Tara Aarti (Maha Tara)

By the BhaktiRas Editorial Team · Updated 14 July 2026

Goddess Tara is the second of the ten Mahavidyas, a fierce yet motherly form of the Divine Mother linked most closely with the tantric shrine at Tarapith in Birbhum, West Bengal. This aarti, sung in her honour, praises her radiant Brahmani form and asks her to look after her devotees. Her name means she who ferries across, and worshippers turn to her to cross fear, ignorance and difficulty.

Tara Aarti Lyrics (English)

Meaning & Significance

Tara sits second among the ten Mahavidyas, the group of goddess forms that map the many faces of Shakti. She is often shown standing on a corpse, blue-skinned and fierce, yet the tradition treats her as a rescuing mother rather than a figure of terror. The name Tara carries two senses at once: the star that gives direction, and the power that carries a soul across a flood. Both meanings sit behind this aarti, which greets her as the one known throughout the world.

The couplets move through the details of her worship, the swan form, the golden hair, the blue cloth, the sandal paste, the bel leaves, and close with a plain request: look after your devotees. That shift from description to petition is the heart of the aarti. It is not a philosophical text but a lamp-offering song, meant to be sung at the moment the flame is circled before her image, especially at Tarapith where her cult is strongest.

How Do You Perform the Aarti?

1. Prepare the space — clean the area before an image or picture of Goddess Tara, and light a ghee or oil lamp along with incense.
2. Offer the basics — place red or blue flowers, sandal paste and, where tradition allows it, bel leaves, keeping the offering simple and clean.
3. Circle the lamp — hold the lit lamp and move it in slow clockwise circles before the goddess while you sing the aarti.
4. Sing with the refrain — sing the six couplets and return to the opening line as the refrain, keeping a steady, unhurried rhythm.
5. Close the worship — set the lamp down, fold your hands, ask for her protection and share any offered food as prasad.

What Are the Benefits of Singing This Aarti?

Devotees sing the Tara Aarti to feel protected, steadied and free of fear under the goddess’s care.

• Release from fear: Tara is invoked to steady the mind and carry a person through danger, grief and sudden difficulty.
• Clarity and speech: As a form linked to Neel Saraswati, she is associated with clear thought and the power of expression.
• Focus in worship: Singing a short, repeating aarti helps settle a wandering mind before deeper meditation or japa.
• A sense of the Mother's presence: The song turns a fierce Mahavidya into an approachable mother who watches over her devotees' work.

Who Wrote This Aarti?

This aarti is traditional and its author is not recorded. It circulates in Hindi devotional collections dedicated to the Dus Mahavidyas and to the Tarapith shrine, passed on through recitation rather than a single fixed manuscript. Because of that oral history, small differences in wording appear between printed versions. The text here follows the common published form; a reciter may adjust a phrase to match their own family or regional tradition.

Frequently Asked Questions

॥ तारा माँ की जय ॥