As A Maa MahaVidya Form Of Maa Maha Kaali, Maa Tara Embodies The Fierce, Protectiveness , And Compassion, Guiding deserving devotees towards spiritual liberation

As A Maa MahaVidya Form Of Maa Maha Kaali, Maa Tara Embodies Fierceness, Protectiveness, And Compassion. Maa Tara Fiercely Protects Her devotees from the darkness of ignorance and the delusions of ego. Maa Tara’s Compassion Is Boundless, Guiding deserving devotees to navigate through life’s tumultuous challenges and cutting through obstacles By Her Divine Blessings. By embracing the sincere worship Of Maa Tara, devotees may be able to embark on a transformative journey towards spiritual liberation, where they can transcend worldly attachments and realize The True Self.

Origin Myth About The Emergence Of Maa Tara As Maa MahaVidya, Embodying Fierceness And Imparting The Wisdom Of Transformation Upon deserving devotees 

The worship Of Maa Tara has roots that are at least as ancient as the vedas. A Myth that originates from various puranas such as The “Devi Bhagavata Purana”, The “Kalika Purana”, and various tantras dedicated to the worship Of Maa Das MahaVidyas, narrate the story Of The Divine Mother As Maa Sati And Her Transformation Into Maa Das MahaVidyas, First As Maa Kali And Later As Maa Tara.

As per The Origin Myth, when lord shiva forbade Maa Sati From Attending Her father’s sacred yajna (ritual offering), Maa Sati Grew Furious And Transformed Into The Formidable And Fierce Form Of Maa Kali. This Sudden Transformation caused lord shiva to flee in a different direction. Subsequently, Maa Sati Emerged In The Divine Form Of Maa Tara.

Maa Tara Is Depicted In A Blue Complexion, With Her Protruding Red Tongue And A Face That Instills fear. Maa Tara Is Depicted With Disheveled Hair, Resembling upright snakes. Maa Tara Is Adorned With a tiger’s skin, The Divine Forehead With Five Crescent Moons, And With Three Eyes And Four Divine Arms. Maa Tara Stands Upon a corpse And Carries A Lotus, A Sword, A Drinking Bowl, And A Bell In Her Divine Hands. The Divine Mother As Maa Tara Embodies Fierceness, Imparting The Wisdom Of Transformation Upon deserving devotees. Devotees worship Maa Tara with utmost sincerity, seeking Her Blessings for spiritual enlightenment. 

The Legend recounted in todala tantra that signifies The Maternal Compassion Of The Divine Mother Maa Tara

According to the Legend recounted in the todala tantra, when the gods and the asuras (demons) jointly churned the milky ocean in search of the immortal nectar, instead of the nectar, a lethal poison called “halahala” emerged, causing great agitation. All were agitated except for the mighty lord shiva, who remained calm and composed. In order to save the world, lord shiva fearlessly consumed the poison, thereby preventing its destructive effects. However, the intensity of the poison rendered him unconscious.

At this critical moment, The Divine Mother Manifested As Maa Tara And Cradled lord shiva In Her Lap. Maa Tara Nursed him, Which Acted As An Antidote To the poison, Reviving lord shiva. This Myth bears resemblance to another Tale in which lord shiva pacifies The Furious Maa Maha Kaali by taking the form of an infant. Upon Seeing the child, Maa Maha Kaali’s Maternal Instincts Arise, And She Becomes Tranquil, Nursing the infant lord shiva. In both narratives, lord shiva takes a vulnerable position as an infant In The Presence Of The Divine Mother Of the universe.

The Divine Mother Maa Tara As The Compassionate Savior And Fierce Protector Is worshipped with greatest sincerity across cultures and traditions. 

Maa Tara Is Revered across cultures. In sanatana and buddhists traditions, Maa Tara Is worshipped seeking Guidance to face and overcome life’s challenges. However, The Depiction Of Maa Tara Varies Greatly across traditions. As A Maa MahaVidya Form Of Maa Maha Kaali, Maa Tara Is Depicted As Fierce And Formidable. In other traditions, such as the tibetan buddhism, Maa Tara Is Depicted As The Compassionate And Protective Divine Mother.

The history of the worship Of Maa Tara in tibetan buddhism

In tibetan buddhism, Maa Tara Is Highly Venerated And worshipped As A national Deity. In this tradition, Maa Tara Is Depicted To Embody Compassion And Protects Her devotees from harm. As per Origin Myth in tibetan buddhism, Maa Tara Is Associated With avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. One Legend states that Maa Tara Emerged From a tear shed by avalokitesvara out of pity for all suffering beings. This Legend Signifies Maa Tara As A Compassionate Savior Of Her devotees.

The significance of the worship Of Maa Tara in tibetan buddhism grew substantially around the 11th century, largely due to the efforts of the scholar atisa, who had numerous Visions Of Maa Tara and translated key texts About Maa Tara into tibetan. These texts highlight Maa Tara’s Blessings Of protection and prolonged life Upon deserving devotees. Devotees also seek Maa Tara’s Blessings For Miraculous Rescues In dire situations, such as execution, imprisonment, or natural disasters.

Maa Tara Is Also worshipped In Fierce Forms In buddhism, such as In The Form Of “Maa Tara Kurukulla”, Who Is invoked To Subdue And Destroy evil forces. The worship Of Maa Tara In Her Fierce Forms show that devotees Revered Maa Tara As The Compassionate Yet Fierce Protector.

Maa Tara Is Revered In Eight Divine Forms Signifying The Divine Mother’s Fierceness And Compassion

In ancient indian texts, Maa Tara Is Associated With destruction, And Is Often Depicted Dwelling In cremation grounds, With skulls, severed heads, and blood around. This iconography Of The Depiction Of Maa Tara Signifies Her As The Fearsome Divine Mother. However, Maa Tara Is Also Depicted With Round Belly And Full Breasts To Signify Her Nurturing And Maternal Compassion. Maa Tara Is Also Revered As The Divine Savior Who Guides deserving devotees to cross the ocean of samsara, transcend the cycle of rebirth, and attain spiritual liberation. 

Maa Tara Is Revered In Eight Divine Forms Signifying Her As The Fierce and Compassionate Divine Mother. The Eight Divine Forms Of Maa Tara Are mentioned in the “Māyātantra”, as cited in the tantric collection tantrasāra. The Eight Divine Forms Are:

Maa Mahogra,

Maa UgraTara,

Maa Kameswari Tara,

Maa Neela Swaraswati,

Maa Ekajata,

Maa Chamunda,

Maa BhadraKaali,

Maa VajraTara

Maa Tara worshipped In Her Eight Divine Forms Blesses deserving devotees With Protection And Guidance to overcome ignorance and achieve spiritual growth.

The “Maa TaraPith Temple” for the worship Of Maa Tara, Is A Revered “Shakti Pith” And Is Known for tantric rituals and practices for the worship Of Maa Tara

The “Maa TaraPith Temple” is dedicated to the worship Of Maa Tara. According to legends, The  “Maa TaraPith Temple” Is A “Shakti Pith” In Reverence Of Maa Sati’s Divine Eyeball. “Shakti Piths”, Divine Seats Of The Divine Mother Maa Aadi ParaShakti, Are Revered As The Holy Sites On earth Where The Various Divine Parts Of Maa Sati’s Holy Body are said to Have Fallen during lord shiva’s rudra tandava in grief Of Maa Sati’s Self-Immolation. As the bengali word for eyeball is tara, the temple was dedicated to the worship Of Maa Tara. The “Maa TaraPith Temple” is also renowned for being one of the few temples where tantric rituals are practiced. The adjacent cremation ground At The “Maa TaraPith Temple” is an important site for tantric practices and sadhana (spiritual practice). It is believed that the cremation ground is a favored place for worshipping Maa Tara, The Divine Mother Of death and transformation.

The history of worship Of Maa Tara At The “Maa TaraPith Temple”

The worship Of Maa Tara At The “Maa TaraPith Temple” can be traced back to vashishta’s quest to master the tantric arts. Despite his prolonged efforts, he failed to achieve success. Seeking guidance, he approached buddha, who had a vision that The “Maa TaraPith Temple” was the ideal place to worship Maa Tara. Following buddha’s advice, vashishtha came to The “Maa TaraPith Temple” and performed a left-handed tantric ritual, incorporating the use of the 5 forbidden elements (panchamakara). Accepting his devotion, The Divine Mother Manifested As Maa Tara Nursing lord shiva At Her Breast And Then Transformed Into A Stone. Since then, The Depiction Of Maa Tara In Her Maternal Form, Nursing lord shiva, Has Been Venerated At The “Maa TaraPith Temple”. This Depiction Of Maa Tara Connects to the Myth Where Maa Tara revived lord shiva after he consumed poison during the churning of the ocean.

The Two Idols for the worship Of Maa Tara At The “Maa TaraPith Temple”

Inside the sanctum, There Are Two Idols for the worship Of Maa Tara. The First Is A Stone Image Portraying Maa Tara As A Mother Nursing lord shiva, but It Is Concealed By A Three-Foot-Tall Metal Image That Is Typically Visible To the worshippers. The Stone Statue Depicts Maa Tara In Her Fierce Form, With Four Arms, Flowing Hair, An Extended Tongue, And Adorned With A Garland Of skulls. The Outer Metal Image Is Adorned With a silk sari, marigold garlands, and sheltered by a silver umbrella Above.

Only after the evening aarti ceremony do the devotees have the opportunity to catch a glimpse Of The Original Stone Idol.

Conclusion

Maa Tara, As A Maa MahaVidya Form Of Maa Maha Kaali, Embodies Fierce Protectiveness And Boundless Compassion. Maa Tara Guides deserving devotees through life’s challenges, Leading them towards spiritual liberation. The Ancient Myths Surrounding Maa Tara Signify Maa Tara As The Compassionate Savior And Fierce Protector, Emanating In Many Divine Forms Across cultures and traditions. Innumerable devotees across time and traditions worship Maa Tara, seeking Blessings to transcend the worldly ocean and attain spiritual liberation.