Praise to Noble Tārā

Ocean of Siddhis

A Praise to Noble Tārā, Mother of the Victorious Ones

by Gorampa Sonam Senge

Namo āryatārāyai![1]

O Venerable Lady, great ocean of perfect siddhis,
Fully accomplished in abandonment and realization, venerable Bhagavatī,
Liberatress from the boundless ocean of saṃsāra,
To you, the goddess, the tutelary deity, I go for refuge.

Your lotus feet, when placed upon the crowns
Of devas, asuras, and nāga lords,
Emit garlands of light beautifying all worlds.
To you, the goddess, the tutelary deity, I go for refuge.

In the center of the pure dharmadhātu’s lunar disc,
From the syllable TĀṂ emerges your emerald-like form.
One face, two arms, the embodiment of peace.
To you, the goddess, the tutelary deity, I go for refuge.

Your right hand grants boons, bestowing siddhis on beings,
Your left, in mudrā symbolizing the Three Jewels,
Holds the stem of an utpala flower at your heart.
To you, the goddess, the tutelary deity, I go for refuge.

Skilled in means, you stand for beings’ welfare with extended right leg,
Left leg bent, transcending duality through wisdom,
Symbolizing inseparability, your posture is inclined.
To you, the goddess, the tutelary deity, I go for refuge.

Your beautiful head is adorned with flowers in curled locks,
And with your compassionate sidelong glance,
You are forever watching over all beings.
To you, the goddess, the tutelary deity, I go for refuge.

Leaning against a lunar backdrop,
You are graceful in the fullness of youth,
And adorned with the precious jewel ornaments.
To you, the goddess, the tutelary deity, I go for refuge.

Your two breasts are as elegant as the sun and moon,
Your scent as fragrant as the Malaya mountains,[2]
And, holding an utpala, you resemble a fresh lotus pond.
To you, the goddess, the tutelary deity, I go for refuge.

Led by the auspicious resonance of Oṃ,
Tāre the savior, Tutttāre the dispeller of fears,
Ture the swift one, you are endowed with Svāhā.
To you, the goddess, the tutelary deity, I go for refuge.

Like sunbeams coursing through cloudless skies and
Youthful lotuses opening in bloom,
Your wisdom extends to all fields of knowledge.
To the mind of the goddess, the tutelary deity, I go for refuge.

When born from the tears of the Guardian of the World,
You vowed to benefit countless beings through protection,
And never neglect this noble promise and commitment.
Protect me and all beings equal to space, I pray.

Though beings possess the essence, the treasury of all qualities,
Such as the powers, it is obscured by stains.
For beings deprived of the wealth of enlightened qualities,
Wash away our stains with the water of compassion, I pray.

Though certainty is found through study and contemplation
On the supreme path that leads from bliss to bliss,
We’ve not yet savored the supreme taste of meditation.
Grant experience and realization to us lowly ones, I pray.

In this degenerate age, may all obstacles,
Inner and outer, for upholders of the Sugata’s teachings
Be thoroughly pacified, and may all conducive circumstances
Praised by the Victorious One effortlessly and spontaneously arise.

The moment this life’s perceptions fade away,
May I be born in Amitābha’s supreme realm
In the august presence of Venerable Tārā,
And there attain the bhūmi of Perfect Joy.

This praise to Tārā, Mother of Victorious Ones, called the Ocean of Siddhis, was composed by the Śākya monk Sonam Senge at the monastery of Gawa Tshel on an auspicious day of the Iron Male Tiger year, as a means of requesting provisional and ultimate objectives. May this be virtuous!

| Translated by Lopön Sonam Jamtsho, 2024.

Bibliography

Source Text

bsod nams sengge. gsung 'bum bsod nams sengge, Dehra Dun: Sakya College, 1979, Vol. 1: 72–74.

Version: 1.0-20241110