Tara the Compassionate Goddess (Mahavidya)

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

In Sanskrit, the verb tar-na means to transcend. The Compassionate Mother is called Tara because it is She Who enables us to transcend our current attachments. This watercolour from the Exotic India collection depicts the Goddess in Her superbly feminine beauty and grace. Her voluptuous form is adorned with golds, pearls, and jewels, to which Her tigerskin skirt or baghambar (bagh = tiger, ambar = garment) is draped in stark contrast. Her stance is dominant, Her legs parted as if in the middle of a wrathful dance. Her divine countenance is flushed with vigour, a golden halo emanating from the third eye across her temple.

There is much to Her that likens Her to Goddess Kali: the mundamala (garland of heads) cascading down Her torso and the snake coiled around Her skin. The lotus She holds in one hand is symbolic of creation; while the sickle, the severed demonhead, and the scissors in the rest of Her hands, of destruction (the major aspect). The scissors are indicative of how She snips off all forms of attachement in the atma.

The verdant backdrop of this painting has been done with stippling technique - a procedure that involves repetitive dotting on the paper with the tip of the brush. From the shadows and the florets in the foreground to the mysterious twilight of the far background, this piece of art exhibits great workmanship. Note the degree of perfection in the tender fingers and palms of the Goddess.