Red Tara Swift and Heroic is the Principle Red Tara. She is the First Tara of the 21 Taras, Red Tara Swift Lady of Glory. To the base Om Tare Tuttare Ture; Red Tara adds “Vasham Kuru Svaha” which, as instructed by Longhcenpa, is for magnetizing. The first Tara, indeed is the main Magnetizing Tara of the 21 Taras. There are other Red Taras, but she is the chief of the magnetizing Taras of the Padma family.
The first Tara is red for magnetizing fortunate circumstances. She is also called Tara, Swift and Heroic, with her symbol being the Conch Shell of Victory. Her mantra is
om tare tuttare ture vasham kuru svaha
ॐतरेतुत्तरेतुरेवशमकुरुस्वहा
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PERMISSIONS: No permissions are generally required for any of the 21 Taras mantras of Lord Atisha, however, always be guided by your own teaching lineage. When you do not have Tara empowerment, you visualize Tara in front of you with her powerful red light going out to all beings including yourself, helping them, then returning to your own heart where Tara resides forever.
Symbol: Conch Shell, the Symbol of Dharma
Symbol: Conch Shell, the Symbol of Dharma
The conch shell symbolizes “victory,” and her praise says “fast as flashes of lightning.” Its sound as a trumpet is the sound of Om. The conch represents victory, the victory of “the sound of Buddha’s Dharma.” Buddha’s Dharma leads us to wisdom and compassion and banishes our poisons, demons, and obstructions.
The conch signifies authority and sovereignty, reflecting Red Tara’s position as a spiritual leader and teacher. Her other symols are the Red Tam syllable, which is her sacred seed syllable, and the red vase filled with red magnetizing nectar.
But it is the conch shell, which is the ultimate emblem of power, authority, and sovereignty; its blast is believed to banish evil spirits, avert natural disasters, and scare away “demons.” It is one of the Eight Auspicious Signs. This is Red Tara’s symbol of victory and supreme power of the Dharma over all dangers, evils, attachments, poisons and osbstructions. Its resonant sound is purifying, and to dispels negative energies and sanctify the space for spiritual practices.
Magnetizing and Enchanting Power
Red Tara’s power is the Power of Magnetizing and Enchanting. Her power is Enlightened Dharma Speech, which is ultimately what Enchants and Empowers us. She attracts to us all the auspicious factors. What is it that magnetizes? It is Dharma itself that empowers magnetizing. Nothing is more Enchanting than the truth of Dharma, symbolized by the sound of the blowing of the Conch Shell. For this reason, the Conch Shell is often blown at the beginning of Buddhist Dharma teachings as the teacher enters.
You would chant her mantra as much as you can if you are trying to magnetize fortunate circumstances, ideally with the instructions Great Longchempa gave for magnetizing practice:
“As for the powers that can summon and magnetize, visualize rays of a vivid red in the shape of hooks.