Homage to the Twenty-One Taras

Audio: download mp3 (3 minutes)
recorded by Sravasti Abbey Sangha April 2010
The homage is chanted before breakfast each morning at Sravasti Abbey. Breakfast is then offered to the Three Jewels by chanting om ah hum three times and reciting the last three verses of the food offering prayer.

OM I prostrate to the noble transcendent liberator.

1. Homage to Tara swift and fearless
   With eyes like a flash of lightning
   Lotus-born in an ocean of tears
   Of Chenrezig, three worlds' protector.
   
   
2. Homage to you whose face is like
   One hundred autumn moons gathered
   And blazes with the dazzling light
   Of a thousand constellations.
   
   
3. Homage to you born from a gold-blue lotus
   Hands adorned with lotus flowers
   Essence of giving, effort and ethics,
   Patience, concentration and wisdom.
   
   
4. Homage to you who crown all Buddhas
   Whose action subdues without limit
   Attained to every perfection
   On you the bodhisattvas rely.
   
   
5. Homage to you whose TUTTARA and HUM
   Fill the realms of desire, form and space
   You crush seven worlds beneath your feet
   And have power to call all forces.
   
   
6. Homage to you adored by Indra,
   Agni, Brahma, Vayu and Ishvara
   Praised in song by hosts of spirits,
   Zombies, scent-eaters and yakshas.
   
   
7. Homage to you whose TREY and PEY
   Destroy external wheels of magic
   Right leg drawn in and left extended
   You blaze within a raging fire.
   
   
8. Homage to you whose TURE destroys
   The great fears, the mighty demons
   With a wrathful frown on your lotus face
   You slay all foes without exception.
   
   
9. Homage to you beautifully adorned
   By the Three Jewels' gesture at your heart
   Your wheel shines in all directions
   With a whirling mass of light.
   
   
10. Homage to you, radiant and joyful
    Whose crown emits a garland of light
    You, by the laughter of TUTTARA
    Conquer demons and lords of the world.
    
    
11. Homage to you with power to invoke
    The assembly of local protectors
    With your fierce frown and vibrating HUM
    You bring freedom from all poverty.
    
    
12. Homage to you with crescent moon crown
    All your adornments dazzling bright
    From your hair-knot Amitabha
    Shines eternal with great beams of light.
    
    
13. Homage to you who dwells in a blazing wreath
    Like the fire at the end of this age
    Your right leg outstretched and left drawn in
    Joy surrounds you who defeats hosts of foes.
    
    
14. Homage to you whose foot stamps the earth
    And whose palm strikes the ground by your side
    With a wrathful glance and the letter HUM
    You subdue all in the seven stages.
    
    
15. Homage to the blissful, virtuous, peaceful one
    Object of practice, nirvana's peace
    Perfectly endowed with SOHA and OM
    Overcoming all the great evils.
    
    
16. Homage to you with joyous retinue
    You subdue fully all enemies’ forms
    The ten-letter mantra adorns your heart
    And your knowledge-HUM gives liberation.
    
    
17. Homage to TURE with stamping feet
    Whose essence is the seed-letter HUM
    You cause Meru, Mandara and Vindya
    And all three worlds to tremble and shake.
    
    
18. Homage to you who holds in your hand
    A moon like a celestial lake
    Saying TARA twice and the letter PEY
    You dispel all poisons without exception.
    
    
19. Homage to you on whom the kings of gods
    The gods themselves and all spirits rely
    Your armor radiates joy to all
    You soothe conflicts and nightmares as well.
    
    
20. Homage to you whose eyes, the sun and moon,
    Radiate with pure brilliant light
    Uttering HARA twice and TUTTARA
    Dispels extremely fearful plagues.
    
    
21. Homage to you, adorned with three natures
    Perfectly endowed with peaceful strength
    You destroy demons, zombies and yakshas
    O TURE, most exalted and sublime!

Thus the root mantra is praised
And twenty-one homages offered.

Tara's mantra:
om tare tuttare ture soha (repeat 7 times)