The Short Commentary on the Tantra of Twenty-one Homages to Tārā called “The Treasure Vase of

Benefit and Happiness”

by Thupten Shedrub Gyatso.

The Fearless Swift Lady

1

Introduction

Benefits

namas tāre ture vīre kṣaṇair dyuti-nibhêkṣaṇe |

trailokya-nātha-vaktrābja-vikasat-kesarôdbhave ||

namaḥ (n/V) – adoration, homage; tāre (f/V) – O Tārā; ture (f/V) – quick, willing, prompt; vīre (f/V) – victor, heroine; kṣaṇaiḥ (m, I/pl) – instant, twinkling of an eye; dyuti (f) – splendour, brightness, majesty; nibha – like, similar; īkṣane (f/V) – view, sight, look, glance; trailokya (n) – of the three worlds; nātha (n)– protector, lord; vaktrābja (n) – lotus face; vikasat – opening, shining, bright; kesara – [n] hair, [m] flower; udbhave (f/V) – produced, coming from.

Homage to mother Tārā, swift and fearless,

Your eyes are like flashing lightning.

Born from the blossoming stamens

Of the lotus face of the Lord of Three Worlds.

The first praise is to Myurma Palmo, the “Fearless Swift Lady”. Here we pay homage to the lady of activity who liberates beings from the temporal and perennial sufferings of saṃsāra¹. She is called “Swift Lady” because her impartial compassion² benefits beings without even an instant’s delay. She is the “Fearless Lady”, because she has the unhindered power to subdue demons, as well as the afflictions of beings. She protects beings from all fears. Her wisdom eyes move like the flash of lightning as she fully cognizes all phenomena. The lady endowed with omniscience, compassion, power, and activity was born from “the teardrops of the stamen-like eyes of the fully blossomed lotus-like face of Avalokiteśvara³, the Savior of Three Worlds”. The three worlds are the sub-terrestrial, terrestrial and celestial realms, (the worlds of nāgas⁴, humans, and gods, respectively).

Tārā is seductive, and has the youthfulness of the rising sun, and a semi-wrathful smile. Her right hand is in the boon-giving mūdra⁵, and her left hand holds a blue lotus upon which is a right-turning conch. This symbolizes her mastery of the two truths⁶ and bodhicitta⁷: in this world, and in the god realm⁸. The outer meaning of the praise literally praises the nirmāṇakāya aspect of the Noble Lady. In the inner aspect of the praise, if not taken literally, her sambhogakāya and dharmakāya aspects are praised. The “Savior of the Three Worlds” is the dharmakāya, and its manifestation is the rūpakāya, or “form body,” (which is composed of the sambhogakāya and nirmāṇakāya).