Tara — Deity

Tara is the second of the ten Mahavidyas (Great Wisdom Goddesses) and holds a central place in both Hindu Tantra and Vajrayana Buddhism. In the Shaiva context, she is 'Nila Saraswati' (The Blue Saraswati), the goddess of speech, knowledge, and salvation. Her name is derived from the root 'tri', meaning to cross over; she is the 'Saviress' who guides the soul across the turbulent ocean of Samsara (rebirth). Mythologically, she is associated with the Churning of the Ocean (Samudra Manthan). When Shiva drank the Halahala poison to save the world, it caused him great agony. Tara appeared as a motherly figure and breastfed Shiva, neutralizing the poison with her milk. This act establishes her as the compassionate mother who can digest the toxins of the world. Theologically, Tara represents the power of sound (Vak) and the logos. She is the 'Taraka' or the one who provides the mantra that leads to liberation. In Shaiva Tantra, her worship is often 'vama-marga' (left-handed path), practiced in cremation grounds to symbolize the transcendence of social taboos and the fear of death. She is the fierce aspect of compassion, cutting through the illusions of the ego with her scissor-like intelligence to reveal the underlying void (Sunyata) which is identical to the light of Shiva.

Tara is depicted as dark blue or black, standing upon a supine Shiva in a cremation ground. She wears a tiger skin around her waist and a necklace of severed heads. She has four arms, usually holding a sword (to cut through ignorance), a pair of scissors (to sever attachments), a skull cup (containing the blood of the ego), and a blue lotus. Her tongue is often protruding, and she has three eyes. Unlike Kali, she is often depicted with a prominent belly, symbolizing her capacity to contain and transform the entire universe.