Tara (Devi)
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Tara lithograph
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| Devanagari | तारा |
| Sanskrit transliteration | Tārā |
| Affiliation | Mahavidyas, Devi |
| Planet | Bṛhaspati |
| Mantra |
oṁ aīṁ hrīṁ strīṁ tārāyai hūṁ phaṭ svāhā (the above is her most important mantra as Dasa Mahavidya) oṁ tāre tuttāre ture svāhā ( This was given by a famous Tara worshiper and it is also known as a powerful mantra for making her manifest before her worshiper . ) |
| Weapon | Khadga, Sword |
| Consort | Shiva |
oṁ aīṁ hrīṁ strīṁ tārāyai hūṁ phaṭ svāhā (the above is her most important mantra as Dasa Mahavidya)
In Hinduism, the goddess Tara; meaning "One who protects", is the second of the Dasa (ten) Mahavidyas or "Great Wisdom [goddesses]", and is a form of Shakti (primeval energy in female form). Tantric manifestations of Durga or Mahadevi, or Parvati. The word 'Tara', and also 'Tarini' (another popular name of the goddess) have been derived from the Sanskrit root syllable 'tAr', signifying protection. In many other contemporary Indian languages, the word 'tara' also means star. As the star is seen as a beautiful but perpetually self-combusting thing, so Tara is perceived at core as the absolute, unquenchable hunger that propels all life.
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, Kali's 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-à-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.
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