Nirakara and Shentong Buddhism, Tara, Sadhanas, Sanskrit culture (2025)

Twenty-one Praises of Tara

This is a common song which is a bit difficult to learn if you are not a native speaker. Right now we are going to exclude the translation. That is because it is a Dharani which is, so to speak, a spell lifted from a particular tantra of which it is a component. We are not exactly doing the tantra. We are working with a group of sounds under the view of the milieu in which they were composed. If used with faith and concentration, they work.

Some of the inspiration that this is not just for historical accuracy is due to twentieth-century Delok Dawa Drolma Chandra Tara:

Nirakara and Shentong Buddhism, Tara, Sadhanas, Sanskrit culture (1)

Unlike the vast majority of what are called Eighty-four Mahasiddhas, this young lady had no issues with training. By the time she was sixteen, she was so proficient at Six Yogas that she could do the Ninth or Nirodha Sampatti, and, against the wishes of her authorities, went into Suspended Animation for several days. And her story is reported in Journey to Realms beyond Death. One may have to get the full text for further details, but, she testifies that in the Akanistha, Tara's song is still being sung to Tara by many Taras in Sanskrit.

I am not sure if Vajra Family = Akshobhya = Sound is why the Tara Tantra has Vajra Family Mother and the song certainly uses the Hum syllable. We are directed to the Generation of Heruka as supporting material.

The commentaries that are used nowadays have very little to do with the song itself, but, mostly discuss deities particular to their own systems, which mostly are not the Taras which were practiced when the song originated. They are, it seems, tangential to some degree or other.

The Suryagupta system uses two Green Taras outside of the Twenty-One, so those two do not have verses. First is the commonly invoked Green Arya Tara, and the second is Khadira. Like Durga and Sati, the "twenty-second" is seen as the source of multiple forms. She is Nagarjuna's Tara, transmitted directly to First Karmapa.

Other systems may just use a single Green Tara to host it. Or, as one finds Peaceful White and Green Taras together in actually the vast majority of all thangkas of retinues or mandalas, you could look at it that way.

Virgil-esque, Dawa Drolma was escorted from childhood and through her journey by White Tara. The same is true for Nyan Lotsawa who records a slightly different White Tara than generally known in Tibet. In Sadhanamala, White or Sita Tara is different altogether, seemingly her own sub-system based on Blue Lotus or Utpala Mudra.

To have an easy translation of the song, Treasure Vase of Benefit and Happiness is written up in a nice page-per-verse commentary; as it is said that Suryagupta mainly discussed Tara's forms than the meaning of the verses, the same kind of thing is evident here with simple Atisha Taras. Most of the material is actually about the specific Tara rather than the verse or why she should be there. We can refer to this, but, in some cases, there will be questions about the verse, and in general we are going to replace system-specific Taras with ones from the overall Indian pantheon. Suryagupta and Atisha are examples, and most likely Candragomin had a larger host of Taras than the whole song.

All the verses with a recording of the recital are posted here.

This post is commentarial, meaning a look at particular Tara forms in the view of using Sadhanamala examples, rather than sub-system goddesses that have no outside existence.

In each verse, we will keep a "role" that Suryagupta used, and a Maitreya comment. The latter is because Tara opens twenty-one knots in the subtle body, which releases Twenty-one Qualities of Dharmakaya, which is this group from the textbook standard basis of all Mahayana. Half of these already have their own links, and a few do not really need any detail, such as "absence of forgetfulness". Some of the others we can rebuild. Maitreya did not comment the song, rather, the song deals with twenty-one attributes based on this. They are not on a one-to-one basis like Pithas, i. e. we cannot say Tara Ten = Eyes or anything like that.

Both the commentary and In Praise of Tara suggest something like Tara One is the appearance of her Nirmanakaya, which is recognized as a radiation of the Dharmakaya, which is the Trailokya Natha of the verse. In Praise of Tara groups the following verses into thirds. Because the copy is not the greatest, I only got bits of it. Here again, Wilson places a caveat, that these assignments are perhaps a bit arbitrary; also, most of the forms do not match the song, which he thought would work with Tara Nine Deity mandala which comes with the song. That perhaps is too easy, no one has asked why the accompanying practice should be overlooked. So this outline is probably not much different from the linked commentary, except it was with Suryagupta's forms:

A. Praise in terms of Her story (1)

Kayas ('Bodies') (2- 15) Praise in terms of Her activities (16- 21).

1, Praise in terms of Her Sambhogakaya aspects, includes:

a. b.

Praise in terms of peaceful aspects (2 -7) Praise in terms of fierce aspects (8- 14).

a, Praise in terms of peaceful aspects, includes six homages. i. Praise in terms of the brightness and luminous radiance of Her countenance...iv. Praise in terms of Her suppression of adverse factors...vi. Praise in terms of Her destroying opponents

b, Praise in terms of fierce aspects, includes seven homages. i. Her quality of cleansing maras and the two obscurations...ii. Praise in terms of Her hand symbols, right and left...iii. Praise in terms of Her diadem and laughter...iv. Praise in terms of the accomplishment of activities through the ten directional guardians...v. Praise in terms of Her crown-ornaments...vi. Praise in terms of Her fierce posture...vii. Praise in terms of Her radiating light from Hum

Praise in terms of Her Dharmakaya aspect (15)

C, Praise in terms of Her activities, includes six homages. 1. Activities of Her peaceful and fierce mantras...3· The activity of dispelling poisons...4. The activity of dispelling conflict and bad dreams...5. Tara's activity of dispelling fever...6. The activity of subduing evil spirits and corpse-raisers

He says that Khadira obviously does not match verse nine, and, it is she who may be selected as "outside" the group, which is not reflected by commentaries that do not mention any twenty-second Tara. So we may want to replace Nine by one that matches, and, since Khadira also works as a stand-alone, Tara summonner, or link to Akanistha, and the song as a whole praises Tara's Root Mantra used by Khadira, then, we might want to base it from her, as the source of both two to Twenty-one Taras and Six Limb Yoga.

We may keep a few Tara form comments where it is from an Indian kind. There are going to be spots that are kind of inconclusive for the time being.

So at first we are going to think of a Karma Family Tara, and learn others for the verses.

IWS 9 is Nyan's Sadanga Yoga Tara. She is just a basic Green Tara crowned by Amoghasiddhi, but, she does the sly move of summoning Tara from Potala. She uses normal Tara mantra, Tara Mahakarunika Dharani, and 108 Names of Tara, in other words her Kriya basket.

Nyan's Green Tara is a bit extra verdant like Khadira:

Nirakara and Shentong Buddhism, Tara, Sadhanas, Sanskrit culture (2)

It does not mean she has Six Arms, Sadanga refers to our system of Yoga, Six Limb Yoga.

Guge style Khadira showing that Ekajati is not required to use a chopper:

Nirakara and Shentong Buddhism, Tara, Sadhanas, Sanskrit culture (3)

Recent Newari version where Dhyani Buddha Amoghasiddhi is Haritam, lighter vegetative green, and Samaya Tara on the lower left is Syama or Dark Green. Sambhoga Kaya Tara perhaps Khadira in the middle is Blue-Green. Descending on the right are Dhanada, Three Eyed White Tara, Mahacinakrama Tara, and Vajra Tara:

Nirakara and Shentong Buddhism, Tara, Sadhanas, Sanskrit culture (4)

So we want to contemplate Green Karma Tara as essentially the hostess of the song's retinue, and, at the same time, she is the representative of a higher or Akanistha Tara such as Mahasri. And then the Sevenfold Service of Tara is its own practice wherein the one evokes the other.

NAMA SARVATATHAGATANAM. TAD-YATHA:

OM NAMO SUKASA NAMA TARE PARAMITA

Verse One:

namas tāre ture vīre kṣaṇair dyuti-nibhêkṣaṇe |

trailokya-nātha-vaktrābja-vikasat-kesarôdbhave ||

Her Dharmakaya Quality is Thirty-seven Point Enlightenment.

One accomplishes Enlightened Activity.

Suryagupta calls her Tārā Tura-vīrā or Tārā Pravīrā.

Sitabani in her personal dharani has:

virāta ravīrā-tara

vīrāindrā

vire five times

viramati

If I ask Dharani Samgraha for Ture Vira, it is Ekajati. She could host this according to the Samgraha. But so far the closest thing to Vira Tara from most of the Indian literature is Sitabani. She lacks an individual Lotus Family image unfortunately. We can find one Sadhanamala and a few NSP Sitabanis and more of her explanation and dharani in this post.

From the available images, NSP Sitabani similar to Pravira Tara:

Nirakara and Shentong Buddhism, Tara, Sadhanas, Sanskrit culture (5)

Om Jim Sitabaniyai Namah

“...on the orb of the sun on a double lotus there is Mahāśītavatī sitting in the Ardhaparyaṅka attitude with the halo of of the sun. She is red in colour, and her faces show the red, the white and the blue colour in the first, the right and the left faces respectively. She is eight-armed. In the four right hands she displays 1. the lotus with the Abhaya-mudrā, 2. the arrow, 3. the Vajra and 4. the sword. In the four left hands she shows 1. the noose with the Tarjanī, 2. the bow, 3. the jewel banner and 4. the manuscript against the chest”.

The next two Taras are agreeable to our basic format of Deity Yoga.

namaḥ śata-śarac-candra-saṃpūrṇa-paṭalânane |

tārā-sahasra-nikara-prahasat-kiraṇôjjvale ||

Four Immeasurables

Two removes nightmares and untimely death.

Sarasvati; Her right hand holds a mirror, which is like a full moon engraved with an HRĪ syllable. This one is in a thousand stars--tara--how are they prahasat – laughing, smiling? It could be interpreted as "bright", if stars, not her personal name. However Tara was Yeshe Dawa Jnana Chandra in the universe where she attained Buddhahood with Dundubisvara--Amoghasiddhi. Sometimes the coloration in this verse is "moonlight in autumn" as to the face of Sarasvati. "Starburst" may be more appropriate for the second line, the background, as we might say there are ways to express brilliant white radiance versus a soft lunar glow.

Because this form of Sarasvati strongly resembles the one from the first exercise or Bindu-Nada of Muttering Om Ah Hum which directly proceeds to the next type of Tara, this may be the best one here. This is simultaneously the most basic technique essential for all Pranayama, and, the herald of the Fifth or Akashic or Manasic Element, which itself is a type of marker or borderland for the stages of yoga practice.

namaḥ kanaka-nīlābja-pāṇi-padma-vibhūṣite |

dāna-vīrya-tapaḥ-śānti-titikṣā-dhyāna-gocare ||

Eight Perfect Freedoms

Three is for prolonging life and enlightened Qualities.

Suryagupta calls her Tārā Kanaka-varṇī, she holds a blue lotus, the second line is qualities which are or are similar to the Paramitas, so, Gold Prajnaparamita fits here. Wilson says some of this was simply "ignored". Gold Prajnaparamita however is the flagship or Sutra goddess of our Guru Yoga.

Although it is correct that Prajnaparamita largely fades from view by her personal name in the tantras, that is because she is the root hypostasis of Viswamata and Vajradhatvishvari (in Kalachakra), of Marici Vajradhatvishvari, and of Guhyeshvari. She is like the beginning of Buddhist goddesses after absorbing normal Sarasvati, and the core driver of them until Full Enlightenment. In the broadest sense, Guhyeshvari is like the vast explainer of how Marici gets to maximum.

namas tathāgatôṣṇīṣa-vijayânanta-cāriṇī |

aśeṣa-pāramitā-prāpta-jina-putra-niṣevite ||

Nine states of successive abiding

Four is Usnisa Vijaya in standard role. She enriches practitioners by dissolving the fourteen subtle essences of the animate, inanimate, and other subtle essences of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa. In reality, she has achieved the sacred, unchanging body of eternity...the crown of nine yānas (Atiyoga).

Here, it must have been too obvious...this deity matches the verse, and the comment matches Maitreya's note. We're not arguing just for the sake of rebellion, so, if our questions can be satisfied, it is good and we keep it. Either of those most likely refer to Nine Sampattis. Since these actually are the tantric Gauri goddesses, this is where the rubber meets the road, which is why we have a lot of material for this. The Gauris are Generation Stage which is what we are building on a Dharani basis, which, so to speak, "refers to" Heruka Yoga.

They were originally a group of four, but, there are Nine Dhyanas. These are enhanced at first by Five Factors (vitarka, vicara, piti, sukha, ekagatta) and eventually by the Seven Jewels of Enlightenment, until they attain the degree of Samapatti or "cannot be disturbed".

Here, the seven consciousnesses [the six sense consciousnesses and klesha mind] cease in the final samadhi of the nine samapattis.].

The ninth or Nirodha causes suspended animation.

Usnisa Vijaya is among the most paramount dharani goddesses, having an excellent recording posted there.

From entering Maitreya's Tibetan on Rigpa Wiki:

mthar gyis gnas pa'i snyoms 'jug dgu

It matches:

Nine serene states of successive abiding (mthar gyis gnas pa'i snyoms par 'jug pa dgu).

The four dhyanas, the four formless states, and the shravaka's samadhi of peace, also known as the serenity of cessation.

mthar gyis gnas pa'i snyoms par 'jug pa dgu

navānupūrvavihārasamāpattiḥ

If these words of Maitreya match this particular deity, there we go.

namas tuttāre-hūṃ-kāra-pūritâśâdi-gantare |

sapta-loka-kramâkrānti niḥśeṣâkarṣaṇa-kṣame ||

Eight spheres of subjugation (aṣṭāvabhibhvāyatanāni)

Five is Subjugation and removal of fear.

This is sometimes Kurukulla, but Suryagupta has Humkara Nadini, who has her own practice of arising from Hum. Here is a point where we might ask, why does the song have Sapta Loka or seven worlds and yet it also has Trailokya or three. This could, in turn, be thought of as referring to Agni and Ganapati (Three), and Savitri Gayatri (Seven). In other words it does mean something but it comes from Puranic sources outside of Buddhism and you can usually only find out about that in a footnote.

Abhibhava (अभिभव).—

1) Defeat, subjugation, subjection, overpowering;

Physically, the plan of Old Bhubaneswar is based on the 'Asta Ayatana' concept, such that shrines are located at the four cardinal points and at the four intermediate points.

Although "Ayatana" has the tantric meaning of sense faculties, it also has broader meanings.

Āyātana (आयातन) refers to “sacred site” and replaces the term “Kṣetra” or “sacred fields” visited by the Goddess on her pilgrimage

Spheres, residences, sanctuaries, and so forth are summarized by this.

From line 1519, they are in Sanskrit and Tibetan, which is part of the Mahavyutpatti or original translation dictionary.

Eight Bases of Overcoming:

eight masteries: : 1-2] The two masteries over all external sentient and insentient forms by means of the conception that they are inner forms. 3-4] The two masteries over all external sentient and insentient forms by means of the conception that they are inner formlessness. 5-8] The four masteries of emitting rays of light to gain mastery over the external colors of blue, yellow, red and white by willing them to be absorbed within.

I believe this topic refers to Eight Vimokshas, which is liberation by realizing Emptiness of the "spheres" of Dhyana and Sampatti. Picuva Marici deals with Eight Vimokshas, but, she is quite advanced, and Marici is pretty much reserved for the last verse. I am not sure of a good match here yet.

The verse does not necessarily use her feet, because she is doing Krama which we have called Method, normally, a male principle, but is applied to Devis in the same way it is its own name of a non-Buddhist philosophy:

In the phenomenal realm when the different operations of our cognitive apparatus and psychoses are directed to the grasp of external multiplicity, the whole situation is reckoned as krama. Likewise, when the phenomenal level is transcended by diverting the same mechanism towards the trans-phenomenal, non-dual, undifferentiated reality, everything is automatically realized in its essentially trans-sequential character. This phenomenon is designated as akrama.

Maṅkha in his Śrīkaṇṭhacarita mentions Mahānaya, another name of Krama, as a distinct philosophical school where the act of creation follows that of withdrawal, implying that the Krama system ardently adheres to the cyclic notion of Reality. This allusion to Krama in a literary work of the eleventh century is a sufficient proof of the popularity of the Krama school, even beyond the philosophical circles.

While all other systems including the Kula, Pratyabhijñā and Trika of Kashmir Śaivism are Śiva-oriented, the Krama is Śakti-oriented. The Krama is more closely connected with the immanent reality and interprets immanence as an essential expression of transcendence. Against this, the Pratyabhijñā and Kula systems are immediately concerned with reality as unity (abheda) or the transcendental aspect of Reality.

Kṣemarāja takes the word Krama to stand for the succession of the cyclic consciousness iof emanation (sṛṣṭi), sustenance (sthiti) and withdrawal (saṃhṛti). According to him, it is called Krama because it (i) causes emanation etc. to appear in succession (Krama) and (ii) itself constitutes the very nature of that (as well as their) successive appearance. Hence Krama is the system that deals with such a phenomenon exclusively, all other aspects remaining subordinate to it.

That is what is Akranti or Overpowering the Seven Worlds.

The commentary says:

The ultimate meaning is that through practice, when non-conceptual neutral ālaya’s clarity is cognized, the formless realms dissolve. When the simple pure luminosity of the undiscriminating clarity of ālaya-vijñāna, or “base of consciousness” is cognized, the form realms dissolve. When mental consciousness is free from delusion and the five sensory cognitions, the desire realm ceases. These cessations are the abiding purity, or the fruition of purification. At this stage of awareness, the seven worlds are the seven cognitions, where all the concepts of desire and the other three realms without exception dissolve into dharmadhātu.

Circle of Bliss says Samkranti is Consciousness Transference, one of the Six Yogas of Naro--we suspect they mean the Sixth Dharma.

Saṃkrānti (संक्रान्ति) refers to the “transference/transmission” (of power—the deity’s energy) according to the Kubjikāmatatantra 4.71-72ab.—(Cf. Tantrasadbhāva 3.92-93ab)

It has this meaning in general, and in Naro's Six Dharmas.

It is also the Sun transferring to new signs such as Makara Samkranti at Sabarimala when Makara Jyoti is seen.

Here I have not yet come up with anything satisfactorily conclusive about a specific Tara, and the next verse has even more questioning behind it.

namaḥ śakrānala-brahma-marud-viśvêśvarârcite |

bhūta-vetāla-gandharva-gaṇa-yakṣa-puras-kṛte ||

Ten Totalities

Six purifies the Ten Directions.

Suryagupta calls her Trailokyavijaya; the terma says Drolma Jikché Chenmo; Skt. Tārā Mahābairavā. The terma's interpretation is compared to Vajravidarana, so, is not far from Red Vasudhara, called Vajravidarani. Here, however, are classes of Puranic entities, you can practically see the Marut Gana forming itself. If it is easy enough to see five creatures in line two, the top line may be clearer if extracted as the deities:

Indra Agni Brahma Vayu Visvakarman

And so it would look to me like it is talking about Five Upper and Lower Winds. Both of these honor and worship Tara.

The way they are given in the Nikaya is the Form Elements, the Colors (Blue, Yellow, Red, White), and finally:

9. One perceives the space-totality

10. One perceives the consciousness-totality above, below, all-around: non-dual, unlimited. These are the ten totalities. Now, of these ten totalities, this is supreme: when one perceives the consciousness-totality above, below, all-around: non-dual, unlimited.

It looks like the same thing that was just in the pattern of Eight, plus those two.

The commentary says:

The inner meaning of this is that Indra and the other gods are the personification of five elements, and the spirits are the personification of the five aggregates. Their reverence symbolizes the purity of the elements and aggregates, which are the base of the male and female Buddhas.

It is backwards...it is just a commentary so it doesn't have to be so tight except...it is backwards.

It does reflect the tantra since the "center of four others" is now an Upper and Lower axis, and, it distinguishes the Sixth from the Fifth.

Jigje Chenmo as used by them is Bhairavi, as in Sera Monastery:

Jigje Lhakhang houses the image of Bhairava with his consort Bhairavi.

That is definitely a deity with roots, whereas the Trailokya Vijaya Tara is a non-wrathful sattva paryanka form.

Hindu Bhairavi is part of the Mahavidyas.

In Kubjika tantra:

(You are) Bhairavī whose being is (infinitely) great. (You are) the All and, (universally) pervasive, (are also) Revatī.

In the Siddha Cult in Tamilnadu (sculpture)

Bhairavīcakra (भैरवीचक्र).—The worship of Śakti is centered chiefly in mystic circle known as Bhairavi Cakra.

The Bhairavis are features in numerous erotic sculptures in the region, which is replicated in Buddhism by Jambhala and Vasudhara.

2) Bhairavi is also a title for a female adept in Kundalini Tantra. A Yogini is a student of Tantra, or an aspirent. A Bhairavi is one who has succeeded. Supposedly there are many more levels of achievement than these two, but Tantra is, in essence, a mystery religion, and one would have to be initiated, to learn them all. The name "Bhairavi" means "Terror," or "awe-inspiring," so the one who has achieved the state of Bhairavi, is beyond the fear of death, and therefore awesome.

The equivalent in Buddhist sadhana practice is Yellow Vajrabhairavi. She is not Vajrabhairava's consort; that is Vetali. Vajrabhairavi is a Hum-arisen Vajraraudri goddess of the Seven Jewels of Enlightenment--Virya. Vajraraudri personally is Hrih.

IWS 70 contains "guesswork" as to the Sanskrit names of the Seven Jewels. Jigs ma was called Bhima. Hubert Decleer made corrections based on the Vajradaka sadhana; Himalayan Passages scrubs the Tibetan "back translations" of Seven Syllable goddesses and says Bhima is Vajrabhairavi, Rudrani is Ghoracandi, Vasavartini is Vajrabhaskari, and Vyavalokita is Vajraraudri. Bhattacarya's names for the retinue match Decleer's, so, this is the main formula we are using.

Saumya is with Vajrabhairavi in the Vajrakilaya Tantra. Or, she perhaps most tangibly is a Vajra Kila Gatekeeper in a group of Bird Face goddesses:

In the east is the goddess Vajrayaksa with the head of a hoopoe bird holding in her hand an iron hook. In the south is Vajrabhairavi with the head of a magpie, holding a noose. In the west is Vajramrta with the head of an owl holding fetters in her hand and in the north is *Ghataka (gSod-byed) with the head of a hawk holding in her hand a bell.

(cf. p. 90)

If she pertains to Noose, she pertains to Sumbha, the Nadir.

The rest in Tibetan gets messy:

In Kalachakra, Jigs ma is Ghora, but Bhima is Jigs byed ma--whereas Dragmo is both Ugra and Raudri. Drag mo is particularly worshipped in Jokhang temple. The name Drag mo has main variants of Mari Rabjam and Lion Face. There is a sakti called IHa mo drag mo; her body is smoke-coloured and her attributes are a chopper and a skull-cup. But it is Mari Rabjam who takes the title Dorje Dragmo and has a green form, and a white form on a stag almost exactly like Sri, and so this is all about a Palden Lhamo hypostasis that protects the area around Ganden and Sera and Mari Rabjam hill.

How close to "Bhima is Vajrabhairavi" that gets is...perhaps reasonable. Vajrabhairavi is Virya, Bhima is Vira, which is a bit like saying energy and its display.

Bhima after Trasani in 108 Names of Tara.

Jigs Byed in Armor. Jigs Ma in Armor in the "mistaken" translations.

'jigs byed bzhad pa terrifying Laughter [n. of Charnel Ground]

Vira, Bhima, and Bhairava collide in the character of Heruka. The female Bhairavi is, therefor, not a consort of Vajrabhairava (Manjushri), but of Heruka.

Bhimakali was established since approximately the time of Pradyumna and the defeat of Banasura. In rare versions of the temple legend, Bhimakali slew Banasura. Bhimakali was established and accepted the Bushahrs of Kanchi after Pradyumna's dynasty ended. She is a virgin on the second floor of her now 800 year old temple. It is believed to be the Puranic Kailasa.

Bhima is like Vajragandhari and more. Hiuen Tsiang recorded a Bhima Devi in Gandahar. There is a study on the history of tantra and/or puja compared to the Vedas, placing the first identifiable Pancha Ayatana at ca. year 300. It then places this in the context of Bhima Devi temple, and finds the elusive Vinayaki. They think the Buddhists call her Ganapati Hrdaya. Bhima Devi is called older than Lajja Gauri in Peshawar.

On an icon related to sixteen matrikas, her appearance is quite close to Bagalamukhi.

In Orissa, it was found that Vajravarahi over-wrote Vajrabhairavi in the Seven Syllable retinue, which again would double her exactly how she usually is in Armor Deities.

It is as if Vajrabhairavi were a clarifying yellow detail like Vairocani allowing these retinues to omit Varahi.

The goddesses of the Seven Jewels of Enlightenment are called the Six Yoginis, meaning they are related to the Armor Deities, and they are naked three-eyed Maharaudras who are subjected to the Pancamrta and Muttering. Their few verses are equivalent to the whole Six Chakravartins system, and, some of these details are missing in Abhidhanottara Tantra.

Omitting Sound and Earth, the six similar goddesses from Samputa Tantra are:

Vajraraudri, Vajrabimba [Ekajati], Ragavajra [Mahamaya in Vajradaka 1.16], Vajrasaumya, Vajrayakshi, Vajradakini

They are Four Armed Saumyas.

The Six are only Seven by Union with a male.

The reason they are Saumyas (pleasing to the mind) is hard to see, since Heruka is generated as Two Armed in the Cemeteries with Eight goddesses presumably Gauris, then Four Armed embracing Varahi, then Six Armed entering union with Varahi, and their forms are given without names:

The practitioner should then visualize
Himself in the center of a bhaga. {2.3.38}
“Then he should visualize the consort (mudrā)
As united with the main deity.
On the lotus petals, he should draw the goddesses
Standing on skull cup platforms. {2.3.39}
“Their forms, of different colors, are pleasing to the mind
And they each have one face and four arms.

“The syllable hrīḥ of the goddesses
Should then be placed on the petals.
It should be joined with the four seed syllables
That are the nature of the four types of offerings. {2.3.54}
“It should be joined with the first sound (oṁ), and so forth,
And placed on the female gatekeepers all around.
Then the practitioner should insert
His vajra into the bhaga. {2.3.55}

They are re-cast in Chapter Three with Gauris. Thirty-seven Deities without Gauris is described in mandala form.

Six Yoginis function as Armor Deities, as Saumyas part of Generation Stage with Samputa, and as Raudras part of the Seven Jewels of Enlightenment with Vajradaka. Himalayan Passages shows the whole Sanskrit and translation minus the last line:

kanthika ricakam ratnam kundalam bhasma sutrakam--sad vai paramita eta mudrarupena yojitah

The first line says it is to extract an explanation of the Seven Syllable mantra, and the second that you have to do preliminaries up to emptiness-bodhi mantra; and so yes, we are designing preliminaries, and then ways of immersing ourselves in Emptiness Mantra while extracting such an explanation, i. e. Quintessence and Six Families. That is why this is one of the most precise sadhanas. When you can do it, you are immediately converted into a Bodhisattva, because its deities are the Path.

Verse Six is quite comprehensive and is worth proceeding gingerly to determine who is a close match.

namas traḍ-iti-phaṭ-kāra-para-yantra-pramardini |

pratyâlīḍha-pada-nyāse śikhi-jvalâkulêkṣaṇe ||

Absence of destructive emotions (Klesha)

Seven is Transference.

Suryagupta has Tārā Pramardinī.

Buddha's ultimate samadhi, Vajrapamo Nama Samadhi, is also called Para Sainya Pramardin, eliminating the last obstructions, destroying the last hostile forces. Pramardin means crushing, destroying. Phat is a weapon syllable, used here against enemy yantras. She is in an advancing pose and here it looks more to me like she has Flaming Crown, Sikhin Jvala. That is the token for Transference, although more strongly suggestive of Jewel Family, Ratnasikhi, Ratnaketu, etc., all meaning about the same thing.

Pramardani has her own Sutra which we have extracted and linked in that post. At first, in basic Pancha Raksa, she is in the East as a non-descript Vairocana goddess. In PR 206, she does not move, but arises as a staggeringly large, ferocious Vajra Family goddess. Her Sutra is relatively large, and involves going to Vaisali; and then it refers to the use of all five Pancha Raksa Sutras. That is like most tantra, centering on Vairocana for the early phase, but then really making samayas and initiations through Akshobhya. So then she is certainly an agent of learning the "class" of Vajra Samadhi.

namas ture mahâghore māra-vīra-vināśini |

bhṛkuṭī-kṛta-vaktrābja-sarva-śatru-niṣūdini ||

Knowledge from aspiration

Eight = Completion Stage.

The terma has Tārā Aparajitā.

Suryagupta's Vasitottara has a similar sound to Vasi Yoga; vasi is Tamil for Prana. In Agasthya's school, if one can do a single Uttama Pranayama, one is absolved of sin. This is a single breath with the 64,000 winds balanced. That is what is Invincible. It is unlikely to have anything to do with that name though. Aparajita is a very good one to include.

Aparajita at Ratnagiri is a witness of Final Enlightenment, of the activity of Pramardani at full strength. She herself is the Power of the Buddha.

Aparajita is a very good example of a Tara who would have been extensively known in medieval times, and relatively obscure now.

namas triratna-mudrâṅka-hṛdyâṅguli-vibhūṣite |

bhūṣitâśeṣa-dik-cakra-nikara-sva-karâkule ||

Six Abhijna

Nine = Consecration

Tārā Khadira-vaṇī or Tārā Vara-dā--although the verse says she is doing the Three Jewels Mudra. Either one of those are able to summon Tara from Akanistha, and so in fact do embody Consecration. However, we have plenty of reason to kick her out of this retinue of twenty-one, since she is the head of it.

And in this case, studying the verse itself carries its own suggestion.

The verse gives Three Jewels which is Prithvi Mudra, like Dharmachakra but using the ring finger, which recharges Muladhara chakra.

From the same question on Verse Nine, it is clandestinely done by all Taras:

She typically holds the stem of the lotus flower between her left thumb and left ring finger, and the other three fingers are gently held open. This particular ritual hand position or symbolic hand gesture (mudra) is referred to as the Prithivi Mudra which recharges the root chakra (Muladhara) aligning it with earth energies (Gertrud Hirschi, Mudras, p.84). "Her left hand is in the gesture of the Three Jewels, with the thumb and ring finger touching and the other three fingers stretched upward...

The commentary also says that Tara's remaining fingers do this around her held lotus.

I personally would have recognized it almost forty years ago. Simple elemental mudras like that are a common practice.

The Tara that represents this is Twenty-six arm Cunda who does Mula Mudra with both of her main hands. Mula Mudra helps in finding the androgynous energy in your pranic body.

Mandalas Life on Cunda's hands. Now of course these are sometimes variable as to how they are actually shown, but, the original uses the expression Mula Mudra. But their mandala uses an alternate version with the pinky involved.

Miranda Shaw found a beautiful Nalanda Stone Cunda where it again looks different. There are so many kinds of Cunda it is hard to believe she is represented by only four words.

There is a common tale of a male Cunda the Blacksmith, but, in Swayambhu Purana, Buddha enters Nepal and gets a female disciple named Cunda, to whom he tells the history of Swayambhu. If you look in the last chapter, the spelling is Cuda, but, it is followed by Cale Cule and Dharani Parama Vidya, and then:

etanpuṇyānubhāvena cūṃḍeyaṃ bhikṣuṇī satī|

pañcābhijñāvatī varṣairdvādaśabhirbhaved dhruvaṃ||6||

Varuni's noteworthy gesture is "Counting", or Bindu mudra, or Tattva mudra, which is able to flick nectar, and dip meat into alcohol, similar to Prithvi mudra, ring finger to thumb.

So, in strictly the elemental sense, ring finger to thumb is Earth. The name of this may change, or, what the hand is doing may change, but, it specifically says that the larger Cundas do this as Mula Mudra. She has almost every item including a pitcher, so, she could easily sprinkle water for Consecration as Suryagupta suggests.

The commentary gives Khadira the subject of Eight Fears, which does not come from Tara Tantra, it is Kapalika Tara. That is an individual form/separate practice.

If the subject does not fit, and Khadira is supposed to be outside, and Cunda is the only one who prominently displays two of these mudras without flowers in the way, and, Cunda is not Sarasvati, but, she does have a massive form in Guhyasamaja Manjuvajra, which is, so to speak, "over" Sattva Vajri, and, this embarks on some strange female equivalent of Vajra Family hypostasis, because, Sattva Vajri is arising in Vajra Family and "going to" Vajrasattva, whereas Cunda, if anything, may be his "sister"...or something...

One could say she is a very non-iconic, non-tantric Mahayana goddess, patron of the Pala dynasty and common across Asia.

Nirakara and Shentong Buddhism, Tara, Sadhanas, Sanskrit culture (6)

She is Karuna for purposes of Golden Light Dharani, and in a subtle tantric track of arising in her major form, described in the Usnisa Vijaya post. In Cunda's temple at Pattikera, a land grant on behalf of Durgottarini Tara was found. The Club of Cunda was the power that began the Pala Dynasty.

namaḥ prabhu-ditâṭopa-mukuṭâkṣipta-mālinī |

hasat-prahasat-tuttāre-māra-loka-vaśaṃkari ||

Four Pratisamvits

Ten = Entering the Mandala

Here, the terma has Trailokyavijaya. Due to hasa and prahasa, Laughter, Mahacina Krama and Ekajati suggest themselves. The commentary does not say it should mean "shining" here. Tara Ten's crown emanates garlands, which, I suppose, are implied to be of light. Malini is also a deity in her own right who seems to be an aspect of Pandara. However the Laughing Goddess or Attahasa is persistent all the way through Buddhakapala Tantra. And this trait is very primordial with Vajra Family.

namaḥ samanta-bhūpāla-paṭalâkarṣaṇa-kṣame |

calad-bhṝ-kuṭi-hūṃ-kāra-sarvâpada-vimocinī ||

Four universal purities (Catvari Parishuddha)

Eleven = Increase (Paustika or Vardhani)

The terma has Vasudhara. The main power here is Akarsana, summoning from any of the world-systems. A meaning of calat bhrkuti could be vibration of the Ajna center. It may be a facial sneer, but, as a common word, bhrkuti can be a glance of concentration, which does not have to be deeply furrowed.

Vasudhara has her own section in our Table of Contents, and, at an advanced level, she also emanates in Vajra Family. She also has an aspect of Akarsani or Hook Goddess.

namaḥ śikhaṇḍa-khaṇḍêndu-mukuṭâbharaṇôjjvale |

amitābha-jaṭâbhāra-bhāsvāra-kiraṇa-dhruve ||

Ten Powers--Vasita

Twelve = Homa

Both traditions use something similar to Prasanna, but, she is very tantric, and Day--Night Tara is the only one who matches "crescent moon and Amitabha in her hair". She is a good basic practice which uses this song, so, they are almost the same. Day--Night Tara in next post.

In terms of precise accuracy to the song's lyrics, there is almost nothing more appropriate than this.

namaḥ kalpânta-huta-bhug-jvāla-mālântara-sthite |

ālīḍha-mudita-ābaddha-ripu-cakra-vinaśiti ||

Ten Strengths--Bala

Thirteen Subdues Hindrances

The verse says her joy destroys enemies. It also has Flame Garlands, and, this is probably a stock enough expression that it may be unnecessary if you say Malini. It can be fire or a rosary depending on context. The commentary says:

She makes them content and joyous, and subdues the malefic forces of the two obscurations. The inner meaning is that this indicates the realization that “exhausts all phenomena”. Just as the fire at the end of the eon consumes the world, when the primordial wisdom swirls in dharmadhātu, the outer earth and stones, the inner animate body, and the secret conceptions are also exhausted. So the foes of the two obscurations are subjugated, and the joy of the great tranquility of the core of inner clarity of primordial wisdom that does not dwell in the extremes of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa is experienced.

namaḥ kara-talā-ghāta-caraṇā-hata-bhūtale |

bhṛkuṭī-kṛta-hūṃ-kāra-sapta-pātāla-bhedini ||

Four Fearlessnesses

Fourteen = Circle of Protection

Wrathful Bhrkuti

The commentary says:

The seven underworlds, which are like layers of seven roofs, are: the abodes of demons, the general base, the higher base, the baseless, the specific base, the base of essence, the perfect base, and the pure base. In reality, the two soles striking symbolize striking the crucial point of the path of the non-duality of pristine wisdom and the basic sphere, which uproots the seven latencies or seven cognitions with their objects.

which sounds like Yogacara based in Seven Consciousnesses.

Bhrkuti post. This is also instructive because most Bhrkutis are really peaceful, and this wrathful one can be found to occupy this verse in Guge and Nepal.

namaḥ śive śubhe śānte śānta-nirvāṇa-gocare |

svāhā-praṇava-saṃyukte mahā-pāpaka-nāśini ||

Eighteen Unshared Attributes

Fifteen = Purifying Mental and Emotional Defilements

A form of Santi in both traditions.

This is the only time Nirvana is mentioned. So this verse is called Dharmakaya as by Wilson. Her mantras with Svaha and Pranava (Om) destroy sin. Actually, the commentary just slipped "mantra" in parenthesis. It doesn't say that in the verse, does it? No, that says "samyukta", which is a past tense similar to "yoga accomplished". Something has been conjoined, Om, a kind of universal dawn, with whatever you put in between, to Svaha, mental sacrifice by fire, where Ganapati acts as your "priest", which is part of why he gets hypostasized into Amritakundalin, carrying the etherealized remnants of your mantra to their target, or even into the sun.

If taken in its own context, we might think...Santi...could be White Vajra Family Mother that is just here in Tara Tantra.

It is not really part of a name or identity of any Tara. Mantranusarini has no "features", whereas Mahapratyangira has the form of Youth and Beauty, Yauvana. She is Blue and seems Peaceful.

Sadaksari is:

sarve mayā anupadhiśeṣanirvāṇadhātau

Vajra Tara is the same thing more powerfully, Nirvana Dhatu.

The nirvanic reference could also indicate an Akanistha goddess such as Mahasri Tara.

namaḥ pramuditâbaddha-ripu-gātra-prabhedini |

daśâkṣara-pada-nyāsa-vidyā-hūṃ-kāra-dīpite ||

Having nothing to guard

Sixteen = Cutting Attachments

Here, Suryagupta has something similar to Ragavajri, attachment-cutter; the terma uses Tārā Kiraṇojjvalā. At the beginning, she "prabhedini", a form of bhedini or what she does to your knots, to enemies, by joy; it is like saying Namaha to Tara who just did that in another verse. The second line says her Ten Syllable mantra is a Nyasa accompanied by a Dipa or lamp-like entity arising from Hum. A fiery Tara would make sense, that one's Tibetan name is Drolma Barwé Öchen.

Because there is a particular Ten Syllable Nyasa goddess, Dhanada, and, she spawns a mandala from Hum, that is one of the closest possible matches.

There is some Dhanada information posted. She is "difficult" because she is the whole mandala assembly based on Quintessence. This is, so to speak, on the level of various Four Arm Rosary goddesses, among whom she is found in the lower register of Seven Syllable deity. He does not have Mahacinakrama Tara, but he does have Dhanada, Tarodbhava Kurukulla, Prajnaparamita, Cunda, and (likely) Vasudhara.

Taranatha calls her an aspect of Vasudhara; she is found in the names of Lakshmi. Mantricly, she resembles Mahasri Tara. Dhanada is semi-advanced in Karma Family:

Nirakara and Shentong Buddhism, Tara, Sadhanas, Sanskrit culture (7)

namas ture-pādâghāte hūṃ-kārâkāra-bījite |

meru-mandāra-kailāsa-bhuvana-traya-cālini ||

Three Close Mindfulnesses

Seventeen subjugates obstacles.

Suryagupta has Sukha Sadhani here.

Mandara is the "mountain", or Jnana, used to churn the Ocean of Milk, or Kha Dhatu. Tara is causing these three powerful mountains and the Three Worlds to Calini, which is what happens when Cunda spins something. She does Cale or intentional motion, opposite of which is A-cala, motionless or immovable. The verse however says Hum is her Bija.

Four Arm Sita Tara with Marici and Mayuri arises from White Hum. But this Tara Seventeen is Padaghata, "stomping", or, moreover, "killing with" her feet. It uses Gha, the destroyer syllable. White Night Tara arises from Hum, but it says she smites the ground with her left hand.

Obscurely, Padaghata is to "massage by feet" in Ayurveda and Kalaripeyatu (martial arts), i. e. for someone to walk on your back. That...does not really fit the way these things are usually described. Cale is the same root as in Calat or "swaying" earrings. This verse does not say Mt. Meru was Vinasini or destroyed as it could have said. I am not sure why would attack or destroy Meru. If extreme motion or calini were applied to Meru, my spine, I might not care for that, kind of like someone might not want their earrings kicked off their head. The commentary says:

The ultimate meaning is that the quavering of the three worlds is purification of the three doors, (body, speech and mind).

At least they said something about the verse that it is not sheerly destructive force being engaged here.

namaḥ sura-sarâkāra-hariṇâṅka-kara-sthite |

tāra-dvi-rukta-phaṭ-kārair aśeṣa-viṣanāśini ||

Absence of forgetfulness

Eighteen cures Naga diseases.

Drolma Maja Chenmo; Skt. Tārā Mahāmāyūrī

This one is Hare Moon and Nectar of the Gods. The commentary says:

The eighteenth homage is to Maja Chenmo, Tib the “Great Peahen”, who averts and pacifies poison. She is as white as the moon, and sits on a blue lotus. In her left hand, she holds a full moon marked with a rabbit, which is the shape of the ocean of nectar of the god realm. With her radiance and her chanting of the mantra, OṂ TĀRE TUTTĀRE TURE SARVA VETRA TĀRE PHAṬ SVĀHĀ, which has two TĀREs and a PHAṬ syllable, she clears all poisons, both animate and inanimate, without a trace. Generally, all obstacles arise from poisons, and the base of all the animate and inanimate poisons is our afflictions. She clears all the poisons of sentient beings without a trace with the medicine of the truth of reality.

I like the image although I do not find "Moon", "shape of the ocean of nectar" is from sura sarakara

Sura--Brandy--Varuni

Sara:

3) The coagulum of curds or milk, cream.

Then Harini (doe) anka "mark", i. e. it sounds like it should be shaped like the Golden Deer.

Here it ends Visa--poison nasini--destroyer, so, Mayuri still works. I do not know where that mantra or the moon came from.

namaḥ sura-gaṇâdhyakṣa-sura-kinara-sevite |

ābaddha-muditâbhoga-kali-duḥsvapna-nāśini ||

Complete elimination of habitual tendencies

Nineteen pacifies Dreams

Drolma Mipam Gyalmo; Skt. Tārā Ajitarājñī (i.e. Sitatapatra)

This verse appears contradictory. Yakshas and Kinnaras are Asuras (Daityas).

Suras means Devas, i. e. those who took Sura--Varuni from the Churning. Although it is possible to find opposite Puranas wherein the Daityas--Asuras are the ones who take her. Cf. Vishnu Purana, or Bhagavata, and that the Rg Veda for Varuna calls him an asura, viz:

Asura (असुर).—a. [asu-ra Uṇ1.42]

1) Living, alive, spiritual.

2) An epithet of the Supreme Spirit or Varuṇa.

3) Incorporeal, super-human, divine.

1) Asura (असुर):—[from asu] a mfn. (√2. as, [Uṇādi-sūtra]), spiritual, incorporeal, divine, [Ṛg-veda; Atharva-veda; Vājasaneyi-saṃhitā]

Asura (असुर).—[adjective] spiritual, divine. [masculine] spirit, [especially] the highest spirit, later a bad spirit, demon

According to Prajnaparamita XLVI, “the power of the Asuras is equal to that of the Devas. Why? Because sometimes they are vanquished by the Devas and sometimes they vanquish the Devas...The Asura destiny is called thus because the Asuras appear at the head of a list; the others, namely, the Kiṃnaras, Gandharvas, Kuṃbhāṇḍas, Yakṣas, Bhūtas, etc. constitute one and the same destiny with them”.

They have been Puranically-related since the Pali canon:

Besides these we find Paharada (A.iv.197, 200) (v.l. Mahabhadda), Sambara (S.i.227), Verocana (S.i.225; probably another name for Rahu, see DA.ii.689), Bali (D.ii.259), Sucitti (D.ii.269) and Namuci (D.ii.269).

The Asuras are spoken of as dwelling in the ocean after having been conquered by Vajira hattha (Indra, elsewhere, (J.v.139) called Asurappamaddana) and are called Vasavas brethren, of wondrous powers and of great glory. They were present at the preaching of the Maha Samaya Sutta (see DA.ii.689). Buddhaghosa says that they were all descendants of an Asura maiden named Sujata. This cannot be the Sujata, Vepacittis daughter, whom Sakka married (J.i.205-6). See also Danava.

There were evidently several classes of Asuras, and two are mentioned in the Pitakas, the Kalakanjakas and the Danaveghasas. The Danaveghasas carried bows in their hands. The Kalakanjakas were of fearsome shape (D.ii.259), and were considered the lowest among the Asuras (D.iii.7; see also Kalankajaka and Vepacitti).

Some of them live in the highest sphere of existence of the apayas (between the one of humans and the one of animals) while others in the set of the world devas. An ordinary human being cannot glimpse an asura.

Apāya (अपाय).—(= Pali id., also Sanskrit but not in this technical application), evil state, = durgati, q.v. There are three such (see s.v. gati): in hells, as animals, as ghosts. In Pali this group of three is rare; usually there are four, life as asuras being added.

The male Asura is extremely ugly and furious, and always fight with each other. The female Asura is as beautiful as an angel. They are proud of themselves, thus reluctant to learn and practice Buddhism.

Asura in Buddhism is the name of the lowest ranks of the deities or demigods of the Kamadhatu.

The Buddhist asuras are broadly derived, in general character, from the wicked asuras of Hinduism, but have acquired some very distinctive myths which are only found in Buddhist texts.

In any case, the verse honors Tara as "the one who is served by" those.

Duhsvapna is Dukkha Svapna, bad dream, i. e. nightmare, which she Nasini, destroys. Kali seems to be translated as "disputes" which are likewise destroyed by her Joy. As a lower-case general word, that is appropriate, i. e. Kali Yuga "age of strife and quarrels". If one were to think of Parasol as like a big eraser to what we know as Kali Yuga, that sounds rather appropriate.

She is white and holds a white umbrella. Indra, Brahma, gods of the desire and form realms, demons and local gods who harm beings, and the gods of mountains, lakes and trees who help beings, honor her without exception. In general, by the mantra that is blessed by her and the visualization of her body as armor, all conflicts and bad dreams can be averted. In particular, the multi-colored vajras and the sparkles they emit avert religious and political critics, and make their statements powerless. She wears a crown to symbolize honoring lamas as deities, actualization of primordial wisdom, and stabilization of bodhicitta. She wears earrings as a sign of refraining from the humiliation of lamas. Her armlets, bracelets, and anklets, six in number, signify that she refrains from killing insects. Her necklaces represent her perfect recitation of mantra. Her belt, lower garments and ornaments indicate that her body is endowed with bodhicitta. All of her ornaments are like fine armor, whose splendor can avert criticism and the bad dreams caused by the imbalance of the winds (prāṇa), channels (nāḍī ) and seminal essence (bindu). The inner meaning is that by having the karmic wind flow into the central channel, dbu ma Tib, avadhūtī Skr, the experience of the armor of emptiness is actualized, averting the delusions that cause conflict and bad dreams.

Parasol has one of the most important Sutras along with a very good dharani recording, and she is way too big to ever make it into a single post. She is a phenomenal hypostasis that works up to a 145-page dharani.

namaś candrârka-saṃpūrṇa-nayana-dyuti-bhāsure |

hara-dvirukta-tuttāre-viṣama-jvara-nāśini ||

Great compassion

Twenty removes Disease

Parnasabari

She is orange and her hand holds a vase of nectar on a blue lotus. Her left eye is like the full moon and her right eye is like the sun. Her right eye emits blazing rays that burn all the lords of diseases, (those who command the evil spirits that bring disease) like haystacks. Clear nectar flows from the moon, (her left eye) curing the causes and effects of diseases and epidemics. Her mantra, OṂ TĀRE TUTTĀRE TURE NAMA TĀRE NAMO HARA HŪṂ HARA SVĀHĀ has two HARA sounds and a TUTTĀRE. The mantra can cure even the most dangerous incurable epidemics. The ultimate meaning is that if the mother-sphere of transcendent wisdom is realized, the most dangerous epidemics of afflictions, their causes and fruitions, can be cured.

So goes that version, but, Parnasabari is the Queen of Pisacis and Sabaris, is relevant to and appears in Samputa Tantra, and also appears to be an outer basis for Varuni. There is a lot more to her than her general Broom function. She is among the oldest deities having written evidence, a ca. year 300 receipt of a woman offering gold to Parnasabari. I believe she strongly represents an oral tradition which infused most of these dharanis with tantric components, as the written tantras themselves do later on.

namas tritatā-vinyāsa-śiva-śakti-samanvite |

graha-vetāla-yakṣa-gaṇa-nāśani pravare ture ||

Omniscience

Twenty-one is Sky-going and attaining Akanistha in this lifetime.

tritatā – thirdness [here m.c. for tri-tathatā ‘three suchnesses’]

Shiva and Shakti Samanvita, Endowed with, possessing, full of.

Suchness is a sublime state, she arranged three of them, quite possibly meaning the Three Voids. You would be in possession of these, if completely full of non-dual Shiva and Shakti. Any of those words could have a generic meaning, like sakti--spear, but, this is a fairly recognizable divine couple being translated as "the power of serenity". I would not dare translate Shiva as "serenity" and I am not even a Saivite. Buddhism already had several technical terms for "serenity", such as Shamatha, Ksanti, or Prasrabdhi. And so to me it sounds more like an insurance policy that Buddhist Suchness simply has anything Shiva and Shakti could say or do in their own terms, blanketed.

Marici, the “Goddess with Brilliance”, who can restore the life force. She is white, her left hand is in the boon-giving mūdra, and her right hand is in the refuge-giving mūdra, holding a blue lotus on which sit the auspicious golden fishes. At her three places: crown, throat, and heart, are OṂ, ĀḤ, and HŪṂ, respectively, which form the sublime protection against all obstacles. The light rays from these letters protect the three doors of beings from the harm of all outer obstacles caused by evil forces, both form and formless. They also protect beings from the inner obstacles of ill health, and the secret obstacles of dualistic affliction. The rays have the power to pacify them without a trace. Particularly, the rays from the three letters can restore the life force stolen by spirits, zombies, and yakṣas, and eliminate their harmful intentions and actions. The homage is to TURE, the great compassionate lady who acts swiftly for the benefit of sentient beings. The true meaning is that Tārā has the power to guide the minds of beings to be tamed in the “three approaches to liberation”. These are: emptiness, attributelessness and aspirationlessness, or, the suchness of an entity, its nature and compassion, and the clearing of all its obscurations. Ultimately the vajra body, speech and mind are the primordially pure nature of all phenomena. By meditating on the sphere of the indivisibility of the three vajras, the demons, sufferings, zombies, and yakṣas are transformed by the great bliss of primordial wisdom.

It ends by saying the song praises Tara's root mantra.

So for example some days you go off and do something for Usnisavijaya, which gets built into the song, which is further compressed into any Ten Syllable Tara practice. Over time, it weaves a tapestry.

Nirakara and Shentong Buddhism, Tara, Sadhanas, Sanskrit culture (2025)

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