Praise to Tārā with Twenty-One Verses of Homage

Praise to Tārā with Twenty-One Verses of Homage is a liturgy that consists of twenty-seven verses of praise and reverence dedicated to the deity Tārā. The first twenty-one verses are at once a series of homages to the twenty-one forms of Tārā and a poetic description of her physical features, postures, and qualities. The remaining six verses describe how and when the praise should be recited and the benefits of its recitation.

The Translation

[F.42.b]

1.­1

Homage to the honored, noble lady Tārā!

1.­2

Homage to Tārā, swift and gallant,

Whose glance is instantaneous like lightning.

You arose from the heart of the blossoming lotus

That is the face of the lord of the three worlds.

1.­3

Homage to you whose face resembles

One hundred autumn full moons gathered;

Your brilliant radiance blazes,11

Like a thousand clusters of stars.

1.­4

Homage to you, whose hand is graced

By a golden-blue lotus flower.12

You embody generosity, diligence, endurance,

Serenity, patience, and concentration.

1.­5

Homage to you, whose triumphs are endless,

Jewel on the Tathāgata’s crown.

You are well attended to by the heirs of the victors,

Who have mastered all the perfections.

1.­6

Homage to Tuttārā,13 who with hūṁ

Fulfills all wishes to the bounds of space.14

You trample the seven worlds underfoot,15

And possess the strength to summon all.

1.­7

Homage to you, praised by Śakra,

Agni, Brahmā, maruts, and Śiva.

The hosts16 of bhūtas, vetālas, gandharvas,

And yakṣas pay tribute to you.

1.­8

Homage to you, who with traṭ17 and phaṭ[F.43.a]

Crush the magical devices of other traditions.

With your right leg bent and your left leg extended,

You shine amid flames blazing wildly.

1.­9

Homage to Turā, the fearsome lady,

Destroyer of the most powerful demons.18

With your lotus face and stern frown,

You are the slayer of each and every foe!

1.­10

Homage to you, whose fingers grace your heart,

Displaying the mudrā of the Three Jewels.

Graced by wheels in all directions,

Your natural radiance overwhelms all.19

1.­11

Homage to you, supremely joyous,

Your splendorous crown spreading garlands of light.

Tuttārā, smiling and laughing,

You bring demons and worlds within your control.20

1.­12

Homage to you, who can summon

The hosts of earthly guardians.

Knitting your quivering brows, with the syllable hūṁ

You deliver from every misfortune.

1.­13

Homage to you, so brightly adorned,

With a sliver of moon as your crown,21

Your locks always graced by Amitābha,

Whose bright light streams forever forth.

1.­14

Homage to you, seated amid blazing flames

That resemble the fire that ends an eon.

Immersed in joy, your right leg extends, and the left is bent.

Thus, you crush legions of foes.

1.­15

Homage to you, who on the earth’s surface

Strike your palms and stamp your feet;

The hūṁ that is formed by your frown

Smashes the seven netherworlds to nothing but dust.

1.­16

Homage to you, blissful, gracious, and tranquil,

Whose domain is the peace of nirvāṇa.

In perfect union with svāhā and oṁ,

You lay to waste every terrible evil.

1.­17

Homage to you, who, immersed in rapture,

Shatter the bodies of all foes.

You shine with the knowledge-syllable hūṁ,

As your mantra’s ten syllables are set forth.22

1.­18

Homage to Turā, your feet stomping,

Formed from the seed of the syllable hūṁ.

The mountains of Meru, Mandara, and Vindhya,23

And all the three worlds‍—you cause them to quake.

1.­19

Homage to you, who hold in your hand

A deer-marked moon like a divine lake.

With tāra uttered twice and then with phaṭ, [F.43.b]

You eliminate all poisons.

1.­20

Homage to you, sovereign of divine hosts,

Served by gods and kinnaras.

Your resplendence, an armor of joy,

Pacifies strife and clears away nightmares.

1.­21

Homage to you, whose two eyes shine brightly

Like the sun and the moon when it’s full.

Tuttārā, with twice-uttered hara,

You pacify the most intractable ills.

1.­22

Homage to you, who have the power to pacify,24

You display the three true natures.25

Turā, supreme lady, you destroy

The hordes of grahas, vetālas, and yakṣas.

1.­23

This praise by means of the root mantra‍—

The twenty-one verses of homage

Should be recited in earnest by the wise,26

Who are filled with devotion for the goddess.

1.­24

Recalling it at dusk and also when rising at dawn

Will grant them freedom from every fear.

It will pacify all misdeeds,

And destroy all evil destinies.

1.­25

Soon they will receive empowerment

From seventy million conquerors.

Beyond this, they shall attain greatness,

And proceed to the ultimate state of buddhahood.

1.­26

If they recall this praise all dreadful poisons,

Whether natural or manufactured,

Whether eaten or imbibed,

Will be utterly neutralized.

1.­27

This will dispel the heap of suffering

Inflicted by grahas, infectious diseases, and poisons,

Even in other beings.

If chanted twice, thrice, or seven times,

1.­28

Those who want children will come to have them,

Those who seek wealth will come to have that,

Each and every wish will be fulfilled,

And obstacles, entirely vanquished, will be no more.

1.­29

This completes the praise to the Blessed Tārā as spoken by the completely perfect Buddha.