Tara Stotram (Tarashtakam / Nilasaraswati Stotram) — Complete Lyrics
तारा स्तोत्रम् (ताराष्टकम् / नीलसरस्वती स्तोत्रम्)
Sanskrit text with English transliteration and translation
Verse 1
मातर्नीलसरस्वति प्रणमतां सौभाग्यसम्पत्प्रदे
प्रत्यालीढपदस्थिते शवहृदि स्मेराननाम्भोरुहे।
फुल्लेन्दीवरलोचने त्रिनयने कर्त्रीकपालोत्पले
खड्गं चादधती त्वमेव शरणं त्वामीश्वरीमाश्रये॥१॥
Mātar nīlasarasvati praṇamatāṁ saubhāgyasampatprade
pratyālīḍhapadasthite śavahṛdi smerānanāmbhoruhe।
phullendīvaralocane trinayane kartrīkapālotpale
khaḍgaṁ cādadhatī tvam eva śaraṇaṁ tvām īśvarīm āśraye॥1॥
O Mother Nilasaraswati, bestower of good fortune and prosperity on those who bow to you, standing in the warrior's posture upon the heart of the corpse, with a smiling lotus-face, eyes like blossomed blue lotuses, three-eyed, holding the curved knife, skull-cup and blue lotus and bearing the sword — you alone are my refuge; I take shelter in you, the Supreme Mistress.
Verse 2
वाचामीश्वरि भक्तिकल्पलतिके सर्वार्थसिद्धीश्वरि
गद्यप्राकृतपद्यजातरचनासर्वार्थसिद्धिप्रदे।
नीलेन्दीवरलोचनत्रययुते कारुण्यवारान्निधे
सौभाग्यामृतवर्धनेन कृपया सिञ्च त्वमस्मादृशम्॥२॥
Vācām īśvari bhaktikalpalatike sarvārthasiddhīśvari
gadyaprākṛtapadyajātaracanāsarvārthasiddhiprade।
nīlendīvaralocanatrayayute kāruṇyavārānnidhe
saubhāgyāmṛtavardhanena kṛpayā siñca tvam asmādṛśam॥2॥
O Mistress of speech, wish-granting creeper for devotees, ruler of all attainments, giver of mastery in prose, Prakrit and verse and of every accomplishment, three-eyed with blue-lotus eyes, ocean of compassion — graciously sprinkle one like me with the nectar that increases good fortune.
Verse 3
खर्वे गर्वसमूहपूरिततनो सर्पादिवेषोज्ज्वले
व्याघ्रत्वक्परिवीतसुन्दरकटिव्याधूतघण्टाङ्किते।
सद्यःकृत्तगलद्रजःपरिमिलन्मुण्डद्वयीमूर्द्धज-
ग्रन्थिश्रेणिनृमुण्डदामललिते भीमे भयं नाशय॥३॥
Kharve garvasamūhapūritatano sarpādiveṣojjvale
vyāghratvakparivītasundarakaṭivyādhūtaghaṇṭāṅkite।
sadyaḥkṛttagaladrajaḥparimilanmuṇḍadvayīmūrddhaja-
granthiśreṇinṛmuṇḍadāmalalite bhīme bhayaṁ nāśaya॥3॥
O short-statured one, your body filled with the fullness of pride, brilliant with serpent ornaments, your lovely waist wrapped in tiger-skin and marked with swaying bells, beautifully adorned with a garland of freshly severed, dripping human heads — O fierce Goddess, destroy my fear.
Verse 4
मायानङ्गविकाररूपललनाबिन्द्वर्द्धचन्द्राम्बिके
हुंफट्कारमयि त्वमेव शरणं मन्त्रात्मिके मादृशः।
मूर्तिस्ते जननि त्रिधामघटिता स्थूलातिसूक्ष्मा परा
वेदानां नहि गोचरा कथमपि प्राज्ञैर्नुतामाश्रये॥४॥
Māyānaṅgavikārarūpalalanābindvarddhacandrāmbike
huṁphaṭkāramayi tvam eva śaraṇaṁ mantrātmike mādṛśaḥ।
mūrtis te janani tridhāmaghaṭitā sthūlātisūkṣmā parā
vedānāṁ nahi gocarā kathamapi prājñair nutām āśraye॥4॥
O Mother of Maya and of the formless states of consciousness, marked with the bindu and crescent, embodiment of Hum and Phat, you alone are the refuge of one like me, O Goddess whose essence is mantra. Your form, O Mother, is fashioned of the three abodes — gross, exceedingly subtle and supreme — not at all within the reach of the Vedas; praised by the wise, I take refuge in you.
Verse 5
त्वत्पादाम्बुजसेवया सुकृतिनो गच्छन्ति सायुज्यतां
तस्याः श्रीपरमेश्वरत्रिनयनब्रह्मादिसाम्यात्मनः।
संसाराम्बुधिमज्जने पटुतनुर्देवेन्द्रमुख्यासुरान्
मातस्ते पदसेवने हि विमुखान् किं मन्दधीः सेवते॥५॥
Tvatpādāmbujasevayā sukṛtino gacchanti sāyujyatāṁ
tasyāḥ śrīparameśvaratrinayanabrahmādisāmyātmanaḥ।
saṁsārāmbudhimajjane paṭutanur devendramukhyāsurān
mātas te padasevane hi vimukhān kiṁ mandadhīḥ sevate॥5॥
By serving your lotus feet the meritorious attain union with you — becoming equal to Shiva, the three-eyed Lord, Brahma and the rest. What dull-witted person would instead serve Indra and the other gods, who are skilled only at drowning in the ocean of worldly existence and who are themselves turned away from the service of your feet?
Verse 6
मातस्त्वत्पदपङ्कजद्वयरजोमुद्राङ्ककोटीरिणस्ते
देवा जयसङ्गरे विजयिनो निःशङ्कमङ्के गताः।
देवोऽहं भुवने न मे सम इति स्पर्द्धां वहन्तः परे
तत्तुल्यां नियतं यथा शशिरवी नाशं व्रजन्ति स्वयम्॥६॥
Mātas tvatpadapaṅkajadvayarajomudrāṅkakoṭīriṇas te
devā jayasaṅgare vijayino niḥśaṅkam aṅke gatāḥ।
devo'haṁ bhuvane na me sama iti spardhāṁ vahantaḥ pare
tattulyāṁ niyataṁ yathā śaśiravī nāśaṁ vrajanti svayam॥6॥
O Mother, the gods whose crowns are stamped with the dust of your two lotus feet become victorious in the battle for triumph and rest fearlessly in your lap; while others who boast 'I am a god, none in the world is my equal' inevitably perish of themselves, just as the moon and sun (wane).
Verse 7
त्वन्नामस्मरणात्पलायनपरान्द्रष्टुं च शक्ता न ते
भूतप्रेतपिशाचराक्षसगणा यक्षश्च नागाधिपाः।
दैत्या दानवपुङ्गवाश्च खचरा व्याघ्रादिका जन्तवो
डाकिन्यः कुपितान्तकश्च मनुजान् मातः क्षणं भूतले॥७॥
Tvannāmasmaraṇāt palāyanaparān draṣṭuṁ ca śaktā na te
bhūtapretapiśācarākṣasagaṇā yakṣaś ca nāgādhipāḥ।
daityā dānavapuṅgavāś ca khacarā vyāghrādikā jantavo
ḍākinyaḥ kupitāntakaś ca manujān mātaḥ kṣaṇaṁ bhūtale॥7॥
At the mere remembrance of your name, hosts of ghosts, goblins, demons and rakshasas, yakshas and serpent-lords, daityas and mighty danavas, sky-roaming beings, tigers and other beasts, dakinis, and even angry Death himself are unable even to look at your devotees and flee in an instant upon the earth.
Verse 8
लक्ष्मीः सिद्धिगणश्च पादुकमुखाः सिद्धास्तथा वैरिणां
स्तम्भश्चापि वराङ्गने गजघटास्तम्भस्तथा मोहनम्।
मातस्त्वत्पदसेवया खलु नृणां सिद्ध्यन्ति ते ते गुणाः
क्लान्तः कान्तमनोभवोऽत्र भवति क्षुद्रोऽपि वाचस्पतिः॥८॥
Lakṣmīḥ siddhigaṇaś ca pādukamukhāḥ siddhās tathā vairiṇāṁ
stambhaś cāpi varāṅgane gajaghaṭāstambhas tathā mohanam।
mātas tvatpadasevayā khalu nṛṇāṁ siddhyanti te te guṇāḥ
klāntaḥ kāntamanobhavo'tra bhavati kṣudro'pi vācaspatiḥ॥8॥
Lakshmi, the host of siddhis, the paduka and other attainments, the paralysing of foes and of herds of elephants, and bewildering of others — O beautiful one, all these powers truly come to people by the service of your feet; even a lowly, weary man becomes here as charming as Kamadeva and as eloquent as Brihaspati.
Verse 9
ताराष्टकमिदं पुण्यं भक्तिमान् यः पठेन्नरः।
प्रातर्मध्याह्नकाले च सायाह्ने नियतः शुचिः॥९॥
Tārāṣṭakam idaṁ puṇyaṁ bhaktimān yaḥ paṭhen naraḥ।
prātar madhyāhnakāle ca sāyāhne niyataḥ śuciḥ॥9॥
The devout man who, controlled and pure, recites this holy Tara Ashtakam at dawn, midday and dusk gains poetic genius and learning and becomes a knower of the meaning of all scriptures; obtaining imperishable wealth and enjoying desired pleasures, attaining fame, beauty, freedom from disease and the love of all, and becoming renowned in the worlds, he at last attains liberation.
Verse 10
लभते कवितां विद्यां सर्वशास्त्रार्थविद्भवेत्।
लक्ष्मीमनश्वरां प्राप्य भुक्त्वा भोगान्यथेप्सितान्॥१०॥
Labhate kavitāṁ vidyāṁ sarvaśāstrārthavid bhavet।
lakṣmīm anaśvarāṁ prāpya bhuktvā bhogān yathepsitān॥10॥
Verse 11
कीर्तिं कान्तिं च नैरुज्यं सर्वेषां प्रियतां व्रजेत्।
विख्यातिं चापि लोकेषु प्राप्यान्ते मोक्षमाप्नुयात्॥११॥
Kīrtiṁ kāntiṁ ca nairujyaṁ sarveṣāṁ priyatāṁ vrajet।
vikhyātiṁ cāpi lokeṣu prāpyānte mokṣam āpnuyāt॥11॥
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