Goddess Worship — Vedic Puja Vidhi
Tara Puja
Tara Puja is the tantric worship of the second Mahavidya, Goddess Tara — the fierce, liberating star-goddess who guides souls across the ocean of samsara (cycle of birth and death) and through the darkest spiritual crises. Iconographically she stands on a cremation pyre, wearing a tiger skin, adorned with a garland of severed heads, clutching a sword, scissors, a skull cup, and a lotus — a form strikingly similar to the Tibetan Green Tara, with whom she shares deep tantric lineage. The word "Tara" means both "star" and "she who saves / she who causes to cross over." Her worship is most prominent at the Tarapith shrine of West Bengal, where the great tantric Bamakhyapa attained siddhi. Tara is particularly propitious for writers, scholars, and speakers — she rules over speech and eloquence — as well as for those seeking swift liberation, cutting through illusion, and navigating extreme difficulty.
Last updated: 23 April 2026 · Source: Vedic Tradition
Benefits
Bestows eloquence, mastery of speech, and literary excellence, grants rapid liberation from cycles of suffering, cuts through delusion and spiritual blockages, provides guidance through severe hardship and grief, removes stubborn karma and past-life debts, protects against psychic dangers and astral entities, and awakens deep intuition and clairvoyance.
Step-by-Step Procedure
Set up a dark-blue or black altar cloth. Place the Tara yantra and her image or idol. The ritual is ideally conducted in a cremation ground (shamshan) or near a fire. Begin at midnight. Light blue-flame lamps with sesame oil. Offer blue flowers, raw fish (macha), cooked rice (bhaat), and rice wine (madira) — characteristic Bengali tantric offerings. Recite the Tara mantra (Om Hrim Strim Hum Phat) or Neel Saraswati Stotram 1,008 times. Visualise the goddess as a luminous blue star at the crown. Perform havan with blue lotus seeds and sesame. Conclude with Tara Kavach recitation.
Best Time (Muhurat)
Ashtami (8th lunar day) of Krishna Paksha, Tuesday and Saturday nights, the month of Kartik, and Kali Puja night. Midnight (Nishitha Kaal) is mandatory for deep sadhana.
Materials Required (Samagri)
- ·Tara yantra
- ·Blue or black altar cloth
- ·Blue flowers (blue lotus, aparajita)
- ·Sesame oil lamp
- ·Raw fish
- ·Cooked rice
- ·Rice wine (madira)
- ·Blue lotus seeds
- ·Sesame seeds
- ·Skull cup (kapala) or clay bowl
- ·Kali incense (dhoop)
FAQ
Q.What is Tara Puja?
Tara Puja is the tantric worship of the second Mahavidya, Goddess Tara — the fierce, liberating star-goddess who guides souls across the ocean of samsara (cycle of birth and death) and through the darkest spiritual crises. Iconographically she stands...
Q.What are the benefits of Tara Puja?
Bestows eloquence, mastery of speech, and literary excellence, grants rapid liberation from cycles of suffering, cuts through delusion and spiritual blockages, provides guidance through severe hardship and grief, removes stubborn karma and past-life debts, protects against psychic dangers and astral entities, and awakens deep intuition and clairvoyance.
Q.What is the best time to perform Tara Puja?
Ashtami (8th lunar day) of Krishna Paksha, Tuesday and Saturday nights, the month of Kartik, and Kali Puja night. Midnight (Nishitha Kaal) is mandatory for deep sadhana.
Q.What materials are needed for Tara Puja?
Tara yantra, Blue or black altar cloth, Blue flowers (blue lotus, aparajita), Sesame oil lamp, Raw fish, Cooked rice, Rice wine (madira), Blue lotus seeds, Sesame seeds, Skull cup (kapala) or clay bowl, Kali incense (dhoop).