Green Tara

Tara represents the entire enlightened activities of all Buddhas and  hence she is called the mother of the Buddhas of three times. It is said in a sutra that Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva saved and ferried over countless suffering beings from the sea of birth and death. It happened one day when Avalokiteshvara looked at the misery of the world he shed tears out of great compassion from his eyes. The tears turned into a lotus flower from which appeared white and green Tara who said to him. ''Please don't be sad. We'll assit you in liberating living beings, although they are countless in number the power of our vow is also immeasuralbe''.

Since then they had been liberating countless numbers of living beings daily. The name of  Tara was thus known to all buddhas in ten directions.

There are 21 forms of  Tara. In reality they are all the transformed bodies of Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of compassion.

Green Tara appears as young beautiful maiden. Her body is green in colour. She has one face and two arms, wears a crown bedecked with five buddha images. She sits on lotus throne in Lalita attitude in half lotus posture. Her left hand shows the gesture of refuge vows and right hand the varada mudra because she is quick to answer the petitions of those who seek her aid. Tara is known as the great liebrator from eight kinds of danger or fears. The cultivation of  Tara sadhana will eliminate all demoniac and karmic obstacles, eradicates disaster and lengthen one's life span.

White Tara

The origin of white Tara is the same as about Green Tara.

White Tara is seated in full Vajra posture and her left hand is poised at the heart holding the stem of a lotus that opens into blossom beside her left shoulder. Her right hand is in the Varada mudra symbiolizing supreme generosity. She is seated upright on a moon disc. She is wearing all sorts of precious ornaments and looks beautiful maiden of sixteen years of age. Amitabha Budddha image sits upon the head as a crown. The practice of White Tara is basically performed in order to prolong life as well as for healing purpose. It is said the beacuse Arya Tara is the collective manifestation of the enlightened activity of all Buddhas, her sadhana is easily accomplished. The recitation of her Mantra merely a hundred thousand times with the motivation of Bodhcitta will cause avertion of hindrances.

Bhrikuti Tara

The concept of Bhrikuti Tara is noted in the earliest text of Aryal Manjushreemulakalp. She appears along with Arya Tara and host of other feminie divinities called Vidyarajnis. Bhrikuti is also mentioned asHevajra tantra. She is generally depicted as companion deity of some forms of Avalokitesvhara viz. Khasrpana, Padmanarteshvara, Amoghpasa etc. Bhrikuti appears in differnt forms.When appears in blue color, She is depicted as three headed and six armed form. When yellow she is single faced three eyed and four armed and with frowning eyebrows. He four hands hold a rosary, a trident, a Kalasa and displays varada mudra.

Vasudhara

She is one of the important and popular feminie deities in Nepalese Buddhist. She is belived to be the bestower of wealth and prosperity similar to Laxmi Devi in Hinduism. It is said through the practice of Vasudhara devotees accumalate seven kinds of prosperity.

1. Wealth
2. Quality
3. Offspring
4. Long life
5. Happiness
6. Praise
7. Wisdom

Kurkualla

Ther are many form of the deity Kurkulla. But the most important from is called Tarodbava Kurkulla. She is red in color with red garments, red ornaments and seated on a red lotus.

The deity Kurkulla is is particulary in the tantric ritual of subjugating, enchanting men, women , minsters and the kings.



Source: The IGONOGRAPHY of Nepalese Buddhism
             Shakya, Min Bhadhur,
             Handicraft Association of Nepal
             1999, Page 41-42


Image: Nepalcrafts