In the Mahavidyas group, Tara comes next to Kali. Tara looks a lot like Kali in appearance. And like Kali, Tara also shows gentle or ferocious aspects. She was an eminent goddess long before the cult of Mahavidya appeared. Tara has a much wider presence outside the periphery of Mahavidya, particularly in the Tantric traditions of Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism.
Tantra considers Tara as powerful as Kali. In all three traditions, Tara, the blue goddess, is a guide and protector; and helps overcome the stormy sea of life’s troubles and turmoil. She is Tarini, liberator or savior, who saves guides and carries salvation.
Tara’s complexion is blue, while Kali’s complexion is black or deep blue. Tara holds a bowl of one skull in one hand, a pair of scissors in another, a blue lotus in the third, and an axe in the fourth hand. The scissors and the sword in Tara’s hands are tools to eliminate the ego, the sense of mistaken identity that defines, limits and binds. They are not weapons of death and destruction.
Tara is wrapped in a tiger skin around her waist; and she is not naked unlike Kali, who symbolizes absolute freedom. Tara is the deity of achievement and is often favored by businessmen.
Brihannilatantra Tarashatanama StotraLyrics in English:
॥ tarasatanamastotram brhannilatantrargatam ॥
sridevyuvaca ।
sarvam samsucitam deva namnam satam mahesvara ।
yatnaih satairmahadeva mayi natra prakasitam ॥ 20-1 ॥
pathitva paramesana hathat siddhyati sadhakah ।
namnam satam mahadeva kathayasva samasatah ॥ 20-2 ॥
sribhairava uvaca ।
srnu devi pravaksyami bhaktanam hitakarakam ।
yajjnatva sadhakah sarve jivanmuktimupagatah ॥ 20-3 ॥
krtarthaste hi vistirna yanti devipure svayam ।
namnam satam pravaksyami japat sa(a)rvajnadayakam ॥ 20-4 ॥
namnam sahasram samtyajya namnam satam pathet sudhih ।
kalau nasti mahesani kalau nanya gatirbhavet ॥ 20-5 ॥
srnu sadhvi vararohe satam namnam puratanam ।
sarvasiddhikaram pumsam sadhakanam sukhapradam ॥ 20-6 ॥
tarini tarasamyoga mahatarasvarupini ।
tarakapranahartri ca taranandasvarupini ॥ 20-7 ॥
mahanila mahesani mahanilasarasvati ।
ugratara sati sadhvi bhavani bhavamocini ॥ 20-8 ॥
mahasankharata bhima sankari sankarapriya ।
mahadanarata candi candasuravinasini ॥ 20-9 ॥
candravadrupavadana carucandramahojjvala ।
ekajata kurangaksi varadabhayadayini ॥ 20-10 ॥
mahakali mahadevi guhyakali varaprada ।
mahakalarata sadhvi mahaisvaryapradayini ॥ 20-11 ॥
muktida svargada saumya saumyarupa surariha ।
sathavijna mahanada kamala bagalamukhi ॥ 20-12 ॥
mahamuktiprada kali kalaratrisvarupini ।
sarasvati saricsrestha svarganga svargavasini ॥ 20-13 ॥
himalayasuta kanya kanyarupavilasini ।
savoparisamasina mundamalavibhusita ॥ 20-14 ॥
digambara patirata viparitaratatura ।
rajasvala rajahprita svayambhukusumapriya ॥ 20-15 ॥
svayambhukusumaprana svayambhukusumotsuka ।
sivaprana sivarata sivadatri sivasana ॥ 20-16 ॥
attahasa ghorarupa nityanandasvarupini ।
meghavarna kisori ca yuvatistanakunkuma ॥ 20-17 ॥
kharva kharvajanaprita manibhusitamandana ।
kinkinisabdasamyukta nrtyanti raktalocana ॥ 20-18 ॥
krsangi krsaraprita sarasanagatotsuka ।
kapalakharparadhara pancasanmundamalika ॥ 20-19 ॥
havyakavyaprada tustih pustiscaiva varangana ।
santih ksantirmano buddhih sarvabijasvarupini ॥ 20-20 ॥
ugrapatarini tirna nistirnagunavrndaka ।
ramesi ramani ramya ramanandasvarupini ॥ 20-21 ॥
rajanikarasampurna raktotpalavilocana ।
iti te kathitam divyam satam namnam mahesvari ॥ 20-22 ॥
prapathed bhaktibhavena tarinyastaranaksamam ।
sarvasuramahanadastuyamanamanuttamam ॥ 20-23 ॥
sanmasad mahadaisvaryam labhate paramesvari ।
bhumikamena japtavyam vatsarattam labhet priye ॥ 20-24 ॥
dhanarthi prapnuyadartham moksarthi moksamapnuyat ।
dararthi prapnuyad daran sarvagama(puro?praco)ditan ॥ 20-25 ॥
astamyam ca satavrttya prapathed yadi manavah ।
satyam siddhyati devesi samsayo nasti kascana ॥ 20-26 ॥
iti satyam punah satyam satyam satyam mahesvari ।
asmat parataram nasti stotramadhye na samsayah ॥ 20-27 ॥
namnam satam pathed mantram samjapya bhaktibhavatah ।
pratyaham prapathed devi yadicchet subhamatmanah ॥ 20-28 ॥
idanim kathayisyami vidyotpattim varanane ।
yena vijnanamatrena vijayi bhuvi jayate ॥ 20-29 ॥
yonibijatriravrttya madhyaratrau varanane ।
abhimantrya jalam snigdham astottarasatena ca ॥ 20-30 ॥
tajjalam tu pibed devi sanmasam japate yadi ।
sarvavidyamayo bhutva modate prthivitale ॥ 20-31 ॥
saktirupam mahadevim srnu he naganandini ।
vaisnavah saivamargo va sakto va ganapo’pi va ॥ 20-32 ॥
tathapi sakteradhikyam srnu bhairavasundari ।
saccidanandarupacca sakalat paramesvarat ॥ 20-33 ॥
saktirasit tato nado nadad bindustatah param ।
atha bindvatmanah kalarupabindukalatmanah ॥ 20-34 ॥
jayate ca jagatsarvam sasthavaracaratmakam ।
srotavyah sa ca mantavyo nirdhyatavyah sa eva hi ॥ 20-35 ॥
saksatkaryasca devesi agamairvividhaih sive ।
srotavyah srutivakyebhyo mantavyo mananadibhih ॥ 20-36 ॥
upapattibhirevayam dhyatavyo gurudesatah ।
tada sa eva sarvatma pratyakso bhavati ksanat ॥ 20-37 ॥
tasmin devesi pratyakse srnusva paramesvari ।
bhavairbahuvidhairdevi bhavastatrapi niyate ॥ 20-38 ॥
bhaktebhyo nanaghasebhyo gavi caiko yatha rasah ।
sadugdhakhyasamyoge nanatvam labhate priye ॥ 20-39 ॥
trnena jayate devi rasastasmat paro rasah ।
tasmat dadhi tato havyam tasmadapi rasodayah ॥ 20-40 ॥
sa eva karanam tatra tatkaryam sa ca laksyate ।
drsyate ca mahade(va?vi)na karyam na ca karanam ॥ 20-41 ॥
tathaivayam sa evatma nanavigrahayonisu ।
jayate ca tato jatah kalabhedo hi bhavyate ॥ 20-42 ॥
sa jatah sa mrto baddhah sa muktah sa sukhi puman ।
sa vrddhah sa ca vidvamsca na stri puman napumsakah ॥ 20-43 ॥
nanadhyasasamayogadatmana jayate sive ।
eka eva sa evatma sarvarupah sanatanah ॥ 20-44 ॥
avyaktasca sa ca vyaktah prakrtya jnayate dhruvam ।
tasmat prakrtiyogena vina na jnayate kvacit ॥ 20-45 ॥
vina ghatatvayogena na pratyakso yatha ghatah ।
itarad bhidyamano’pi sa bhedamupagacchati ॥ 20-46 ॥
mam vina puruse bhedo na ca yati kathancana ।
na prayogairna ca jnanairna srutya na gurukramaih ॥ 20-47 ॥
na snanaistarpanairvapi naca danaih kadacana ।
prakrtya jnayate hyatma prakrtya lupyate puman ॥ 20-48 ॥
prakrtyadhisthitam sarvam prakrtya vancitam jagat ।
prakrtya bhedamapnoti prakrtyabhedamapnuyat ॥ 20-49 ॥
narastu prakrtirnaiva na puman paramesvarah ।
iti te kathitam tattvam sarvasaramanoramam ॥ 20-50 ॥
iti sribrhannilatantre bhairavabhairavisamvade tarasatanama
tattvasaranirupanam vimsah patalah ॥ 20 ॥
Also Read:
Tara Shatanama Stotram from Brihan Nila Tantra Lyrics in Hindi | English | Bengali | Gujarati | Punjabi | Kannada | Malayalam | Oriya | Telugu | Tamil
