The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sadhanamala and Other Cognate Tantric Texts of Rituals c20.s5: V. Tārās of Five Colour

The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sādhanamālā and Other Cognate Tāntric Texts of Rituals c20.s5

Language: English

V. Tārās of Five Colour

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Strictly speaking, only those deities can be called Tārās to whom the mantra : Oṃ Tāre Tuttāre Ture Svāhā is assigned. In the simplest form Tārās carry the night lotus in the left hand and exhibit the Varada mudrā in the right. Some of them bear the miniature image of Amoghasiddhi on their crowns, but others may not have any effigy of the Dhyāni Buddha. It is therefore difficult to identify their images, particularly in stone where no definite colour can be seen. Special attention should therefore be paid not only to the particular pose in which the different Tārās sit but also to their companions in order to arrive at a correct identification. In this section an attempt will be made to indicate the characteristic features of the numerous Tārās described in the Sādhanas for the purpose of differentiation.

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In the Tāntric works there are so many different varieties of Tārā that it is physically impossible to classify them correctly without reference to their peculiar colour. All Tārās are therefore brought together under one head in this section. From the colour of the different Tārās it will be possible to refer them to their respective Kulas or families presided over by the five Dhyāni Buddhas.

A. Green Tārā

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¹ Getty : GNB, p. 123 gives a list of Tārās of green colour.

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1. Khadiravaṇī Tārā shows the Varada mudrā in the right hand and the night lotus in the left. She can be identified by the presence of Aśokakāntā Mārīcī and Ekajaṭā.

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2. Vaśyatārā has as her characteristic feature the Bhadrāsana or the European fashion of sitting. It may be noticed however that she is described as single and as such is not accompanied by any god or goddess.

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3. Āryatārā. The characteristic feature of this form of Tārā is that she sits in the Ardhaparyaṅka attitude and like Vaśyatārā is entirely alone.

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4. Mahattarī Tārā may be distinguished by the Vajraparyaṅka attitude in which she sits, and also by the fact of her being represented without any companion whatsoever (Fig. 210).

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5. Varada Tārā sits in the Ardhaparyaṅka attitude like Āryatārā but she can be easily recognised by the presence of four goddesses Aśokakāntā Mārīcī, Mahāmāyūrī, Ekajaṭā and Jāṅgulī. (cf. Mahāśrī Tārā).

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6. Durgottāriṇī Tārā has green complexion, the lotus for her seat, and garments of white colour; she has four arms and she carries in the first pair of hands the noose and the goad and displays in the second the lotus and the Varada mudrā.

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7. Dhanada Tārā carries the book and the rosary in the first pair of hands, while the second pair carries objects similar to those held by Durgottāriṇī. She has an animal for her Vāhana, is accompanied by eight goddesses originating from the eight syllables of her mantra and bears the image of Amoghasiddhi on the crown.

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8. Jāṅgulī emanates from Akṣobhya and may have three different colour, yellow, white and green. When green, she is four-armed, and carries the Triśūla, the peacock's feathers and a snake in three hands and exhibits the Abhaya mudrā in the fourth.

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9. Parṇaśabarī when green, emanates from Amoghasiddhi and when yellow from Akṣobhya, and as such, both of her forms have already been described. She is generally three-faced and six-armed but may in rare cases, have four arms also. The peculiarity of the green variety is that all the three faces depict irritated smile (sakrodha-hasitānanām).

B. White Tārā

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¹ Getty : GNB, p. 122 gives a list of Tārās of white colour.

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1. Aṣṭamahābhaya Tārā. The distinguishing feature of this form of Tārā is that she sits in the Ardhaparyaṅka attitude and is surrounded by ten goddesses originating from the ten syllables of the Tārā mantra : Oṃ Tāre Tuttāre Ture Svāhā. These ten deities are identical in appearance with the principal deity.

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2. Mṛtyuvañcana Tārā. The distinctive feature of this form of Tārā is that she bears a wheel on her chest. She is absolutely unattended and sits in the Vajraparyaṅka attitude.

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3. Caturbhuja-Sitatārā. Her form has already been described as an emanation of the Dhvāni Buddha Amoghasiddhi. She has four arms and exhibits in the first pair of hands the Utpala mudrā, and the lotus, and the Varada pose in the second. She may be recognized by the presence of two goddesses, Mahāmāyūrī and Mārīcī.

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4. Ṣaḍbhuja-Sitatārā. As she bears the image of Amoghasiddhi on the crown, her form has already been described. She is three-faced and six-armed and has no companions.

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5. Viśvamātā. She has been described in the Sādhanamālā as one-faced, with the white complexion of the moon, white garments and a white serpent as her Vāhana. She carries the white lotus in the left hand and exhibits the Abhaya pose in the right. She has not been described as bearing any image of her sire.

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6. Kurukullā as an emanation of Amitābha of red colour generally assumes the red colour, but when two-armed, she has, according to the Sādhanamālā the white colour. She carries the rosary and the bowl of lotus, and her Vāhana is an animal.

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7. Jāṅgulī as an emanation of Akṣobhya ought to be of blue colour, but according to the Sādhanamālā she may have three colour, white yellow or green. When white she is one-faced and four-armed, plays on the Vīṇā with the first pair of hands, and shows the white serpent and the Abhaya pose in the second.

C. Yellow Tārā

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² Getty : GNB, p. 124 gives a list of Tārās of yellow colour.

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1. Vajratārā. She is yellow, has four faces and eight arms and bears the image of the Dhyāni Buddha Ratnasambhava on her crown. Forms of Vajratārā have been described previously. She is accompanied by ten goddesses when worshipped in the Maṇḍala.

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2. Jāngulī. The yellow variety of Jāngulī has three faces and six arms and bears the image of the Dhyāni Buddha Akṣobhya on her crown. This form has already been described.

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3. Parṇaśabarī. When yellow Parṇaśabarī is an emanation of Akṣobhya, has three faces and six arms, and a pleasant smile instead of an irritated expression on her faces. This form of Parṇaśabarī has also been described under the female emanations of Akṣobhya.

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4. Bhṛkuṭī is yellow and emanates from Amitābha. She is one-faced and four-armed, shows the Varada mudrā and the rosary in the two right hands and carries the Triḍaṇḍī and the Kamaṇḍalu in the two left.

D. Blue Tārā

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¹ Getty : GNB, p. 125 gives a list of Tārās of blue colour.

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1. Ekajaṭā. She may have several forms with blue colour, and she bears the image of her sire Akṣobhya on her crown in all cases. All her forms have been described previously along with the other emanations of the Dhyāni Buddha Akṣobhya including the terrible form which goes by the name of Vidyujjvālākarālī of blue colour, with twelve faces and twenty-four arms.

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2. Mahācīna Tārā. She also bears the image of Aṣobhya on her crown, and has already been described as one of the female emanations of that Dhyāni Buddha. She is called Mahācīna Tārā because she is believed to have come from Mahācīna, the place where she was originally worshipped. She is the subject of the Mahācīnakrama-Tantra, and has been incorporated wholly into the Hindu Tāntric pantheon.

E. Red Tārā

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² Getty : GNB, p. 126 gives a list of Tārās of red colour

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There are not many Red Tārās in the Sādhanamālā, Kurukullā being the only one belonging to the red variety. As she bears the image of Amitābha on the crown, she inherits from him as his emanation, her red complexion. Kurukullā may also bear the image of the five Dhyāni Buddhas on her crown, but that will make no difference as to the colour of her complexion. She will be white when two-armed, and red when four, six or eight-armed All her forms have been described previously.

Cites (1)

Sādhanamālā — Sanskrit