The Cult of Tara

WORSHIP
As the monks offer this torma to the goddess, they "visualize that
she accepts it": they see her draw up its essence with her narrow
tongue, in the shape of a hollow and one-pointed vajra. In addition,
they make offerings to her with the mantra series and the gestures
of the outer offerings, and they praise her with Atlsa's verse "Gods
and demigods bow their crowns ..." To complete the triad of
offerings, praises, and prayers, they pray to her by reciting (or
singing) the following standard lines:
I bow to the Conquerors and their sons,
by the white light of whose compassion
the aim of beings is served,
the refuge and protector of the protectorless.
May the noble Tara and her retinue
accept this torma which we give in offering;
let us, yogins and retinue,
attain life without disease, lordship,
glory, fame, good fortune,
and all the great increase of our enjoyment:
grant to us the magical attainment of the functions
of pacifying, increasing and so on.
Let the oath-bound guardians protect us,
be to us friends granting all magical attainments.
Let us be without untimely death, disease,
evil spirits, or hindering demons.
Let us be without bad dreams, evil omens,
or wicked deeds.
Let the world be happy: grant good harvest,
the increase of grain, the increase of the Law.
Source of all happiness !
let us accomplish all that we wish.
I pray you, holy noble Tara, grant us all the magical attainments,
ordinary and most excellent. I pray you be our refuge from all
harm, the eight and the sixteen great terrors. I pray you save
us from the great ocean of suffering in this world. I pray you
pacify all suffering.
Here, too, if the practitioner has any special purpose in mind, he
may take advantage of these offerings and praises to "pray fiercely
for its accomplishment."
3.112 To the protectors of the Law
The second gift torma is then offered to the protectors of the Law
in general. As before, it is contemplatively re-created from Emptiness,
as the monks recite the AMRTA and SVABH A VA mantras and