The Twenty-One Praises of Exalted Tara

Om Jetsünma pama drölma la chatselo

Om Obeisance to Tara, revered and exalted
Chatsel taré nyurma pamo
Homage to Tara, swift and courageous,
Tuttara yi jigpa selma
Who dispels all fears with the mantra “Tuttare”,
Turé dön kün jinpe drölma
Who liberates by giving all benefit by “Ture”,
Soha yigé kyö la dü do
With the syllable “Svaha” I bow to you.
Chatsel drölma nyurma pamo
Homage to the saviouress, swift and courageous,
Chen ni kéchik lo dang drama
Whose gaze is quick as a flash of lightning,
Jigten sum gön chukyé shel kyi
Who on a tear from the face of Chenrezig
Késar chéwa lé ni jungma
Sprang forth from a billion-fold lotus pistil.
Chatsel tönké dawa küntu
Homage to her whose face is like
Kangwa gya ni tsekpé shelma
The accumulation of a hundred full moons of autumn,
Karma tongtrak tsokpa nam kyi
Who like a cluster of a thousand stars
Rabtu chéwé ö rab barma
Radiates light that clarifi es everything.
Chatsel ser ngo chu né kyé kyi
Homage to her who is golden blue-green,
Pemé cha ni nampar gyenma
Whose hand is adorned with a water-born lotus,
Jimpa tsöndrü katup shiwa
Charity, endeavour, austerity and peace,
Zöpa samten chöyul nyima
Patience and samadhi are the field of her action
Chatsel déshin shekpé tsuktor
Homage to her, the crown jewel of Tathagatas,
Taye nampar gyelwa chöma
She who enjoys the most infinite victory,
Malü paröl chinpa tobpé
Whoever obtains all the transcendent virtues,
Gyelwé sé kyi shintu tenma
Those heirs of the Conquerer take her support.
Chatsel tuttare hung yigé
Homage to her who by “Hung” and the “Tuttara” mantra
Dö dang cho dang namka kangma
Fills all space, directions and realms of desire,
Jigten dünpo shab kyi nen té
Pressing the seven worlds under her feet
Lüpa mépa gukpa nüma
She brings all and everything into her power.
Chatsel gyajin mélha tsangpa
Homage to her whom Indra, Agni and Brahma
Lhungla natsok wongchuk chöma
Vayu, Ishvara and all the gods worship,
Jungpo rolang driza nam dang
Elementals, gandarvas and zombie-like demons,
Nöjin tsok kyi dün né töma
All malevolent spirits give praise before her.
Chatsel trat ché ja dang pet kyi
Homage to her who by “Trat” and “Phat”
Paröl trülkor rabtu joma
Destroys evil forces conjured by magic,
Yékum yönkyang shabkyi nen té
Right leg folded, left extended pressing down,
Mébar trukpa shintu barma
She consumes them completely with her raging blaze of fire.
Chatsel turé jigpa chenpö
Homage to her, the swift fearsome one,
Dü kyi pawo nampar joma
She who obliterates the most tenacious of devils,
Chukyé shel ni tronyer dendzé
With her lotus face wrinkled in wrath,
Drawo tamché malü söma
She annihilates all enemies without exception.
Chatsel könchok sum tsön chagyé
Homage to her who displays the mudra of the Three Precious
Ones
Sormö tukar nampar gyenma
With her fingers perfectly ornamenting her heart,
Malü chokyi korlo gyenpé
Who quakes all directions without exception
Rang ki ö kyi tsok nam trukma
By the effulgence of light from the wheel in her hand
Chatsel rabtu gawa jipé
Homage to her who spreads sublime joy
Ugyen ö kyi trengwa pelma
From the glittering garland of lights on her crown,
Shépa rab shé tuttara yi
From great peals of laughter with the “Tuttara” mantra
Dütang jigten wong du dzéma
She brings demons and the universe under her power.
Chatsel sashi kyongwé tsok nam
Homage to her, the assembly of protectors of the earth
Tamché gukpar nüpa nyima
She has the power to summon them forth,
Tronyer yowé yigé hung ki
By “Hung” and the movements of her furious grimace
Pongpa tamché nampar drölmar
She completely delivers all destitute beings.
Chatsel dawé dumbü ugyen
Homage to her whose crescent moon diadem,
Gyenpa tamché shintu barma
All bejewelled, glows dazzlingly,
Relpé trö né öpame lé
Who from Amitabha atop her vast flow of hair,
Takpar shintu ö rab dzema
Streams forth continuous rays of white light.
Chatsel kelpa tamé me tar
Homage to her, amidst a fire like the kalpa’s end
Barwé trengwé u na nema
She sits in the centre of a garland of flames
Yékyang yönkum kün né korgé
With her right leg extended and the left indrawn,those who
are joyful when the Dharma wheel turns
Dra yi pung ni nampar joma
She completely subdues their numerous foes.
Chatsel sashi ngö la chagi
Homage to her who slaps the earth with her palms
Til kyi nün ching shab kyi dungma
And tramples it under her feet,
Tronyer chen dzé yigé hung ki
Who by “Hung” and her wrathful expression
Rimpa dünpo nam ni gema
Dominates the beings of the seven netherworlds.
Chatsel dema gema shima
Homage to her, mother of bliss, mother of virtue, mother of
peace,
Nya ngen déshi chöyül nyima
She who herself is the peace beyond suffering,
Soha om dang yangdak denpé
By her root mantra with the “svaha” and “om”
Dikpa chenpo jompa nyima
She overcomes even the heaviest defilements.
Chatsel kün né kor rab gawé
Homage to her, those who feel great joy at the turn of the wheel,
Dra yi lü ni rabtu gema
She annihilates the very bodies of their enemies,
Yigé chupé ngak ni köpé
By the arrangement of the ten syllable awareness mantra
Rigpa hung lé drölma nyima
Surrounding “Hung”, she is the mother who liberates.
Chatsel turé shab ni dabpé
Homage to her, swiftly stamping her feet
Hung ki nampé sabön nyima
She is the manifest form of the syllable “Hung”,
Rirab mandara dang bigché
Meru, Mandara and Vindya mountains
Jigten sum nam yowa nyima
And even the three worlds she causes to tremble.
Chatsel lha yi tso yi nampé
Homage to her, rounded like a heavenly lake
Ridak tak chen cha na nama
Is the hare-marked moon she holds in her hand,
Tara nyi jö pet kyi yigé
By repeating “Phat” with the second Tara mantra
Duk nam malüpar ni selma
She clears away every last trace of poison.
Chatsel lha yi tsoknam gyelpo
Homage to her served by the king of the assembled deities,
Lha dang mi-am chiyi tenma
By the gods and other muse-like divinities,
Kün né gocha gawa ji kyi
With the sheer brilliance of her armour of joy
Tsö dang milam ngenpa selma
She dispels all inauspicious dreams and quarrels.
Chatsel nyima dawa gyepé
Homage to her, opened like suns or full moons
Chen nyi pola örab selma
Her two eyes shine forth bright light,
Hara nyi jö tuttara yi
By reciting “Hara” with the second “Tuttara”,
 Shintu drakpö rinmé selma
She eradicates the most violent epidemics.
Chatsel denyi sum nam köpé
Homage to her whose array of the three syllables of suchness
Shiwé tu dang yangdak dema
Has the power to perfectly pacify everything,
Dön dang rolang nöjin tsok nam
The hosts of demonic, malignant and zombie-like spirits
Jompa turé rabcho nyima
Are vanquished by “ture”, the unsurpassable mother.
Tsawe ngak kyi töpa di dang
These are the praises with the root mantra,
Chatsel wani nyishu tsa chik
The twenty-one salutations.

Benefits:

Lhamo la gü yangdak denpé

He who has perfect devotion to the Goddess,
Loden kang ki rab dang jödé
A wise man who clearly recites this,
Sö dang torang langpar ché né
Who remembers her at dusk and at dawn upon rising
Drenpe mijik tamché rab ter
To him will be granted absolute fearlessness.
Dikpa tamché rabtu shi jé
All evil actions shall be completely purified,
Ngendro tamché jompa nyido
All evil states completely destroyed.
Gyelwa chewa trakdün nam kyi
Seventy million Buddhas
Nyur du wong ni kurwa gyur la
Shall swiftly empower him:
Di lé chewa nyi ni top ching
In this life he shall attain greatness
Sangyé gompang tartuk ter dro
And ultimately proceed to Buddhahood.
Dé yi duk ni drakpo chenpo
Through this the strongest of poisons,
Ten ne pa-am shen yang drowa
Poisonous objects and places, and even poisons
 Zöpa dang ni tungpa nyi kyang
Eaten or drunk by other beings
Drenpé rabtu selwa nyi top
Will be completely purified by remembering her.
Dön dang rim dang duk ki zirwé
Afflictions from poison, plagues and negative forces,
Du ngel tsok ni nampar pang té
All his sufferings shall come to cessation –
Semchen shenpa nam la yang ngo
This will be so for other beings too.
Nyi sum dün du ngönpar jö na
Who truly recites this twice, thrice or seven times
Pu döpé ni pu top gyur shing
And desires a son, will have a son,
Nor döpé ni nor nam nyi top
Or desiring wealth will gain such wealth.
Döpa tamché tobpar gyur la
All he has wished for shall be obtained,
Gek nam mé ching sosor jom gyur chik
And obstacles will subside by themselves.

(Padmakara Translation Committee)