that precedes the Twenty-One Praises
jé tsün pak ma dröl ma dang/ chok chu dü sum zhuk pa yi/
gyelwa sé ché tam ché la/ kün né dangwé chak tsel lo/
Utterly and sincerely I pay homage
To Exalted Noble Tārā and
All the conquerors and their heirs
Dwelling in the ten directions and three times.
mé tok duk pö mar mé dri/ zhel zé röl mo la sok pa/
ngö jor yi kyi trül né bül/ pak mé tsok nam zhé su söl/
I offer flowers, incense, lamps, fragrant scents,
Food, music, and the like –
Physical and mentally conjured,
Noble Lady and your complete retinue – please accept them.
tok ma mé né da té bar/ mi gé chu dang tsam mé nga/
sem ni nyön mong wang gyur pé/ dik pa tam ché shak par gyi/
From beginningless time until now,
The ten non-virtues and five heinous sins,
Arisen from the mind under the power of afflictive emotions,
All these misdeeds I lay them bare.
nyen tö rang gyel jang chup sem/ so so kyewo la sok pé/
dü sum gewa chi sak pé/ sö nam la ni dak yi rang/
I rejoice in the merit of
The virtues accumulated in the three times
By hearers, pratyekas, bodhisattvas,
And ordinary beings and so forth.
sem chen nam kyi sam pa dang/ lo yi jé drak ji tawar/
ché chung tün mong tek pa yi/ chö kyi khor lo kor du söl/
Please turn the Wheel of Dharma
Of the greater, lesser and common vehicles,
In accordance with the dispositions and
Mental capacities of sentient beings.
khorwa ji si ma tong bar/ nya ngen mi da tuk jé yi/
duk ngel gya tsor jingwa yi/ sem chen nam la zik su söl/
Until samsara has been completely emptied,
Out of compassion, do not pass into nirvana.
Please have regard for sentient beings
Sinking in this ocean of suffering.
dak gi sö nam chi sak pa/ tam ché jang chup gyur gyur né/
ring por mi tok drowa yi/ dren pé pel du dak gyur chik/
Whatever virtue I may have gathered
May it become a cause for the awakening of all.
May I quickly become
An excellent guide for all migratory beings.
Bhikṣuṇī Śrī (Gelongma Pelmo) is said to have composed this.
Credits: (1) Wrathful Eight-armed and Three-faced Goddess Tara Marichi, ca. 1090, Bangladesh, Met Museum.
om jé tsün ma pak ma dröl ma la chak tsel lo/
oṃ Homage to Tārā, the noble and sublime.
chak tsel ta ré nyur ma pa mo/ tutta ré yi jik pa sel ma/
tu ré dön kün jin pé dröl ma/ soha yi gé khyö la dü do/
Homage to tārā, the swift and courageous,
You drive away all our fears with tuttārā,
Savioress fulfilling all aims with the ture,
With syllables svāhā we offer you homage.
chak tsel dröl ma nyur ma pa mo/ chen ni ké chik lok dang dra ma/
jik ten sum gön chu kyé zhel gyi/ gé sar jewa lé ni jung ma/
Homage to Tārā, the swift and courageous,
Gaze is as quick as flashes of lightning,
From Lord of Triloka, his face like a lotus,
You rose on a billionfold blossoming stamens.
chak tsel tön ké dawa kün tu/ gangwa gya ni tsek pé zhel ma/
kar ma tong trak tsok pa nam kyi/ rap tu chewé ö rap bar ma/
Homage to you with a face that resembles
A meeting of one hundred full moons in autumn,
And who with the brightness of stars by the thousands
Shine in a vast perfect light of resplendence.
chak tsel ser ngo chu né kyé kyi/ pemé chak ni nam par gyen ma/
jin pa tsön drü ka tup zhiwa/ zö pa sam ten chö yül nyi ma/
Homage to you, the golden-hued lady,
Whose hand is adorned by a blue lotus flower.
Your scope of activity is giving, exertion,
Fortitude, peace, tolerance, meditation.
chak tsel dé zhin shek pé tsuk tor/ ta yé nam par gyelwar chö ma/
ma lü pa röl chin pa top pé/ gyelwé sé kyi shin tu ten ma/
Homage to you, the victorious, boundless,
From the Tathāgata’s crown emanated.
Those who obtained every transcendent virtue,
Offspring of victors, rely on your guidance.
chak tsel tuttara hung yi gé/ dö dang chok dang nam kha gang ma/
jik ten dün po zhap kyi nen té/ lü pa mé par guk par nü ma/
Homage to you filling Realms of Desire,
Its aspect and space with the hūṃ and tuttārā.
Sevenfold worlds under feet you can trample;
You bring all and everything under your power.
chak tsel gya jin mé lha tsang pa/ lung lha na tsok wang chuk chö ma/
jung po ro lang dri za nam dang/ nö jin tsok kyi dün né tö ma/
Homage to you who is worshipped by Indra,
Agni, Marut, Viṣveśvāra and Brahma.
All the vetālas, bhūtas, gandharvas,
As well as the yakṣas, give praise in your presence.
chak tsel trad ché ja dang phet kyi/ pa röl trülkhor rap tu jom ma/
yé kum yön kyang zhap kyi nen té/ mé bar truk pa shin tu bar ma/
Homage to you, who by ṭrat and the phaṭ sounds,
Crush every magical wheel, evil forces.
Right leg extended and left bent, you trample,
Within whirling flames you are blazing intensely.
chak tsel tu ré jik pa chen mo/ dü kyi pawo nam par jom ma/
chu kyé zhel ni tro nyer den dzé/ drawo tam ché ma lü sö ma/
Homage to you, the swift, terrifying,
Who conquers the most tenacious of māras.
Knitting the brow on your lotus-like features,
You slay every foe without an exception.
chak tsel kön chok sum tsön chak gyé/ sor mö tuk kar nam par gyen ma/
ma lü chok kyi khor lo gyen pé/ rang gi ö kyi tsok nam truk ma/
Homage to you, with your fingers in mudrā
Adorning your heart to show the Three Jewels.
Your masses of light are beautiful, swirling,
Connecting with every direction, in circles.
chak tsel rap tu gawa ji pé/ u gyen ö kyi trengwa pel ma/
zhé pa rap zhé tuttara yi/ dü dang jik ten wang du dzé ma/
Homage to you, from your crown manifesting
Joyous, majestic, brilliant garlands.
With the great clangor of laughter tuttārā,
Demons and worlds are in your domination.
chak tsel sa zhi kyongwé tsok nam/ tam ché guk par nü ma nyi ma/
tro nyer yowa yi gé hung gi/ pong pa tam ché nam par dröl ma/
Homage to you with the magnetize-powers,
Who gather protectors of earth in assembly.
With syllable hūṃ and your brow which is frowning,
You liberate every poor, destitute being.
chak tsel dawé dum bü u gyen/ gyen pa tam ché shin tu bar ma/
rel wé trö na ö pak mé lé/ tak par shin tu ö rap dzé ma/
Homage to you, with the crescent, a moon-crown,
While your adornments so brilliantly sparkle,
And Amitābha is placed in your topknot,
Ceaselessly, vast rays of light radiating.
chak tsel kel pé ta mé mé tar/ barwé trengwé ü na né ma/
yé kyang yön kum kün né kor gé/ dra yi pung ni nam par jom ma/
Homage to you, seated in flaming garlands,
Engulfed in a fire like the end of the kalpa.
Right leg extended and left bent, defeating
Enemy hordes with your joy-bringing, swirling.
chak tsel sa zhi ngö la chak gi/ til gyi nün ching zhap kyi dung ma/
tro nyer chen dzé yi gé hung gi/ rim pa dün po nam ni gem ma/
Homage to you, with your palms you are striking
The earth while using your feet to be stamping.
Regally frowning, with the hūṃ letter,
You shatter the sevenfold layers of lokas.
chak tsel dé ma gé ma zhi ma/ nya ngen dé zhi chöl yül nyi ma/
soha om dang yang dak den pé/ dik pa chen po jom pa nyi ma/
Homage to you, blissful, virtuous and peaceful,
Enjoy the domain of the tranquil nirvana.
Fully possessing the oṃ and the svāhā,
You overcome even the greatest of evils.
chak tsel kün né kor rap gawé/ dra yi lü ni nam par gem ma/
yi gé chuwé ngak ni kö pé/ rik pa hung lé dröl ma nyi ma/
Homage to you, who encircled by joyous,
Utterly smashes the forms of opponents.
Clearing away with the hūṃ of awareness,
Arranged is the mantra by tenfold of letters.
chak tsel tu ré zhap ni dap pé/ hung gi nam pé sa bön nyi ma/
ri rap mandhara dang bik jé/ jik ten sum nam yowa nyi ma/
Homage to you, with feet stamping ture,
Fully presenting the form of the hūṃ-seed,
You cause the three worlds to all be atremble,
Including Mount Meru, Mandhara and Vindhya.
chak tsel lha yi tso yi nam pé/ ri dak tak chen chak na nam ma/
ta ra nyi jö phet kyi yi gé/ duk nam ma lü pa ni sel ma/
Homage to you in whose hands is a deer-marked,
Shaped like the devas’ ocean of nectar.
Sound of the phaṭ and the twice uttered tārā,
Without an exception, dispels every poison.
chak tsel lha yi tsok nam gyel po/ lha dang mi’am chi yi ten ma/
kün né go cha gawé ji kyi/ tsö dang mi lam ngen pa sel ma/
Homage to you, who is asked for your guidance
By rulers of devas, by gods and kinnaras.
Your armor of joy, a radiant brightness,
Removes every nightmare and calms every quarrel.
chak tsel nyi ma dawa gyé pé/ chen nyi po la ö rap sel ma/
ha ra nyi jö tuttara yi/ shin tu drak pö rim né sel ma/
Homage to you, whose two eyes are shining,
With brilliant light like the sun and the full moon.
By tuttārā and with the twice-chanted hara,
You clear away even infectious diseases.
chak tsel dé nyi sum nam kö pé/ zhiwé tu dang yang dak den ma/
dön dang ro lang nö jin tsok nam/ jom pa tu ré rap chok nyi ma/
Homage to you who can calm down completely,
Through the array of the threefold thatness.
Crowds of vetālas, bhūtas, and yakṣas,
Suppressed with the ture, sublime mother Tārā.
tsawé ngak kyi tö pa di dang/ chak tsel wa ni nyi shu tsa chik/
Together with this, the root mantra in praise form,
These were the twenty-one verses of homage.
The singable English translation used here is by Erik Kunsang Pema.
Credits: (1) 21 Taras mural at a monastery (origins unknown) (2) Plaque with Seated Dhanada-Tara and Attendant, ca. 17th century, Sri Lanka, Met Museum. (3) Tara, 12th century, India, Met Museum. (4) Green Tara by Zanabazar, 17th century, Mongolia. (5) Green Tara, early 20th century, Nepal, ethnographica.net (6)Parnashavari Tara (origins unknown).