“Through the magic of Lokeshvara’s compassion,
The three times Buddhas’ wisdom, love and power
Appear in the lovely form of the Goddess of Action,
Who saves us all from want- at Tara’s feet I bow!”
A beautiful hymn, composed by the first Dalai Lama (1391-1474), these lines capture the essence of Green Tara in Tibetan and Nepalese Buddhism.
Born from the compassionate tears of Avalokiteshvara, the green manifestation of the Buddhist divinity is associated with Bodhisattva Amoghasiddhi. Green Tara in the Himalayan Buddhist tradition is also connected to Bhrikuti, the Nepalese wife of Tibet’s renowned king Songtsen Gambo. In this large gilded copper statue of Green Tara, she appears as an exquisite maiden, sitting in a variation of the regal Lalitasana posture on a lovely lotus pedestal. Tara’s left hand is raised in the “Vitarka” mudra or the gesture of intellectual discussion, and her right hand is open, its fingers pointed downwards, in the gesture of giving boons. Buddhists while meditating upon this form of the Green Tara visualize various precious gems and gifts coming forth from her hand.
The ornamentation of this Nepalese Green Tara statue is queenly, with a five-pronged crown on her head, a gorgeous ethnic necklace in silver with red and turquoise stone adorning her ethereal green form. Her luscious tresses delineated with fine incised lines are knotted in a lovely hairdo which can be appreciated on the reverse of the statue. Green Tara’s lavish lower body garment is patterned with floral vines and its silver coat mimics the aesthetic effect of the metal inlay crafts. A delicate scarf matching her garment knotted on her torso flows artistically, forming delightful waves on her sides. Two fully blossomed lotuses- one blue and the other red along with their leaves are held in her hands with their faces towards us.
A small lotus attached to the pedestal acts as the footrest for the goddess in this Nepalese Green Tara statue. Her leg folded on the platform denotes Green Tara’s meditative state while the foot extending outside her throne signifies her readiness to rush and salvage the humans. Together, these elements of the Green Tara statue symbolize the union of wisdom and art known as “Prajnyopayadvaya”.
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