Todalatantra 4: Toḍalatantra, Caturthaḥ paṭalaḥ

The Devi said: / The worship of Kālikā has been heard; speak now of Tārā, / by the mere mention of whom the speech of men becomes [like thought].

The Lord said: / Hear, O fair-limbed, fortunate one, the great worship of Tārā: / having sipped water with the mantra, one should then bow to the guru.

Purifying the water, one should then wash the hands and feet; / having sipped water with the mantra, one should then contemplate the seat.

Having bound the hair-tuft, O Devi, then the destruction of the threefold obstacles, / purifying the ground and the seat, and making a knot in the cloth,

having purified body and speech, and then the purification of flowers; / having made the yantra, the foremost of sādhakas should set out the general arghya.

Having worshipped the guardians of the doorway, one should begin the worship of the seat / and the Śaktis of the seat, Lakṣmī and the others; then one should recite the seat mantra.

I shall explain the purification of the elements, and whatever is special here: / with the syllable "haṃsa" joined with the kūrca-bīja, through inhalation, O Ruler of the gods,

together with Kuṇḍalinī, the sādhaka [dissolves] the self and the twenty-four bījas; / there, O Ruler of the gods, they are dissolved into the Supreme Self.

With the māyā-bīja, the skilled practitioner should incinerate the man of sin, / who shines like collyrium, and turn him to ashes through breath retention, O woman of fair hips.

With the vadhū-bīja, O Ruler of the gods, he should exhale along with the ashes; / with the kūrca-bīja through inhalation, a collection of nectar in the forehead...

...one should contemplate, O Supreme Ruler, through breath retention, as an ocean of nectar; / one should recite "āṃ hrīṃ kroṃ" ending with the fire-bīja in the heart eleven times.

Then the wise one should contemplate a red lotus from the oṃkāra; / above that, he should further meditate on the syllable hūṃ, resembling the color blue.

Above that, he should further meditate on a chopper adorned with bījas; / above that, the supreme bindu, of the form of Śiva and imperishable,

a bindu that is a thousandth fraction of a grain of sand, extremely difficult to attain; / in the center of the bindu is the Jewel Island, one hundred leagues wide.

In the center of the bindu is the supreme light, a orb in the shape of a bubble; / just as, O Devi, one sees a reflection in a bubble,

in that very way looking is to be done, one should perform it with the eye of wisdom. / In the middle of it is the Jewel Island, made of golden sand;

the practitioner should imagine it as delightful, surrounded on all sides by a moat; / in the middle one should meditate on the wish-fulfilling tree, and oneself as consisting of Tāriṇī,

resembling the rising sun, an excellent orb of light, / endowed with four gates, and adorned with a golden rampart.

Adorned with many fly-whisks, bells, and heavenly maidens,
Endowed with a gentle breeze, decorated with fragrant perfumes and incenses;

In its center, he should visualize an altar adorned with various jewels;
He should imagine an excellent parasol fashioned with gold threads.

Beneath it, the mantrin should imagine a jeweled throne, O beloved;
There he should imagine the Goddess in accordance with the prescribed yoga of meditation.

He should worship her with the ritual offerings as stated in the Yogasāra;
Then, having performed prāṇāyāma, he should perform the nyāsa of the ṛṣis and the rest.

Then, having performed the nyāsa of the letters, he should perform the nyāsa on hands and limbs;
With three claps and snaps of the fingers, he should perform the sealing of the ten directions.

Then, having performed the sixfold nyāsa, and immediately after that the pervasive [nyāsa],
And having placed the special arghya, he should purify the five tattvas.

Having brought forth the nectar-goddess, he should perform the quintuplication;
Taking a flower in the pot, he should worship thrice in the triangle.

Having recited Vāmadeva thrice, he should recite the khecarī ten times;
Likewise, the wise one should recite the Ānandagāyatrī and the ṛc thrice.

The curse of Brahmā, the curse of Śukra, and the curse of Kṛṣṇa, O ruler of the gods—
The wise one should destroy them by ten recitations; then he should recite the three mantras.

Having recited Chūrikā, Amṛta, Prītisaṃrakṣaṇī,
And the Pāvamāna thrice, he should perform drying up and the rest.

He should recite the Vāruṇa thrice, O Goddess, and the Amṛta seven times;
Having shown the dhenumudrā upon the Vidyātattva, [he should recite] the root [mantra] eight times.

Having raised Kuṇḍalinī, he should then contemplate: "I am Śiva";
Having purified the meat and fish, he should perform the purification of the mudrā.

The best of sādhakas should purify the śakti and the kula-flower;
He should satisfy the gods, the ancestors, the sages, and his chosen deity.

Taking the purified substance, he should cast it into the special arghya;
Then, meditating upon it as consisting of Brahman, he should perform the meditation for worship.

Drawing [her] from the nostril and placing a flower upon the seat,
And then having performed the invocation, he should display the five mudrās.

And having worshipped with the six limbs, he should again display the mudrā;
Then, having performed the nyāsa of life, he should worship with ritual offerings.

And having worshipped the six limbs, he should worship Akṣobhya below;
Having worshipped the lineage of gurus, he should worship in the ten roots.

The discerning one should worship those beginning with Kālī preceded by "Mahā", and those beginning with Vairocana;
Having worshipped the Goddess again, he should then offer the bali.

Then, having performed prāṇāyāma, he should perform meditation upon the mantra;
Having performed japa, O Great Lady, he should offer it into the hand of the Goddess.

Having performed prāṇāyāma again, he should perform the acceptance of the tattvas;
Having given to that one and taken it himself, the foremost among sādhakas should recite [the mantra].

Drinking repeatedly and reciting repeatedly, he is liberated along with ten million people;
With each cup, the wise one should recite the mantra one hundred and eight times.

Recalling the praise and the armor, the wise one should prostrate with all eight limbs;
The special arghya should be offered, and he should surrender himself.

Becoming Rudra-formed himself, he should dismiss [the deity] with the withdrawal [mudrā];
Then, forming the yonimudrā, he should dismiss [her], saying: "Forgive me".

Nyāsa of the limbs, O Great Lady, and thereafter prāṇāyāma;
Having made a diagram in the north-east, he should worship with the floral remnants.

[Reciting:] "To the Dweller among the remnants" ending in the dative, "To Caṇḍeśvarī, homage, homage";
He should place the floral remnant upon his head and sandalwood upon his forehead.

He should draw the yantra at the guru's place and wander like a Bhairava;
O Goddess, concise worship is mental, devoid of the tattvas.

The wise one should perform what is stated here; he should not introduce anything else;
From introducing anything else, O Goddess, Tāriṇī becomes enraged.

Knowledge of reality and honor reside solely in Śakti, O Pārvatī;
Thus this has been spoken, O Goddess; what else do you wish to hear?