Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 424 views

    Tara (Devi)

    Uploaded by

    Shivam
    Tara is a Hindu goddess who is considered one of the Dasa Mahavidyas or "Great Wisdom Goddesses". She is a form of Durga and is associated with motherly instincts. Tara is often depicted standing atop the inert body of Shiva while holding implements like a skull cup and scissors. She is particularly worshipped at the Tarapith temple in West Bengal, where her footprint is said to be preserved. Tara shares similar iconographic features with the goddess Kali but can be distinguished by holding a lotus and scissors rather than Kali's severed arms.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Tara (Devi)

    Uploaded by

    Shivam
    424 views3 pages
    Tara is a Hindu goddess who is considered one of the Dasa Mahavidyas or "Great Wisdom Goddesses". She is a form of Durga and is associated with motherly instincts. Tara is often depicted standing atop the inert body of Shiva while holding implements like a skull cup and scissors. She is particularly worshipped at the Tarapith temple in West Bengal, where her footprint is said to be preserved. Tara shares similar iconographic features with the goddess Kali but can be distinguished by holding a lotus and scissors rather than Kali's severed arms.

    Original Description:

    Tara (the one who takes you across) - The second of Mahavidyas Also known as Neela Saraswati

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Tara is a Hindu goddess who is considered one of the Dasa Mahavidyas or "Great Wisdom Goddesses". She is a form of Durga and is associated with motherly instincts. Tara is often depicted standing atop the inert body of Shiva while holding implements like a skull cup and scissors. She is particularly worshipped at the Tarapith temple in West Bengal, where her footprint is said to be preserved. Tara shares similar iconographic features with the goddess Kali but can be distinguished by holding a lotus and scissors rather than Kali's severed arms.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    424 views3 pages

    Tara (Devi)

    Uploaded by

    Shivam
    Tara is a Hindu goddess who is considered one of the Dasa Mahavidyas or "Great Wisdom Goddesses". She is a form of Durga and is associated with motherly instincts. Tara is often depicted standing atop the inert body of Shiva while holding implements like a skull cup and scissors. She is particularly worshipped at the Tarapith temple in West Bengal, where her footprint is said to be preserved. Tara shares similar iconographic features with the goddess Kali but can be distinguished by holding a lotus and scissors rather than Kali's severed arms.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    You are on page 1of 3
    At a glance
    Powered by AI
    Some of the key takeaways from the passage are that Tara is a Hindu goddess who is considered a form of Durga and Mahadevi. She is one of the Dasa Mahavidyas or Great Wisdom goddesses and is associated with maternal instincts. Her origin story involves saving Shiva from poison by feeding him her breastmilk.

    The oral tradition gives the origin of the goddess Tara. When the gods and demons were churning the ocean of milk, poison emerged that threatened to destroy the world. Shiva drank the poison to save the world but fell unconscious. Then Durga appeared as Tara and took Shiva in her lap, feeding him her breastmilk which countered the poison and revived him.

    Tara is depicted as blue in color, wearing minimal clothing including a tiger skin skirt. She wears a garland of severed heads and has a protruding tongue. She stands upon the inert body of Shiva and shares many visual similarities to the goddess Kali.

    Tara (Devi)

    This article is about the Hindu goddess. For the Buddhist pearances are so strikingly similar that it is easy to misbodhisattva, see Tara (Buddhism).
    take one for the other. Indeed, they are often said to
    be manifestations of each other; for example, in their
    In Hinduism, the goddess Tara (Bengali: thousand-name hymns they share many epithets as well as
    having each others names. Tara, for example, is called
    )(Sanskrit: Tr, Devanagari: ) meaning star, is
    the second of the Dasa (ten) Mahavidyas or Great Wis- Kalika, Ugra-kali, Mahakali, and Bhadra-kali. Tara is
    said to be more approachable to the devotee (Bhakta)
    dom [goddesses]", is a form of Durga. Tantric manifestations of Durga or Mahadevi, Kali, or Parvati. As the or Tantrika because of her maternal instincts; however a
    star is seen as a beautiful but perpetually self-combusting large population of Bengali Hindus approach Kali herself
    thing, so Tara is perceived at core as the absolute, un- as Ma or mother.
    quenchable hunger that propels all life.

    Like Kali, furthermore, Tara in her Hindu context enjoys blood. In her hymn of a hundred names from the
    Mundamala-tantra, she is called She Who Likes Blood,
    She Who Is Smeared with Blood and She Who Enjoys Blood Sacrice. The Tara-tantra describes Taras
    delight in both animal and human blood but says that the
    latter is more pleasing to her. The blood of devotees is
    to be taken from specied parts of the body, such as the
    forehead, hands, breasts, head, or area between the eyebrows; some of these areas may correspond to the dierent chakras, spiritual centers within the body.

    Origin

    The oral tradition gives an origin to the goddess Tara.


    The legend begins with the churning of the ocean between the Devas and Asuras. Lord Shiva drank the poison (Halahala) that was created from the churning of the
    ocean (in the process turning his throat blue and earning
    him the epithet Nilakantha), thus saving the world from
    destruction, but fell unconscious under its powerful effect. Mahadevi Durga appeared as Maa Tara and took
    Shiva on her lap. She suckled him, the milk from her
    breasts counteracting the poison, and he recovered. This
    story is reminiscent of the one in which Shiva stops the
    rampaging Kali by becoming an infant. Seeing the child,
    Kalis maternal instinct comes to the fore and when she
    was feeding him her breast milk Shiva sucked her rage
    out while sucking the milk. In both cases, Shiva assumes
    the position of an infant vis--vis the Goddess. Mainly
    Tara is a form of Durga . As Per Shakti Mahabhagwat,
    She is the one who created 1st Seed from which the entire universe took birth in the form of Lord Narayana.
    Since he was Non manifested divinity so next Mahavidya
    expanded him so that manifested divinity Lord Vishnu
    took birth from him.[1]

    Tara can be distinguished visually from Kali primarily


    via her implements. Four armed, she carries a sacricial
    sword, a severed head or skull cup, a lotus and scissors.
    The scissor symbolizes Taras ability to cut through unwanted habits thus freeing the individual for spiritual
    transcendence. Kali never holds a lotus or a pair of scissors.

    3 Tarapith temple
    Main article: Tarapith
    The murti at the Tara Ma mandir in the village of
    Tarapith, a highly important Tantric site for Bengali
    Shaktas (and highly contested as to whether or not it is
    truly a Shakti Pitha; scholarly evidence points towards
    yes), is mostly covered by Garlands of owers. There
    are two Tara images in the sanctum. The stone image of
    Tara depicted as a mother suckling Shiva the primordial image (seen in the inset of the erce form of the
    image of Tara) is camouaged by a three feet metal image, that the devotee normally sees. It represents Tara in
    her ery form with four arms, wearing a garland of skulls
    and a protruding tongue. Crowned with a silver crown
    and with owing hair, the outer image wrapped in a sari
    and decked in marigold garlands with a silver umbrella

    Iconography

    Kali and Tara are similar in appearance. They both are


    described as standing upon a supine Shiva in an inert
    or corpse-like form. However, while Kali is described
    as black, Tara is described as blue. Both wear minimal
    clothing, however Tara wears a tiger-skin skirt, while Kali
    wears only a girdle of severed human arms. Both wear
    a garland of severed human heads. Both have a lolling
    tongue, and blood oozes from their mouths. Their ap1

    over its head. The forehead of the metal image is adorned


    with red Sindur (vermilion). Most devotees will not have
    a chance to see the actual stone image, as there are only
    15 or so minutes of Darshan or viewing of the stone at
    4:30AM when the temple opens and only the rst lucky
    few will be admitted into the adytum (the Garbhagriha)
    to see the stone.
    Unlike most Indian villages and towns, the smashan or
    cremation ground is not situated on the periphery of the
    village. As cremation grounds are seen to be polluting,
    most Indian smashans are located far from the center of
    town. Both the Tarapith mandir and smashan are very
    close (within 100 yards or so) to the center of the town.
    It is said that Tara Mas footprints are preserved in the
    smashan; this is a common theme in Hinduism, where
    deities or their especially holy followers are said to leave
    their footprints in rocks. Many Sadhus and Tantrikas live
    in the smashan, some with permanent huts as residences.
    The smashan is lled with dogs, traditionally polluting animals who were said to share food with the Vamamarga
    saint Bamakhepa, whose samdhi or tomb is located next
    door to the main Tarapith temple.

    Other name & in other religion

    Some researchers believe Paranasabari is another name


    for Hindu Goddess Tara,[2][3] and Tara is the only female
    goddess not only worshiped in India but also Mongolia
    and Tsarist Russia.[2] Again in Buddhist religion incidentally, Paranasabari is depicted as attendant of Buddhist
    deity of same name, Tara.[2]

    See also
    Tarapith
    Shaktism
    Tara in Buddhism
    Maa Taratarini Temple
    Maa Tarini
    Maa Ugra Tara

    References

    [1] Shakti MahaBhagwat Purana | Edition: 1| Sanskrit - Hindi


    Translation| GeetaPress Gorakhpur
    [2] Reections on the Tantras. Sudhakar Chattopadhyaya. p.
    76.
    [3] The social function of art by Radhakamal Mukerjee.
    Philosophical Library. 1954. p. 151.

    EXTERNAL LINKS

    Banerjee, Sumanta (2002). Logic in a Popular


    Form: Essays on Popular Religion in Bengal. Seagull
    Books. ISBN 81-7046-162-6.
    Kinsley, David R. (1988). Hindu Goddesses:Visions
    of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Reigious Tradition. University of California Press. ISBN 0-52006339-2.
    Kinsley, David R. (1997). Tantric Visions of the Divine Feminine: The Ten Mahvidys. New Delhi:
    Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-0-520-20499-7.
    MacDaniel, June (2004). 1-4237-5659-2 Oering
    Flowers, Feeding Skulls: Popular Goddess Worship
    in West Bengal. Oxford University Press. ISBN 019-516790-2.
    MacDaniel, June (1989). The Madness of the Saints:
    Ecstatic Religion in Bengal. University of Chicago
    Press. ISBN 0-226-55723-5.
    Shankaranarayanan, Sri (1972). The Ten Great Cosmic Powers. Dipti Publications. ISBN 81-8520838-7.
    Svoboda, Robert E. Aghora: at the Left Hand of
    God. ISBN 0-914732-21-8.
    Svoboda, Robert E. Aghora II: Kundalini. ISBN 0914732-31-5.
    Svoboda, Robert E. Aghora III: The Law of Karma.
    ISBN 0-914732-37-4.
    A Short Biography of Vamaksepa

    7 External links
    Tara Mantra Evam Tantra Sadhana

    Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

    8.1

    Text

    Tara (Devi) Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tara_(Devi)?oldid=668586168 Contributors: Nealmcb, Haukurth, Morwen, Goethean,


    BrianStanley, Nat Krause, Luis Dantas, LordSimonofShropshire, Rosarino, Rich Farmbrough, Gpowers, Cromwellt, Dangerous-Boy,
    BD2412,
    , Pranathi, TheRingess, Bhadani, DaGizza, Gaius Cornelius, Seemagoel, Open2universe, SmackBot, KnowledgeOfSelf,
    Bazonka, JonHarder, Breno, Green Giant, Hu12, LadyofShalott, Bharatveer, Sedusa66, Satori Son, JAnDbot, Leolaursen, Bongwarrior,
    T@nn, JamesBWatson, Kateshortforbob, CommonsDelinker, R powers, Skumarlabot, Ian.thomson, Redtigerxyz, Alifshinobi, IPSOS, Snehilsharma, Billinghurst, Coee, Oldag07, Icarusgeek, Podzemnik, Boneyard90, DragonBot, SoxBot III, Flutterman, Anonym9999, Addbot,
    CarsracBot, Jonoikobangali, Numbo3-bot, Yobot, ArthurBot, Xqbot, SassoBot, AdalCobos, FrescoBot, Anizotropia, I dream of horses,
    Jethwarp, Amiyanshu, Onel5969, Income4all, Rcsprinter123, Nayansatya, Tatufan, Frietjes, Helpful Pixie Bot, BG19bot, PhnomPencil,
    JaQueeta, CitationCleanerBot, MBH110, Saileshpat, Noble-facts, LadyJaQueeta, Prince.Google, Lk56835, Dhruvjeet Roy, Filedelinkerbot, TDickinson and Anonymous: 44

    8.2

    Images

    File:AUM_symbol,_the_primary_(highest)_name_of_the_God_as_per_the_Vedas.svg Source:
    wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Om_symbol.svg License: Public domain Contributors: ? Original artist: ?

    https://upload.wikimedia.org/

    File:Commons-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg License: ? Contributors: ? Original


    artist: ?
    File:Goddess_Kali_By_Piyal_Kundu1.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Goddess_Kali_By_Piyal_
    Kundu1.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Piyal Kundu
    File:Om.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Om_symbol.svg License: Public domain Contributors: ?
    Original artist: ?
    File:Wikibooks-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Wikibooks-logo.svg License: CC BY-SA 3.0
    Contributors: Own work Original artist: User:Bastique, User:Ramac et al.
    File:Wikinews-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Wikinews-logo.svg License: CC BY-SA 3.0
    Contributors: This is a cropped version of Image:Wikinews-logo-en.png. Original artist: Vectorized by Simon 01:05, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
    Updated by Time3000 17 April 2007 to use ocial Wikinews colours and appear correctly on dark backgrounds. Originally uploaded by
    Simon.
    File:Wikiquote-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg License: Public domain
    Contributors: ? Original artist: ?
    File:Wikisource-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg License: CC BY-SA 3.0
    Contributors: Rei-artur Original artist: Nicholas Moreau
    File:Wikiversity-logo-Snorky.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Wikiversity-logo-en.svg License:
    CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Snorky
    File:Wiktionary-logo-en.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Wiktionary-logo-en.svg License: Public
    domain Contributors: Vector version of Image:Wiktionary-logo-en.png. Original artist: Vectorized by Fvasconcellos (talk contribs),
    based on original logo tossed together by Brion Vibber

    8.3

    Content license

    Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0

    You might also like

    pFad - Phonifier reborn

    Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

    Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


    Alternative Proxies:

    Alternative Proxy

    pFad Proxy

    pFad v3 Proxy

    pFad v4 Proxy