Praises to the Twenty-One Taras

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Painting of Green Tara by Prithvi Man Chitrakari, 1947.

Praises to the Twenty-One Taras. A text in twenty-seven verses, dedicated to the deity Tara, who appears in twenty-one forms that vary from peaceful to wrathful in aspect.

This prayer offers protection from various types of fears, harm, and calamities.

Summary

84000 translation group states:

Praise to Tārā with Twenty-One Verses of Homage is a liturgy that consists of twenty-seven verses of praise and reverence dedicated to the deity Tārā. The first twenty-one verses are at once a series of homages to the twenty-one forms of Tārā and a poetic description of her physical features, postures, and qualities. The remaining six verses describe how and when the praise should be recited and the benefits of its recitation.

Text

This text is included in the Tibetan Kangyur, where it is classified as a Yoga tantra. The full title for the text is:

• Praise to Tārā with Twenty-One Verses of Homage and Their Benefits (T. sgrol ma la phyag ’tshal nyi shu rtsa gcig gis bstod pa phan yon dang bcas pa; Skt. Namastāraikaviṃśatistotra).

Translations

There are many English translations of this text, including the followng:

• Praise to Tārā with Twenty-One Verses of Homage and Their Benefits, 84000 Collection
• Praises to the Twenty-One Tārās, Lotsawa House
• Praises to the Twenty-one Taras, StudyBuddhism

English-language commentaries

Modern English language commentaries include:

• Palden Sherab (2007). Tara's Enlightened Activity: A Commentary on The Praise to the Twenty-One Taras. Ithaca, N.Y: Snow Lion Publications.  Publisher's page
• Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche (2007). Skillful Grace: Tara Practice for Our Times. Rangjung Yeshe Publications. 
• Thubten Chodron (2013). How to Free Your Mind: The Practice of Tara the Liberator. Snow Lion. 
• Bokar Rinpoche (1999). Tara: the divine feminine. San Francisco, Calif.: ClearPoint Press. 
• Willson, Martin (1996). In praise of Tārā: songs to the Saviouress: source texts from India and Tibet on Buddhism's great Goddess. Boston, Mass: Wisdom Publications. 

Online commentaries include:

• Palden Sherab (2004). The Smile of Sun and Moon: A commentary on the Praise to the Twenty-one Taras. Boca Raton, FL: Sky Dance Press. 
• "Commentary on the Praise to Twenty-One Taras eBook". FPMT The Foundation Store. Retrieved 2014-06-22. 

Extensive descriptions of traditional rituals associated with Tara, including the "Twenty-One Praises", can be found in:

• Beyer, Stephan (1978). The Cult of Tara: Magic and Ritual in Tibet. Berkeley: University of California Press.  JSTOR page

External links

• "Systems of Twenty-one Taras". Himalayan Art. Retrieved 2026-01-02. 
• "The Praise to the Twenty-One Taras (Gallery)". Sky Dancer Press. Retrieved 2026-01-02. 
• Praises to the Twenty-One Taras, Rigpa Shedra Wiki
• Praise to Tara in Twenty One Verses, Wikipedia