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Mahavidya –Tara

 

24.1. In the group of the Mahavidyas, Tara comes next to Kali. Tara closely resemles Kali

in appearance. !nd "ust as Kali, Tara too displays gentle #saumya$ or fierce #ugra$ aspects.

%he &as a prominent goddess &ell efore the Mahavidya cult came into eing. Tara has a

much &ider presence outside the Mahavidya periphery, especially in the Tantric traditions

of oth 'induism and Tietan (uddhism. The Tantra regards Tara as potent as Kali. Tara

also figures in )ainism. In *aishnava lore Tara &as one of the goddess &ho fought along

&ith +urga to defeat the thousandheaded -avana. 

24.2. In all the three traditions, Tara the lue goddess is a guide and a protector and helps

to tide over the stormy sea of troules and turmoil of life # Samsara-tarini $. %he is Tarini ,

deliverer or savior, one &ho saves guides and transports to salvation.Tara is the deity of 

accomplishments and is often propitiated y usiness persons for success.

 

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24./. Tara is associated &ith the spea0ing pro&ess. !nd, some texts euate Tara to

%arasvathi the goddess of learning and call her eela #lue$ %arasvathiseated on a lotus.

!s she is the goddess of speech, she is related to reathe that manifests sound. (reath is the

primal sound of life. (reath in &hich the sound originates is the carrier #transporter – 

Tarini $ of 0no&ledge conveyed through the sound of speech. Tara is the unmanifest speech

that resides in reath and consciousness. 

24.4. In contrast to the (uddhist Tara &ho is descried as a enevolent, compassionate,

gentle and spirited young &oman, eager to help and to protect, Tara as Mahavidya is a

rather fearsome goddess stri0ing terror. %he is also moody and harmful. (ut at times, Tara

Mahavidya can also e enevolent and compassionate.

 

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23.1. Tara is descried as seated in the pratyalidha asana on the chest of a corpse stretched

on a &hite lotus she is supreme and laughing horrily holding cleaver, lue lotus, dagger

and o&l uttering the mantra 'um. %he is of deep lue color her hair is raided &ith

serpents, she is the gratara. 'er tongue is al&ays moving. 'er forehead is decorated &ith

ornaments made of ones. %he esto&s magical po&ers.! noticeale feature of Tara5s

iconography is the halo of light that surrounds her head. !nd, rising aove her head is the

ten headed serpent !0shohya #the unpertured or unsha0ale$ symoli6ing her yogic

po&ers. 

23.2.(et&een Kali and Tara there are some similarities as also some differences. !s said

earlier, Tara5s physical appearance resemles that of Kali. 7i0e Kali, she has three right

red eyes has four hands holding s&ord or head chopper, a scissors, a severed head and a

lotus &ears the garland of s0ulls is richly is e"e&eled and has sna0es for ornaments

dances on a corpse. (oth Kali and Tara are strongly associated &ith death and dissolution

oth stand upon inert male figure. !nd, oth are associated &ith %hiva. (rahaddharma

purana mentions Tara as representing time, "ust as does Kali. 8hereas Kali is the po&er of 

time #kala$ that inexoraly causes all created things to perish, Tara is associated &ith fire,

and particularly the fires of the cremation ground.

 

23./. There are also differences in the depiction of the t&o goddesses. Tara9s complexion is

lue &hereas Kali9s can e lac0 or deep lue. Tara holds a o&l made from a scull in one

hand, a pair of scissors in another, a lue lotus in the third hand and an axe in the fourth.

The scissors and s&ord in the hands of Tara are tools to remove the ego, the sense of 

mista0en identity that defines, limits, and inds. They are not &eapons of death and

destruction. Tara is draped in tiger s0in around her &aist and is not na0ed unli0e Kali

&ho symoli6es asolute freedom. nli0e Kali, &hose hair flo&s loose and &ild, Tara5s hair

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of ta&ny color is carefully unched into a top0not # jata$. 8hereas Kali5s hair represents

asolute freedom from constraint, Tara5s is a symol of yogic asceticism and restraint. Kali

represents the highest form of &isdom or lierating 0no&ledge and Tara is related to the

discipline of yogic practices.

 

 Pratyalidhapade Ghore Mundalamala Pasovite Kharve Lambodari Bhime Ughratara amostu Te

 

!m "reem Streem "um Phat