Tara
Every question on the site tagged Tara, each answered from a timestamped source rather than a summary written from memory.
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One of the ten Mahavidyas, associated with guidance, protection, and crossing over difficulty.
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What scriptural authority establishes Shaiva-Shakta-Vaishnava unity?
The Devi Purana, compiled by Maharshi Vedavyasa, establishes that Shiva and Parvati manifest in unified divine forms, and that Shiva Himself manifested as Radha while Krishna and Supreme Divinity remain non-different — so creating a hierarchy between Shaiva, Shakta, and Vaishnava paths lacks scriptural foundation.
What are the wearing and maintenance rules for the Tara Raksha Sutra?
Men and unmarried individuals wear it on the right wrist, married women on the left; it need not be removed during birth/death impurity, but if exposed should be cleaned with Gangajal, Panchagavya, or Panchamrita before being shown incense/lamp and re-worn.
What is the relationship between Goddess Tara and the power of Shri Ram?
Goddess Tara is the foremost power associated with Lord Ram in both Stotra methods — Maharshi Vashistha, the family guru, transmitted Ram's power through her as a Mahavidya form of Jagadamba, so worshipping her alongside any hymn activates a divine energy within it.
Why is Chaitra Navratri particularly divine for attaining this Siddhi?
Ram Navami falls during chaitra-navratri, and Tara Navami falls on the same day — since Goddess Tara was the primary deity worshipped by Ram's family guru, and through her grace Ram activated his powers in human form, performing this Siddhi alongside both powers and one's family deity brings immense grace.
What is the three-lamp worship setup on Pratipada?
Light three separate lamps on Pratipada — for the family deity (Kuldevi), for Lord Ram, and for Goddess Tara — kept distinct from any continuous flame (Akhand Jyot) or witness lamp (Karmasakshi Deepak) already burning.
The third lamp receives fragrance, unbroken rice and flowers in the names of Ugratara, Ekajata and Nila Saraswati
At the third lamp, offer fragrance, unbroken rice, and flowers in the names of Tara's three primary Tantric forms — Ugratara (invoking full recitation capability), Ekajata, and Nila Saraswati.
Five oblations of guggul are offered for each of Tara's three names, spoken in the dative form
Five oblations of guggul are offered for each of Tara's three names in the dative form: 'Shri Ugratarayai Svaha', 'Shri Ekajatayai Svaha', and 'Shri Nilasarasvatyai Svaha'.
What authorization is required before installing high-potency deity forms like the Mahavidyas at home?
Fierce or high-potency forms such as Tara or Chhinnamasta require lineage authority (Guru Diksha) and proper ritual grounds — installing them in an ordinary household without this can cause severe imbalances evaluated over a roughly 12-year cycle.
Why do sadhaks gather at Tarapith on Bhadrapada Amavasya?
The speaker says that all the sadhaks, regional tantriks and followers of these vidyas across West Bengal, Assam, Nagaland and the adjoining areas of Bangladesh come without fail to Tarapith on the Amavasya tithi of Bhadrapada Maas. They come to do sadhana in the Mahashmashan, to awaken their vidyas there, to sit and perform anushthan and Purashcharana, and to have darshan of Bhagavati Mahavidya Tara. He notes that this day is not Tara Jayanti, yet it carries great weight in Tantrokta sadhana.
Which Shakti Peeths to visit on Aghor Amavasya or Tara Amavasya?
The speaker asks that in the coming years, whenever the tithi of Aghor Amavasya or Mahavidya Tara Amavasya falls and conditions are normal, sadhaks try to go to a Shakti Peeth near them — especially one where Bhagavati's shaktis are Tantrokta or where her seva-puja and sadhana are done by the Vamachara method. He names Kamrup Kamakhya, Bhagavati Mahavidya Tarapith in Birbhum (West Bengal), Rajrappa in Jharkhand, a peeth of Mahavidya Tara in Bihar, and any other popularly known peeth worshipped by tantrokta method. Go and mark your presence there on this day, he says, and many of your stalled works will be completed.
Why is having a Guru essential when undertaking the Mahavidya sadhana path?
Progressing in Bhakti without a Guru is possible only with peaceful deities and standard disciplines that carry no adverse rebound; Mahavidya worship such as Goddess Chhinnamasta requires mandatory preliminary sadhanas, and initiation itself varies by lineage and mantra even within worship of the same Devi.
Why is Mother Tara depicted holding scissors or cutters in her iconography?
Her Dhyana mantras describe various weapons — such as Bhushundi, Katari, and scissors — symbolizing the severance of worldly attachments and ignorance.
Who is Akshobhya Bhairava, and what is his significance in Tantra?
Akshobhya Bhairava is the consort/Bhairava associated with Devi Tara Mahavidya, representing the unshakeable, undisturbed aspect of Lord Shiva — prominent shrines exist at Tarapith (Rampurhat), the Tibet/China border, and in Bihar.
What distinguishes the Garuda, Nandi, and Simha bells, and when should bells not be rung?
The Garuda bell presents the Samaveda's vibration to the deity even for a devotee who knows no Vedic chants; the Simha Ghanta is restricted to specific esoteric lineages; bells are traditionally not rung after 8:00 PM in domestic worship (except in perpetual temple worship), and not rung at all during certain esoteric night rituals like Tara worship.
Does a person's rashi restrict which Mahavidya they may practise?
No. Asked whether a Scorpio may perform Ma Tara's sadhana, the speaker says rashi has nothing to do with sadhana, and nothing to do with the sadhana of the Mahavidyass in particular — it is considered only for the subsidiary and limb shaktis within the great powers.
Who is forbidden even the touch of Tulsi?
Take the wearing of Tulsi: someone initiated into the kula of Bhagavati Tara, he says — if someone is initiated in that parampara, then for them what is Ekadashi and what is Tulsi ji. As for Tulsi ji, if someone is initiated in the Vamachara vidhi, then for them even the touch of Tulsi ji is forbidden; they are not to touch the wood of Tulsi, especially if they wear a Mahamari mala and the like. There the niyam becomes different.
On which deity vigrahas must the Mandar Vidya rudraksha mala never be placed?
Where Bhagavati Kali is concerned, if it is Dakshina Kalika and the like, they may be made to wear it. But if there is a Shri vigrah of Shamshan Kalika in your house and you are performing her pujan, or if you worship Bhagavati Tara and her Shri vigrah is present, then do not have this mala worn upon them. It will then become disordered and the matter becomes different. No harm will come to you, the speaker says, but even so a matter of dev dosha arises, because the mala will be a thing consecrated by the Mandar Vidya kalpa and the rest, and that is not to be put upon the other Mahavidyas in that way.
Why is it forbidden to keep photographs of the ten Mahavidyas at home?
A listener says that at home there is a photograph of the ten Mahavidyas along with Ma Kalika. If the ten Mahavidyas are separately there — Chhinnamastika Ma, Tara Ma with the khappar, and then Bhagavati Dhumavati — then that, he says, is exactly why keeping a photograph of the ten Mahavidyas has been forbidden.
Are there similar procedures for other Mahavidyas?
Yes — in this same manner there is some vidhi-vidhan for Bhagavati Chhinnamastika and for Tara as well, particular to women sadhikas, to matri sadhikas. But the speaker says it does not seem to him proper to discuss all these things publicly, because people will neither be initiated nor anything, and will straightaway begin doing them, and then difficulty follows. This much of the ordinary kind can be done, but it is only for those sadhikas who can do these things safely and soundly.
What is done at the kunds at Kamakhya?
At Kamakhya ji, at whichever kund among the Dasha Mahavidyas' kunds you can get to do japa with your hand placed in it. In the main Kamakhya kund a minute is practically impossible — only two or four seconds are had; but the other kunds are freer. Dhumavati Ma's kund will be found wholly empty; Ma Bhuvaneshwari's a little empty; Bhagavati Tara's stays entirely empty a great deal of the time.
Should elaichi be offered upon the kapur?
Elaichi should not be offered upon kapur, the speaker says. Elsewhere in the session he adds, naming another questioner, that elaichi is not to be offered on kapur — laung is to be offered.
Is Dhumavati sadhana for a householder?
To Dheeraj Saxena ji he says he always says this thing: Dhumavati sadhana is not for a householder at all. Do we not say so — we always say, brother, that that thing is not to be done. It is the gift of the business gurus that in house after house such people do Dhumavati sadhana, Matangi sadhana and all of it. Matangi sadhana, up to a limit, is all right; but her other forms too — the sadhana of all those is not this. Bhagavati Tara's sadhana, Ugra Tara's sadhana — all these things are not for the house, brother; so how can we tell it in the house, how can we tell someone to do what simply cannot be?
Not only those with a maran or mohini to perform: people working for the world's welfare also do shamshaan sadhana now, Tara's influence being at its fiercest.
No. It is not only those who have some maran or mohini to do, some spoiling to do, who perform this prayoga. People who are working for the welfare of the world also perform sadhana in shamshaans at this time for the good of society; and those who look for personal siddhi go to a Siddha Peeth or Shakti Peeth, because at this time the influence of Bhagavati Tara is at its fiercest.
It is an amrit kaal either way — to make a revenge bear fruit, or to quell it — Tara's form and her Bhairav both being called Akshobhya.
It is an amrit kaal either way. If you are holding a feeling of revenge and you want that revenge to bear fruit now, it is an amrit kaal for you. And if you want to quell that revenge, it is equally an amrit kaal for you — because the form of Jagadamba that is Bhagavati Tara is called Akshobhya, and her Bhairav is called Akshobhya.
She takes in poison of every kind without agitation, and a feeling of revenge is itself a poison; one's own karmas arrive as enemies.
Because without becoming agitated she takes in poison of every kind — and the feeling of revenge is itself a kind of poison within us. Our own karmas come before us having become our enemies, whether we know it or not, understand it or not.
She may destroy the enemy, or only the enmity in his mind and in one's own — which of the two depends on her, and on the surrender behind the asking.
It may be that Bhagavati destroys that enemy as well; or it may be that she destroys only the enmity within his mind and the enmity within our own. In both ways the quelling of the enemy can take place. Which of them it is depends on her, and also on what is running within our own mind — what kind of surrender there is, what feeling, what desire.
Whose aradhya was Bhagavati Tara?
You should all have this information, the speaker says: that Bhagavati Tara remained the aradhya of Maharshi Vashishtha ji, who is the kula guru of Bhagavan Shri Ram. It is by Vashishtha Muni that the upasana of Bhagavati Tara was first of all performed.
Cursed when the Vedokta vidhan yielded no siddhi, Bhagavati said no curse can touch her yet accepted it to keep his word's honour — then gave the Tantrokta upadesh.
When siddhi was not obtained by him through the Vedokta vidhan, he cursed Bhagavati. Jagadamba said that she is beyond curse and no curse can attach to her, but that even so, to keep the honour of his speech, she accepts the curse — and after that she gave him the Tantrokta upadesh.
Vashishtha went to Kamakhya and thereafter to Cheen — Tibet — and there did Tara's upasana by the Vamachara vidhi, receiving his boons and siddhi.
Vashishtha Muni went to Kamakhya, and thereafter to Cheen — the region that is Tibet — and there performed the upasana of Bhagavati Tara by the Tantrokta vidhi-vidhan, by the Vamachara vidhi. Then Bhagavati gave him the boons that were according to his mind, and bestowed siddhi and the rest upon him.
Shri Ram held Tara's mantras within his heart, and how his jata was bound is set out in the Sankarshan Tantra within the Vaishnav Tantra.
Bhagavan Shri Ram held the mantras of Tara herself within his heart. As for the jata that Shri Ram wears — the speaker points to the Sankarshan Tantra, which stands within the Vaishnav Tantra, and says that if you are within some guru parampara and that granth is present for you among the old and ancient texts, you will read in it how the jata is bound.
Why do Kaul and Shakta sadhaks wear ornaments in the jata?
Not merely to adorn themselves. However many sadhaks of the Kaul sampradaya there are, you will see that they wear ornaments and the like upon their jata as well; sadhaks of the Shakta sampradaya also adorn themselves. But that ornament was never merely for adorning, nor is it only that even now — siddhis of many kinds are held within the jata.
Vashishtha had accomplished that form for Ram, worn on his head for Ravana's slaying — and Nikumbhila, Ravana's aradhita, withdrew rather than stand before Tara.
The siddhi of that form was had performed for Shri Ram by Maharshi Vashishtha at the time of his avatar, and Ram wore it upon his head for the purpose of Ravana's slaying. It was on that very account that Bhagavati Nikumbhila — Ma Parvati in that form, who remained Ravana's aradhita — withdrew from there once Bhagavati Tara was present in Ram's jata before her. Nikumbhila did not protect him.
Which sadhanas use Bhagavati Tara's beej mantra?
Wherever a jata-related siddhi is performed, the contribution of Bhagavati Tara is the most important of all, and it is her siddhis and her mantras that are used. When you perform the prayoga of Chaur Ganapati and the like connected with some guru parampara, or are doing the sadhana of one of your Mahavidyas, or do japa of Kurukulla mantras — among the many mantras you will find there, the beej mantra connected with the jata will be the beej mantra of Bhagavati Tara alone.
Is Bhagavati Tara present in Kamakhya's upasana too?
Yes. If you go to perform upasana connected with Bhagavati Kamakhya, then from the Ekakshari onward as you begin to advance, if you are going in krama — although Bhagavati Kamakhya does not come within the Krama Vidya, being a svatantra vidya — Bhagavati Tara is somewhere fully included in those too. The form of Kamakhya is held to include three mahashaktis; even so, by various granths Tara is chiefly contained within her.
The Vishwa Virat darshan Krishna granted is held to have been shown by use of Bhagavati Tara's vidyas, Nara and Narayana standing as Krishna and Arjuna.
If it is looked at in that way, then in the avatar of Bhagavan Shri Krishna also — the darshan of the Vishwa Virat Swaroop that was caused to be had by Bhagavan Shri Krishna, in that too it has been held that he displayed that Vishwa Virat form of his by making use of the vidyas of Bhagavati Tara. Somewhere you will find it to read that it was Nara and Narayana who were present in the forms of Bhagavan Shri Krishna and Arjuna.
Tantra holds Tara's shakti contained in Krishna's mor pankh, always worn on his head — which the speaker marks as heard, not asserted on his own authority.
That in the kshetra of tantra it has been held that the shakti of Bhagavati Tara remains contained within his mor pankh, and that he always wore it upon his head. The speaker marks this explicitly as something he cannot say with authority — it is what he has heard, from scholars of this kind, in some portion of the upadesh concerning Bhagavati Tara.
Who should meditate on Bhagavati Tara?
All of them. In this manner Bhagavati Tara, becoming the ally of the many avatars of Bhagavan Narayana, has stood alongside them with her shaktis and has kept granting victory. Therefore whether you are Shakta, Shaiva or Vaishnava, you should all certainly meditate on Bhagavati Tara.
Must Bhagavati Tara be worshipped only by Vamachara?
It is not necessary that you perform the pujan of Bhagavati only by the Vamachara vidhi. What some people say wholly — that you cannot perform her pujan at home — that thing is right; but it cannot be said that her pujan will take place only and only by the Vamachara vidhi. To brush it aside altogether, that no, her pujan cannot happen at all by the Dakshinachara vidhi, is wrong to say.
Seva and puja by the Dakshinachara vidhi are open, but an anushthan of Bhagavati Tara and the japa of her mantras want a guru adesh.
It cannot be said in a wholesale way — you can do seva and puja by the Dakshinachara vidhi. But if you are performing an anushthan of Bhagavati Tara, then there should be a guru adesh in the matter: the most particular anushthan and the japa of her mantras you cannot do at home with freedom, freely of your own accord. For that an adesh is wanted.
Can the worship of Bhagavati Tara be undertaken without initiation?
If she is genuinely your Ishta Devata, take Deeksha and then perform it — and follow whatever your guru says.
The Ratri Suktam mantra may be recited under a Sankalp for Maa Tara
Yes — the Ratri Suktam mantra can absolutely be recited, taking a Sankalpa for the pleasure of Maa Tara.
Bhagavati Tara is worshipped only with formal initiation — never without Deeksha
Take Deeksha and perform it in the prescribed manner. Not without initiation.
What does Aghor Chaturdashi permit, and what does it not?
Hearing the word Aghor, we are not to perform any Tamasic worship, and this Navratri is not kept at home. The right to keep it belongs to the traditions in which it is kept, because many things in it cannot be done in a house. We should only do a special worship on the night the Chaturdashi holds.
What is Pratyangira, and does every shakti have one?
The speaker says Pratyangira is a krama vidya, and every shakti has her own Pratyangira. If you go looking on the internet you will find the Pratyangira of Bhagavati Bagla and Bhagavati Tara, and at most of Bhagavati Kali; the mool mantra of Bhagavati Durga you will obtain. Bhagavati Kamakhya too has her Pratyangira, and Bhagavan Shiva has his own.
The Khappar is offered in the name of the region's Shakti Peeth and its Bhairav
To the Shakti Peeth of your area and its Bhairav — Vimala and Jagannath in the Purushottam Kshetra, Kalighat's Kali with Nakuleshwar Bhairav in Calcutta, Tara with Akshobhya Bhairav near Tarapith — with the prayer that it reach your own Kuldevi.
The Navami is Ram Navami, and for Shaktas the Tara Navami on which a form of Bhagavati Tara manifested.
The Navami falling afterwards is Ram Navami, and especially for Shaktas it is the Tara Navami — the day on which, according to one kalpa bheda, a form of Bhagavati Tara manifested.
What is done on Tara Navami, and what can a householder do?
On Tara Navami they have been performing a separate one-day anushthan — for about two years now, he thinks — and it will be held separately again. He asks listeners to do it at their own homes as well, and if possible to certainly perform the vidhan of havan that day.
What is the mool trikon of Vindhyachal?
When you do the mool trikon, it is the darshan of the four main temples: leaving Vindhyachal you reach Kali Khoh directly — the other smaller places are all principal places too, but supposing you leave them all — you have darshan of Bhagavati Mahakali at Kali Khoh, darshan of Ashtabhuja, and darshan of Bhagavati Tara seated in the shamshaan, the mahashamshan, and then return to Bhagavati Vindhyavasini's temple and have her darshan there. That is the mool trikon.
What is at the shamshaan ghat leg of the brihad trikon?
Coming back from there, by way of Bhairav Kund, Machhindra Kund and Mangala Gauri, one reaches the shamshaan ghat: at the shamshaan ghat, Shamshaneshwar Mahadev, the Mahashamshan Bhairav of Shamshaneshwar, and the devatas present there — performing the pujan of Bhagavati Jagadamba Mahamai Tara — and then one returns, having darshan of Sankata Maa, of Sheetla Maa and of Bade Hanuman ji, to Bhagavati Vindhyavasini on the summit of the Vindhya mountain.
What was Kamrup Kamakhya once the chief place of?
In exactly that way, the speaker says, Bhagavati Kamrup Kamakhya is the chief Mahashakti, who is held to be the samyak swaroop of Bhagavati Kali and Tara; and the Kamrup Kamakhya kshetra was at one time the chief sadhan of Bhagavati Tripurasundari, of Shri Vidya. Because of fabricated things of this kind people fell away, a gap in knowledge-sharing was somewhere formed, and today people know that thing only for some other reason.
Does a janeu-wearing Brahmin cease to be a Brahmin on taking deeksha in the Kaul marg?
Asked whether a janeu-wearing Brahmin, on being initiated in the Kaul marg, is finished as a Brahmin on account of Panchamakara, the speaker exclaims and then answers: now tell me, who is a greater Brahmin than Bhagwan Rishi Vashishtha and Mata Arundhati? And Bhagwan Guru Vashishtha attained siddhi by worshipping Bhagavati Tara by the Vamachara paddhati. What more, he asks, is to be said than this.
Which Tara mantra should be recited, and is deeksha needed first?
Told that suddenly the light of the sun appeared in the head as though from fire and sleep broke, the speaker says control will come — everything will not happen in a single day, it will happen gradually; one will have to learn to control, and at the beginning things will be up and down and it will feel difficult. Asked which mantra of Mata Tara should be done japa of, he says japa of Mata Tara should be done only after taking deeksha.
When should a mala or yantra be dissolved, and what is Kamakhya's swaroop held to be?
Asked when a mala or yantra should be dissolved, the speaker says: if the mala breaks, or the yantra becomes broken, then. And Bhagavati Kamakhya, in one manner, has been held to be the mixed swaroop of Maa Kali and Tara; Kamakhya is in herself a Mahayogini and a distinct swaroop.
The Ravana story: Hanuman's one-letter change in the Argala mantra
The speaker tells the second account, from a Ramayana: Ravana was having a Chandika pujan of Bhagavati Tara performed with the Tara mantra embedded in the path. Hanuman, realising Ravana would become invincible on all sides if it were completed, took the form of a young Brahmin boy, a batuk, and pleaded with the aged Brahmins not to commit this wrong — if the rakshasa was to be ended, they should make a mistake. In the second mantra of the Argala, "jaya devi bhutartiharini", the syllable "ha" was changed to "ka", making it "bhutartikarini"; because the uccharan went wrong, Bhagavati grew angry and Ravana was destroyed. That, he says, is reckoned one of the causes.
The ordinary Avaran is learnt from Bhadrapada over roughly fifteen months, in forty-day mandalas, a beginner tarpaning all eight Shaktis with one mantra.
From Bhadrapada, at the Kalika and Tara Jayanti, the practitioner is set to learn the Avaran. The ordinary Avaran is learnt first, over roughly fifteen months, in forty-day mandalas — and where a Avaran holds eight Shaktis, a beginner may do the Tarpana and Marjana of all of them with one mantra together.
Which tantras are not for everyone?
Bhairav tantra is not for everyone, the speaker says, and the tantra of Bhagavati Tara is not for everyone. It is for this reason that he calls the root form of Bhagavati Kamakhya the best for householders.
Should the sadhana of Dhumavati and Tara be made easy?
He says that today even Dhumavati is being simplified, Bhagavati Tara is being simplified, everyone — with the claim that it is completely easy and can be done at home. These are all misleading talk, he says. By speaking that way and frightening people, people have been kept away from tantra; and about that which they should be brought near, no one will even go to discuss.
In what form did Bhagavati Tara appear to Bamakhepa?
When you read the life story of Bamakhepa ji, the speaker says, Bhagavati Tara was direct to him — but never in the form described in her dhyana mantra, with four hands, scissors in the hand, the mundmala, upon the shavasan. He asked to have her darshan in that manner; she said that if we manifest in that form you will not be able to bear that energy. He did not accept it, and when Maa began to assume that form his condition worsened and he began to lose consciousness; Maa came again in the mother form and protected him, set him right.
What is the positive side of Shani in the second bhava?
The greatest positive here, he says, is that if the sadhak has learnt to control his speech, and if he becomes the sadhak of any one of the three principal forms of Bhagavati Tara among the Mahavidyas, and Shani Deva is in the second bhava — then, brother, he will become a prachanda Tara sadhak.
Such a sadhak becomes the equal of Brihaspati, with great sharpness entering his vidya and buddhi.
If Jagadamba's kripa is such, then — as it is said that Bhagavati Tara is first of all connected with Brihaspati Deva — he will become the equal of the great Brihaspati. Great sharpness will come into his vidya and buddhi; he will not speak useless things. If he is silent, his capacity is increasing; if he is speaking, his capacity is increasing. Shani Deva, he says, brings about a capacity equal to Brihaspati himself in this place.
How should Tara's temples be served, and within what limit?
Where Bhagavati Tara's sadhana begins on the tantra marga — or generally, doing any form of Bhagavati, Ma Durga, Ma Kali, anyone — if one goes to the temples and sthaans of Bhagavati Tara and does her seva-puja, keeping to one's own kula parampara. Not by force, he warns: it is not that we are Brahmins in whose house meat and fish do not run at all, and we go and offer liquor. That is not to be done. Whatever the niti-niyam is; and if you do offer, then according to the niyam, and gladly, not against your own heart.
Pratyangira, Aghor Kali and Tara are handed out and taken up without fear
And some shouting siddh person gives you some dangerous thing to do — do Mahapratyangira, do Aghor Kali, do such and such, do Tara Mai — and you set about doing it and feel no distress in that, he says. So consider what you are doing, and then be afraid.
Which Mahavidya resides at Kamakhya?
The speaker says the Devi Purana Mahabhagavata describes Bhagavati Kalika, the principal of the ten Mahavidyass, as the one seated at Kamakhya in the Kamakhya form. Other tantra texts, he says, describe her as the combined form of Kali and Tara, and somewhere the description is of Ma Shodashi. His conclusion is that whichever of the ten Mahavidyas, or whichever form of the Devi, a person worships at home, they should hold the Ambubachi observance for that image in their house.
A shortcut offered at a holy site is an examination of the practitioner's surrender, not a deception.
Not a deception but an examination — a test of how firmly you hold to your own Ishta. Say plainly that crores of spirits want to reach her feet, so what would you do with one; you want Ma Bhavani. Pass that test and Bhavani grants grace.
After the garbhagriha one goes straight to the Tara pitha; each of the seven outer pithas has its own underground water source like Kamakhya's
You will take darshan inside of the chief pitha of Bhagavati Kamakhya, Ma Matangi and Bhagavati Kamala; then from the entrance gate you go straight for the darshan of the second pitha, which is Bhagavati Tara's. Just as Bhagavati Kamakhya is present in her cave with her red stone shila, from which the water issues and of which you do achaman, in exactly the same way all the seven pithas that are present also have this underground water source there, and water keeps coming out of itself.
Camphor is lit at every pitha as in the Vindhyachal trikon, and flowers are bought separately for each pitha on the way to Kali
The pitha now seen is Bhagavati Tara's, and just as we light camphor while performing the trikon at Vindhyachal, so here too — and those who are connected with Grihastha Tantra in particular, who always listen and know it all, will in the same way light camphor at all the pithas here. Before going on to Bhagavati Kali's pitha, they buy some flowers separately for each of the pithas, for pushpa and shringar.
The three Mahavidyas of the garbhagriha are counted as one pitha, Tara as the second and Kali as the third
After the darshan of Bhagavati Tara comes the pitha of Bhagavati Kali, and this is the third pitha. First, second and third — if ten pithas are reckoned, then three pithas were in Bhagavati's chief garbhagriha, present right there, but we are treating them as one pitha only. In that way there will be ten pithas. After that, the second pitha was Bhagavati Tara's and the third is Bhagavati Kali's.
Each of the fifteen shlokas of the Ratri Sukta has its own presiding Shakti among the Mahavidyas
A video on the channel sets out the whole prescription of all the Ratri Sukta's shlokas — fifteen in particular — according to each of the Mahavidyas, because Bhagavati Tara and Bhagavati Kali all have their special place in it. Each shloka has its own separate presiding Shakti. Perform their Anushthan at night, after nine.
Durga, Kala Kali and Tara are placed on a par with the sadhana of Ma Vindhyavasini
He tells the same listener to do the sadhana of Ma Bhagavati Durga; on a par with the sadhana of Ma Vindhyavasini, to do that of Bhagavati Kala Kali, and to do that of Bhagavati Tara.
The power is obtained by befriending a Sanatani guru, serving him and taking diksha from him
He says they befriend a pure Sanatani guru who has shakti and samarthya, serve him, take Diksha from him and are made to perform sadhanas — and that the sadhaks of that level have always performed the sadhana of two mahashaktis: first Bhagavati Tara and second Bhagavati Shamshan Kali.
Tara and Bhagavati Shamshan Kali are the root of those mantras in ninety per cent of cases
He says that there, generation upon generation, the dead of ten and twenty and no one knows when remain living — kept so by the same people through mantra bala; and the root of that mantra will be Tara and Bhagavati Shamshan Kali in a maximum of ninety per cent of cases. They can never do it with Hanuman ji, he says; they will do it only with Ma, and it is these tantratmak forms of Ma that they use with authority in mleccha tantra.
In what circumstance and on which mantra are the ten samskaras actually done?
The speaker turns the question around. People are nowadays doing much japa of Bhagavati Tara's mantra, as they were doing Bhagavati Bagla's in between. Suppose you feel a mantra is not giving effect. One channel on YouTube says do the japa of this mantra of Bhagavati Tara; another channel says that if a mantra is not giving effect, do its ten samskaras. But neither of the two is telling you whose samskara must never be done. Will the mantra you are doing japa of ever take a samskara? Which mantra is it — a devata's, a Mahavidya's, a devi's, a yogini's? Of which kul? In which kul is the samskara done in which way? Is it the same for all?
Who is the kuldevi of the Vashishtha gotra?
Asked who the kul devi and kul dev of the Vashishtha gotra are, he answers that according to his knowledge the kuldevi of the Vashishtha gotra is chiefly Bhagavati Tara in three forms, and that she has come to be worshipped in some one of those three forms, or through some yogini of hers.
Bamakhepa urinated upon the murti of Bhagavati Tara and Jagadamba still fed him by her own hand
If you wish to carry the Sanatan culture forward, carry it correctly; he says he will never agree with those who talk nonsense, and that too about Vedokta things. Now Bamakhepa is called Mahaguru in the tantra kshetra — he used to urinate upon the murti of Bhagavati Tara and throw the food away, and yet Jagadamba, the Mahamai, was so gracious that she would come and feed him with her own hand. Is there such capacity in his disciples, he asks; if they too were to say we will do this thing in this manner according to our guru, is there that much capacity? They will not remain fit for anything.
Can Bhagavati Tara's sadhana be done at home like any other?
The speaker says people now ask about the sadhana of Bhagavati Tara as though it were the easiest thing; everyone knows it should not be done, but they are being convinced that Bhagavati is very gentle, that Bhagavati is full of maternal love, so why can you not do it at home. His answer: if it were so that everyone could do this swaroop, could do it at home, then why did Bhagavati go and sit in the shamshan? Why is her swaroop properly connected with the shamshan? Why does Parvati ji not go and sit in the shamshan then, why does Durga ji not sit in the shamshan, why is Taramai seated in the shamshan?
Every swaroop has a reason behind it, and tantra cannot be made right by turning it all into philosophy
There is a reason, the speaker says: how does a shava asana become a Shiva asana? How does Brahma ji become the lotus, when does he become it, for whom and when does Bhagavati make him so, and why did this become necessary? Why has Jagadamba gone towards the two-syllabled and the three-syllabled? There is a reason behind it, and you cannot make everything right merely by giving it this philosophy. If you put every single thing of tantra into philosophy — that no, this is tantra philosophy, according to it this and according to it that — that, he says, is not right. Behind every swaroop there is some reason or other.
Why is Jagadamba seated on the chita with Akshobhya Shiva?
When Jagadamba has taken Akshobhya Shiva into her lap, the speaker asks, why has she taken him seated in the shamshan? Why has she not taken him seated in a palace, on a jewelled throne? Why has she gone right up to the pyre and sat there, why has she sat upon the chita itself? There is a reason behind this swaroop, and so it cannot be done. Those who will not accept it can bring their own abundant proof that it certainly can be done — then certainly do it, he says.
Tara Shatnam Stotra and havan: only for the initiated
Asked under which name to do the havan at home after japa of Bhagavati Tara's Shatnam Stotra, the speaker says to do that stotra only if you hold Diksha; otherwise offer the japa and its samarpan at a Shiva or Bhagavati temple. Her Havan vidhi is somewhat Ugra — it is not certain that only ordinary energy is projected — and when you do her havan her shaktis and attendants come, so without that preparation there will be trouble.
Maha Pratyangira: the root of every Pratyangira form
The speaker says to always remember that Bhagavati Pratyangira is no ordinary shakti-punj of Bhagavati but an ati-ugra, ugratam form; if Maha Pratyangira joins in as well, she becomes extremely ugra. Bhagavati Maha Mahapratyangira is the root form that manifests the Pratyangira form of every shakti there is, which is why Pratyangira is not only one — there is Bagla Pratyangira, Tara Pratyangira and so on. If the pujan-anushthan of Maha Pratyangira is joined with any of these, it becomes maha-ugra. So do not tamper with these shaktis; follow the vidhi and rules. Wearing her kavach carries no dosha, but its proper japa is for those who are authorised.
Which tithi to begin Tara or Batuk Bhairav sadhana?
The speaker says that for Bhagavati Tara take either Navami or Chaturdashi — the Krishna Paksha Navami or Chaturdashi. For Bhairav ji there is the monthly Kalashtami vrat, the Ashtami of the Krishna Paksha.
Tara Stotram sadhana of 43 days: only after diksha
Asked what to do on the last day of a 43-day Tara Ma Stotram, the speaker says he always tells people that all such sadhana of Tara Ma is to be done after taking Diksha. He has never discussed a 43- or 41-day sadhana on this channel, so learn the complete vidhi from wherever you took it — from your guru or guide. Tara is not a game; Bhagavati Tara, the tantric form of Kamakhya Mai, Bhagavati Dhumavati and Tripura Bhairavi are no joke.
Does Ma Tara's name within Sitaram japa count as her nama-japa?
A listener asks whether, since Ma Tara's name occurs within the japa of Sitaram, that too will be counted as her nama-japa. The speaker says it absolutely will, and calls it a tremendous question.
Why do sadhaks keep being drawn to whichever form is in fashion?
He says there is attraction in every form: whichever form of Bhagavati you come to know about, the attraction toward it will increase. At one time people were drawn to Bhagavati Pitambara, and still are; but now, he says, the one whose podcast has gone viral is a sadhak of Bhagavati Tara, and so people are now being drawn toward Tara Maai. This thing within you, he says, at least keep it limited. Be devoted to your own aradhya.
How are the different forms of Bhagavati related to one another?
They are all one, he says; they are not separate. Maa Parvati is the one who is in the mool form: she herself becomes Kali, she herself becomes Bhagavati Tara. According to the time she assumes that very form. She herself becomes Bhagavati Chhinnamastika, along with Jaya and Vijaya, where Jaya and Vijaya become Dakini and Shakini — there she becomes Bhagavati Chhinnamastika.
Social media is Rahu, and each devata moves by his own rules
He says that each devata moves according to his own rules. Understand this subject, and then this whole thing that comes — that just now it is Chhinnamastika, just now Bhagavati Tara, just now Tripur Bhairavi. The field of social media, he says, is called Rahu, brother. Everyone will know this much. And ninety-nine percent of people take Rahu only in the negative, saying that Rahu suddenly gives a great deal and suddenly snatches a great deal away and gives delusion — they carry only this.
What if you want to go into the vam paddhati and know nothing?
If you want to go further into the vam paddhati and you know nothing, then nothing has to be done, he says: wherever in the whole of India you are, do the puja of Vamakhepa. Not very much has to be done — do his dhyan in the form of guru, do his puja, pray to him. He is careful to add that he is not saying you will get diksha of Bhagavati Mahavidya Tara and be initiated into that parampara. No.
Which Mahavidya should a worshipper of Hanuman ji and Ram ji do?
You can do puja connected with any Mahavidya at all, he answers; it is not that you will select only one. If you are asking in that way, then you can do that of Bhagavati Mahavidya Tara sattvically, reciting her Ashtakshari and so on, or you can do that of Bhagavati Kamala. In an ordinary way, if you want a Mahavidya, you can do Bhagavati Kamala or Bhagavati Mahavidya Tara; but in any case you can do any of them.
Which is Sri Krishna's mool shakti?
Narendra Meena ji asks a very good question, he says, noting that in one of his videos he had said that Sri Ram's mool shakti is Ma Tara. It will surprise you to know, he answers, that in the vishwa swaroop darshan which Bhagavan Sri Krishna gave, the grace of Bhagavati Mahavidya Tara has somewhere been at work; Bhagavati Mahavidya Tara is the root yaugik shakti behind the darshan of the Bhagavan's virat form. And lifelong, by the grace of Bhagavati Vindhyavasini, it is held that Sri Krishna in his avatar was most able of all in generating maya.
Do shaktis really come in bodily form in this age?
They absolutely come in bodily form in this age, the speaker answers, but the form is very often not according to the Vedic description, because none of us in this age has the capacity to bear the tej of the Vedic form. He tells how Vama Khepa insisted with Bhagavati Tara that she show him the form imagined in the Vedic dhyan mantra if that was her real form.
Is there a simple path of upasana for Ma Tara?
There is no simple path of upasana of Ma Tara, the speaker answers. Ordinary dhoop and deep you may do, or if you are a resident of her kshetra you may do it. But she is fully the chhatra shakti of tantra, and her complete puja happens only by the tantrokta vidhan. Maharshi Vashishtha too did not attain siddhi by the Vedic way; only when he did her sadhana and upasana with the fifth makara, that is by the tantrokta method, did he attain siddhi.
What should someone do whose Shani sits in the second house, without any initiation?
The Tara answer given in the Shani live was specific to that context. Where a Dasha or Mahadasha is running, Deepdaan for Bhagavati may be done. Best of all, with no Deeksha, is service and worship of Bhagavati Durga — in which the presence of all ten Mahavidyas comes about — or of Bhagavati Kamakhya.
By what names is this Amavasya known in Bengal?
The whole region of Bengal and Bangladesh knows it by the names Tara Chaturdashi, Aghor Amavasya, Aghor Chaturdashi and the like. And take it as settled, he says, that as the pujan of Bhagavati Kalika is done through the whole Bengal region on the night of Diwali, so on the Bhadrapada Amavasya and on the night of the Chaturdashi, whatever pujan-paath there is related to Bhagavati Tara takes place on this very night.
Which are the two chief nights of Bhagavati Tara in the year?
One is the night of Ram Navami: on the day the Navami of the month of Chaitra is in effect, at the middle of the night, is the birth of Bhagavan Shri Ram, and that night hour has been held to be Tara Jayanti, Tara Navami. And after that, the second night held to be Bhagavati Tara's chief night is the Chaturdashi and Amavasya of Bhadrapada. On these two days special sadhanas related to Bhagavati Tara are done in these regions.
Whose name is used for shraap vimochan in Tara's siddhi?
Whenever you perform the siddhi of Bhagavati Tara, he says, then whenever the prayoga of shraap vimochan is made in it, it is from Bhagavan Vashishtha alone — from Maharshi Vashishtha alone — that it is chiefly done.
What is the greatest mark of Bhagavati Tara's swaroop?
Every swaroop Bhagavati has taken has its own greatness, he says, and none can ever be called greater or lesser. The greatest greatness of this swaroop is that when Bhagavan Mahadev drank the poison and began to become unbalanced, Bhagavati took the swaroop of Tara and, taking Mahadev in the form of a child, gave him milk from her breast. Here she became the mother-swaroop of Mahadev, and on that account the halahal poison came to be situated in his throat — she it was who made it stambhita in the throat.
Her Bhairav is Akshobhya Shiva, who can never be made kshobhit — and blunted intellects cannot hold it
In this swaroop Bhagavati Tara is in a manner even the maternal swaroop of Mahadev; those whose intellect is blunted will not be able to understand these subjects, and it is for this very reason that it is kept secret. In the Vang bhoomi these things have great importance. Here Bhagavan has become Bhairav in the form of Akshobhya Shiva, Akshobhya Bhairav — he who can never be made kshobhit, to whom kshobha can never be given, to whom sorrow and distress can never come.
How does shraap vimochan differ in Tara tantra from the usual formula?
Ordinarily, when we do shraap vimochan, Brahma, Vashishtha and Vishwamitra do it. But when one goes into the Tara tantra — when a paath is samputit with the mool beej mantras and the rest of Bhagavati Tara, especially the complete tantrokta paath — then in it, instead of saying Brahma, Vashishtha, Vishwamitra, the prayoga of shraap vimochan is done in relation to Vashishtha ji alone in particular.
Which shaktis stand under Bhagavati Tara's control?
Exactly in the same way, related to Akshobhya Shiva and related to Maharshi Vashishtha, there is a tantra related to Bhagavati Tara — in which, especially, those shaktis which are under control nowhere else are under the control of Bhagavati Tara.
What is said about Shri Krishna and Mahavidya Tara?
It is said, he reports, that Bhagavan Shri Krishna became capable of showing the darshan of the Vishwa swaroop by the grace of Mahavidya Tara alone. Now if you are a Vaishnava, understand it as you will — but in the Shakta sampradaya all these things have very great importance, and none can ever be held separate from another.
What should you do on that night if a mantra you have long been doing gives no effect?
If for a very long time you have been performing the siddhi of any mantra — siddhi meaning that you want its effect and the effect is not coming — then on this day there is no need for you to install a swaroop of Bhagavati Tara before Bhagavati Durga. Within Bhagavati Durga the ten Mahavidyas are established; within Bhagavati Parvati all the shaktis are established; all are her own swaroops.
What is the minimum for someone in very great distress on these nights?
Especially for those in whose lives there are very special kinds of calamity, very great distress, where the situation feels altogether unbearable — in these two or three days, taking it as Trayodashi, Chaturdashi and Amavasya, if they can do nothing else, then after nine at night, remembering the names of both Bhagavati Tara and Akshobhya Shiva, lighting one or two lamps, a joint lamp, of mustard oil with a red-coloured wick, and remembering Bhagavati, they should simply do the paath of the Durga Sahasranama.
Sattvik food by day, then a lamp each for Tara and Akshobhya Shiva at night
On that day, in the daytime, eat and drink whatever is to be eaten — but ordinary sattvik food only. At night, after bathing, light one lamp each for Bhagavati Tara and for their Bhairav who is Akshobhya Shiva, sit before them, and do the chalisa paath by the chakra vidhi.
Can an unmarried person take Tara diksha, and can the unmarried go to Tarapith?
A listener asks whether, being unmarried, he can take Tara diksha, whether Kali herself is Mata Tara, and whether the unmarried may go to Tarapith. Why can you not go, he answers — do go, certainly. And as for being unmarried, tomorrow you will marry. He then states clearly that the pujan of Bhagavati Tara is done wholly by tantrokta vidhi-vidhan, that her puja happens by the Vamachar paddhati, and that she has been said to be above the Veda.
What happened when Vashishtha attempted her by the Vaidik marga?
When Maharshi Vashishtha made the attempt to accomplish her by the Vaidik marga, that siddhi simply did not take place, he says. Then he too went into the region of Kamarupa Kamakhya, and after that to the Tara Peeth that is in Cheen — which, as things now are, has gone into China, into Tibet. So this is wholly tantra vidya; be initiated into it after thinking and understanding.
Does the fact that Bengalis do it make it applicable to you?
You have to marry later, he says, so do not now forget that the people of Bengal do it. He says again and again that according to the region, the rules apply to those people of that region accordingly. If you do not belong there, then the matter becomes different.
Can the sahasra japa purashcharan of Maa Tara's Ashtottar Shatnam be done at home?
Yes, it can be done, there is no difficulty, he says. Do it before Bhagavati; there is no need to install her swaroop — you may do the anushthan before that very swaroop of Bhagavati which you have kept.
How is the Tara stotra to be made siddh?
Asked to tell the vidhi for making the Mata Tara stotra siddh, he says: of the Tara stotra, brother, we cannot tell. Do not do all these things very much at home. Do it up to a limit, as much as has been told.
What is the simple seva of Neel Saraswati?
Bhagavati Tara herself is Maa Neel Saraswati, he says; the whole time is hers alone — Aghor Amavasya, Aghor Chaturdashi. Speaking straight, he says only this much, Anand Bhaskar ji: in a simple vidhi-vidhan you may do the ordinary paath of her stotra and the like. If you want her seva in a special vidhi-vidhan, then in an ordinary way it will simply not be possible, however much you do it, because things will then have to be kept according to her.
Did the great siddhas display their siddhis?
If you wish to do the sadhana properly again, then take its diksha and do it; then it will be proper, and receive that mantra from the mouth of some guru. Become Shakta-initiated. Here, without diksha, Bhagavati herself is said to be announcing that siddhi has occurred. The speaker says he knows this may offend and apologises in advance, and that many try to troll him for speaking on such matters — but the subject becomes one of manipulating people, because after hearing this fifty more will say the same happened to them, and a state of confusion is created.
A mahapurush of one's own region worshipped as guru before the 36-akshari
The speaker says that whatever the reason a person wants to jap the 36-akshari mantra of Bhagavati Pitambara, even having been moved by someone's video about its effect on an enemy or vichar trouble that is also in their own life, they should first do the sadhana of a worthy mahapurush of their own region who is worshipped in the form of a Guru. For Bengal he names Ramakrishna Paramhans and Maa Sarada; for going further into the tantra field without a worthy guru, Bama Khepa, whose name-japa alone is enough. He says "Jai Guru Jai Tara", which everyone in Bengal says, can itself be carried as the mantra; a mantra need not come from a mouth, one carries their kripa.
What should one do after returning from Tarapith having been insulted?
Ajay ji, having been insulted, returned — a mistake occurred. Go again to Tarapith now, he says. She is the Mother; she will relent.
Tara's name comes from a root meaning "to deliver"; she is worshipped in three forms by Hindu and Buddhist tantriks alike, with Tarapith her most famous seat.
Tara, whose name derives from a root meaning "to deliver" or "protect," is depicted in three main forms — Ekajata, Nilasaraswati, and Ugratara — and is worshipped by both Hindu and Buddhist tantric practitioners, with Tarapith in Bengal home to her most famous temple.
What did Krishna do at Sandipani's ashram, and who are nara and Narayan?
At the ashram of the maharshi he attained as much as his yoga-nishtha and samarthya allowed, the speaker says, and through the sadhana of Bhagavati Tara — Jagadamba Mahamaya Mahavidya Tara — he composed a leela of holding the shakti of the world. In its root he also showed that this is the avatar of nara and Narayan: Krishna is the avatar of Narayan, Arjuna of nara — and nara descends from the amsha of Indra.
What is the account of Maharshi Vashishtha and Bhagavati Tara?
The matter arises, he says, of Maharshi Vashishtha having cursed Bhagavati Tara because siddhi was not attained. Vashishtha, he says, belongs to Treta or even before it — his sadhana of Bhagavati Tara began a few moments before the transition period between the end of one yuga and the start of the next, the supt pralaya state said to last a thousand divine years, a calculation he says he cannot recall and apologises for.
What curse did Vashishtha lay, and what did Bhagavati answer?
When the siddhi of Jagadamba Bhagavati Mahavidya Tara was not attained, he says, Vashishtha Muni cursed her: go, you too will not become siddha to anyone. Bhagavati then manifested and said that he had done this wrongly — it will not happen in this manner, we cannot be attained by this marga.
How was Vashishtha's curse on Bhagavati Tara eventually removed?
Directed by Bhagavati, Vashishtha went by the Chinachara krama to the place in the Tibet region where the first presence of Mahavidya Tara was established, learnt her entire subject and paddhati there, and performed her siddhi by vamamargi sadhana. The curse he had laid was undone when Jagadamba manifested from her thousandth part as Subhadra in the Vindhyavasini form and became present in the forest as Mahavidya Tara — and when Shri Krishna, in that avatar, performed her upasana, he freed her from the curse.
Whose shaap vimochan is done in the sadhana of Mahavidya Tara?
When the shaap mochan of Mahavidya Tara is performed, he says, it is not only Maharshi Vashishtha's curse that is released. When you perform the sequential sadhana of the three forms — Nila Saraswati, Ekjata and Ugra Tara — and go into the divisions of those forms, then, as with the Gayatri shaap vimochan or the Brahma, Vashishtha and Vishwamitra shaap vimochan and utkilan done by those who read the Saptashati, so here the utkilan and shaap vimochan of Maharshi Vashishtha together with Bhagavan Shri Krishna comes up.
Which two forms are chief for restraining disturbances entering the earth's field?
When you go further in and find out properly, he says, you will see that for restraining whatever disturbances come from outside into the earth's abhamandal, two forms are chief: that of Bhagavan Brihaspati Dev, and along with it the form of Bhagavati — Bhagavati Pitambara. There are other forms too; Bhagavati Tara is also there, and the form of Brihaspati that goes with Tara is different from the one that goes with Pitambara.
By what strength did Hanuman crush Ahiravan and Mahiravan?
Do you know today, the speaker asks, that the boon Ahiravan and Mahiravan had received was such that even Brahma was under their control? And yet Hanuman ji keeps such Ahiravan and Mahiravan trampled beneath his feet — by the strength of what capacity? What shakti's capacity was that? How did Bhagavati Tara become stambhit before him — that Tara who is that form of Jagadamba which pacified even the fury of Bhagavan Shiva's poison?
What does the beej mantra of Kamakhya contain?
He says a friction of the mantra takes place. In the beej mantra there are ta, ra and the long ee. Ta is for Bhagavati Tara; ra is of Agni; ee is directly of the Mahashakti. So consider, he says: Bhagavati Tara, and that too in the form of fire, and that too together with Mahamaya — which is why it has been held to be a trikonatmak shakti. In the Kaul parampara the chief mahapujan too takes the trikon in just this manner.
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