13th century Tibetan Thangka painting of Green Tara
~The Star Savior~
With a name that literally means "star", the ancient goddess Tara (pronounced tah-rah) is typically attributed to the Tibetan pantheon, but was originally known in India. In the Buddhist religion, she is actually a famous Shakti, an animating goddess of sex and energy. Nevertheless , Tara's functions are more all-encompassing than being a divine sex symbol. In fact, she is best known as a goddess of compassion -- a veritable protectress of humanity.
Often called "the savioress" or "she who carries across," Tara is generally called upon during chaotic or unsettling times in order to help guide an individual along the right path. As the quintessential goddess of self-mastery and mysticism, she is also believed to help humans become centered and find inner strength. A female deity of many talents, Tara is sometimes worshipped in plural form or in different manifestations of herself otherwise known as Taras.
In terms of divine origins, her first incarnation is described poetically. As such, it is believed that when the first tear of compassion fell to the ground, the resulting moisture grew into an entire lake. In that lake, a lotus is said to have bloomed precisely in the center, and from that lotus, Tara came into being.
A ethereal as that sounds, not all of her mythology involves flowers and compassion. According to some accounts, she was known as the wife of the divine sacrificer / priest Brhaspati, the official teacher of Gods whose function was to mediate with deities on behalf of humans. As his wife, her legend hints at the dynamics of the infamous Trojan War in Greece, since she is known to have been stolen away by the moon-god Soma just as Helen was carried away (albeit willingly) with Paris to Troy. Similar to the Greek epic, the kidnapping incident with Tara and the moon god sparks a great war between the gods and demons (or Asuras). In the end, the powerful god known as Brahma brings the war to a close and returns the gentle goddess to her husband.
Feminine to a seeming fault in the aforesaid myth, the celebrated immortal appears paradoxically disempowered as a heavenly damsel in distress -- in need of rescue by male gods against other male gods: which may be an indication of how human women were perceived in ancient India and Tibet. Notwithstanding a hiccup in empowerment though, Tara remains self-defined and all-powerful in her general reputation.
Every bit a female deity in the archetypal gender description of how women are thought to embody nurturance and compassion, Tara is known to have discarded the opportunity to ever embrace her "masculine side". Having once been offered reincarnation in male form, she is said to have declined, swearing only to incarnate (or be reborn) as a woman for the rest of eternity.
Sources:
The Goddess Oracle by Amy Sophia Marashinsky (2002)
Whence the Goddesses: A Source Book by Miriam Robbins Dexter (1990)
Other articles of interest:
Ancient goddess spotlight: Durga
Ancient goddess spotlight: Inanna
Ancient goddess spotlight: Baba Yaga
Juliette Frette
Comments
I do find these entries from mythology quite interesting, particularly how the ancients' viewed women with greater respect than, say, some do today. There's real power there, the ability hold their own with, or best, their male counterpart(s). In contract, we're given the stories of Eve and Lilith, where Eve is submissive on the one hand and a corrupting influence on the other, and Lilith who is either portrayed as "uppity" or as a succubus, again a corrupting influence (personally, I choose to see Lilith as strong & independent, equal to Adam).
alliteration is not a toy, and excessive commas dont give u poetic license =D
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