion!
21. Homage! Full of liberating
Pow’r by the set of three natures!
Destroys hosts of spirits, yakshas,
And raised corpses! Supreme! TURE!
These praises with the root mantras
And prostrations thus are twenty-one!
Prayer of the Benefits
Whoever is endowed with devotion for the goddess and recites this with supreme faith,
Remembering it at dawn upon waking and in the evenings,
Will be granted all fearlessness, will perfectly pacify all negativities,
And will eliminate all unfortunate migrations.
The multitudes of conquerors will quickly grant initiation:
Thus, endowed with this greatness, one will eventually reach the state of a buddha.
If affected by the most terrible poison,
Whether ingested, drunk, or from a living being,
Just by remembering will one be thoroughly cleansed.
If this prayer is recited two, three, or seven times,
It will pacify all the sufferings of torments
Caused by spirits, fevers, and poisons, and by other beings as well.
If you wish for a child, you will get a child;
If you wish for wealth, you will receive wealth.
All your wishes will be fulfilled
And all obstacles pacified.
The Praises (Tibetan)
Invocation
PO TA LA YI NÄ CHHOG NÄ
TAM YIG JANG KHU LÄ THRUNG SHING
ÖPAG ME KYI U LA GYÄN
DÜ SUM SANG GYÄ THRIN LÄ MA
DRÖL MA KHOR CHÄ SHEG SU SÖL
Prostration
LHA DANG LHA MIN CHÖ PÄN GYI
ZHAB KYI PÄ MO LA TÜ DE
PHONG PA KÜN LÄ DRÖL DZÄ MA
DRÖL MA YUM LA CHHAG TSHÄL LO
The Praises
OM JE TSÜN MA PHAG MA DRÖL MA LA CHHAG TSHÄL LO
1. CHHAG TSHÄL DRÖL MA NYUR MA PA MO
CHÄN NI KÄ CHIG LOG DANG DRA MA
JIG TEN SUM GÖN CHHU KYE ZHÄL GYI
GE SAR JE WA LÄ NI JUNG MA
2. CHHAG TSHÄL TÖN KÄI DA WA KÜN TU
GANG WA GYA NI TSEG PÄI ZHÄL MA
KAR MA TONG THRAG TSHOG PA NAM KYI
RAB TU CHHE WÄI Ö RAB BAR MA
3. CHHAG TSHÄL SER NGO CHHU NÄ KYE KYI
PÄ MÄ CHHAG NI NAM PAR GYÄN MA
JIN PA TSÖN DRÜ KA THUB ZHI WA
ZÖ PA SAM TÄN CHÖ YÜL NYI MA
4. CHHAG TSHÄL DE ZHIN SHEG PÄI TSUG TOR
THA YÄ NAM PAR GYÄL WAR CHÖ MA
MA LÜ PHA RÖL CHHIN PA THOB PÄI
GYÄL WÄI SÄ KYI SHIN TU TEN MA
5. CHHAG TSHÄL TUTTARA HUM YI GE
DÖ DANG CHHOG DANG NAM KHA GANG MA
JIG TEN DÜN PO ZHAB KYI NÄN TE
LÜ PA ME PAR GUG PAR NÜ MA
6. CHHAG TSHÄL GYA JIN ME LHA TSHANG PA
LUNG LHA NA TSHOG WANG CHHUG CHHÖ MA
JUNG PO RO LANG DRI ZA NAM DANG
NÖ JIN TSHOG KYI DÜN NÄ TÖ MA
7. CHHAG TSHÄL TRAD CHE JA DANG PHAT KYI
PHA RÖL THRÜL KHOR RAB TU JOM MA
YÄ KUM YÖN KYANG ZHAB KYI NÄN TE
ME BAR THRUG PA SHIN TU BAR MA
8. CHHAG TSHÄL TURE JIG PA CHHEN PO
DÜ KYI PA WO NAM PAR JOM MA
CHHU KYE ZHÄL NI THRO NYER DÄN DZÄ
DRA WO THAM CHÄ MA LÜ SÖ MA
9. CHHAG TSHÄL KÖN CHHOG SUM TSHÖN CHHAG GYÄI
SOR MÖ THUG KAR NAM PAR GYÄN MA
MA LÜ CHHOG KYI KHOR LÖ GYÄN PÄI
RANG GI Ö KYI TSHOG NAM THRUG MA
10. CHHAG TSHÄL RAB TU GA WA JI PÄI
U GYÄN Ö KYI THRENG WA PEL MA
ZHE PA RAB ZHÄ TUTTARA YI
DÜ DANG JIG TEN WANG DU DZÄ MA
11. CHHAG TSHÄL SA ZHI KYONG WÄI TSHOG NAM
THAM CHÄ GUG PAR NÜ MA NYI MA
THRO NYER YO WÄI YI GE HUM GI
PHONG PA THAM CHÄ NAM PAR DRÖL MA
12. CHHAG TSHÄL DA WÄI DUM BÜ U GYÄN
GYÄN PA THAM CHÄ SHIN TU BAR MA
RÄL PÄI KHUR NA Ö PAG ME LÄ
TAG PAR SHIN TU Ö RAB DZÄ MA
13. CHHAG TSHÄL KÄL PÄI THA MÄI ME TAR
BAR WÄI THRENG WÄI Ü NA NÄ MA
YÄ KYANG YÖN KUM KÜN NÄ KOR GÄI
DRA YI PUNG NI NAM PAR JOM MA
14. CHHAG TSHÄL SA ZHII NGÖ LA CHHAG GI
THIL GYI NÜN CHING ZHAB KYI DUNG MA
THRO NYER CHÄN DZÄ YI GE HUM GI
RIM PA DÜN PO NAM NI GEM MA
15. CHHAG TSHÄL DE MA GE MA ZHI MA
NYA NGÄN DÄ ZHI CHÖ YÜL NYI MA
SVAHA OM DANG YANG DAG DÄN PÄ
DIG PA CHHEN PO JOM PA NYI MA
16. CHHAG TSHÄL KÜN NÄ KOR RAB GA WÄI
DRA YI LÜ NI NAM PAR GEM MA
YI GE CHU PÄI NGAG NI KÖ PÄI
RIG PA HUM LÄ DRÖL MA NYI MA
17. CHHAG TSHÄL TURE ZHAB NI DEB PÄ
HUM GI NAM PÄI SA BÖN NYI MA
RI RAB MANDHARA DANG BIG JE
JIG TEN SUM NAM YO WA NYI MA
18. CHHAG TSHÄL LHA YI TSHO YI NAM PÄI
RI DAG TAG CHÄN CHHAG NA NAM MA
TARA NYI JÖ PHAT KYI YI GE
DUG NAM MA LÜ PA NI SEL MA
19. CHHAG TSHÄL LHA YI TSHOG NAM GYÄL PO
LHA DANG MI AM CHI YI TEN MA
KÜN NÄ GO CHHA GA WÄI JI GYI
TSÖ DANG MI LAM NGÄN PA SEL MA
20. CHHAG TSHÄL NYI MA DA WA GYÄ PÄI
CHÄN NYI PO LA Ö RAB SÄL MA
HARA NYI JÖ TUTTARA YI
SHIN TU DRAG PÖI RIM NÄ SEL MA
21. CHHAG TSHÄL DE NYI SUM NAM KÖ PÄ
ZHI WÄI THÜ DANG YANG DAG DÄN MA
DÖN DANG RO LANG NÖ JIN TSHOG NAM
JOM PA TURE RAB CHHOG NYI MA
TSA WÄI NGAG KYI TÖ PA DI DANG
CHHAG TSHÄL WA NI NYI SHU TSA CHIG
Colophon: “Praises to the Twenty-one Taras,” “Praises to the Twenty-one Taras (abbreviated version),”and “Prayer of the Benefits” were translated by Martin Willson, from “The Four Mandala Offerings to Chittamani Tara” in Essential Buddhist Prayers Vol. 2, FPMT Education Department, 2001, 2008, 2011.
