Traditions / Bodhisattvas

Tārā & the Twenty-One Forms

A guide to Tārā’s forms, the Twenty-One Praises, and the connections between compassion, sacred imagery and living practice.

Compassion expressed through action

Tārā is a female figure of awakening, revered especially in Tibetan Buddhism. Communities invoke her compassionate activity through prayer, art and meditation.

A traditional origin narrative describes her emerging from Avalokiteśvara’s tears. The story presents her as a swift response to the suffering of beings.

Explore Avalokiteśvara and his names across traditions →

Green Tārā

Associated with swift help, protection and compassionate activity in the world.

White Tārā

The Wish-Fulfilling Wheel form is associated with longevity and the conditions that sustain spiritual practice.

A fifteenth-century Tibetan painting of White Tara on the left and Green Tara on the right, seated on lotus thrones with smaller figures above. — **White Tārā and Green Tārā**
Western Tibet (Guge) · 1450–1500. Distemper on cloth. The Met, 2012.460. Public domain.
Collection credit
Zimmerman Family Collection, Purchase, Oscar L. Tang Gift, in honor of Agnes Hsu, 2012.

Why twenty-one?

The Praises to the Twenty-One Tārās offers twenty-one homages and concluding verses on recitation. Lineages associate a particular form and activity with each homage.

The imagery includes serenity, generosity, radiance and fierce protection. Jetsün Drakpa Gyaltsen’s commentary relates many of its enemies and obstacles to afflictions, while also discussing external dangers.

Explore the praise and verse index Read a classical commentary

One named lineage

The twenty-one forms in Atiśa’s tradition

This presentation generally uses a seated, one-faced, two-armed Tārā holding a vase and a flower. Color and activity distinguish the forms.

Atiśa’s tradition · form, color, association and connections
Form	Color	Traditional association	Explore
01Power	Red	Invoked for power and influence. [source]	Homage 1 →Cataloged artwork ↗
02Pacifying illness	White	Pacifying illness and hindrances. [source]	Homage 2 →
03Life and prosperity	Golden yellow	Longevity and material flourishing. [source]	Homage 3 →
04Life and death	Yellow	Mastery concerning life and death. [source]	Homage 4 →
05Extending life	Orange	Increasing the span of life. [source]	Homage 5 →
06Subduing spirits	Maroon	Restraining disruptive spirits. [source]	Homage 6 →
07Overcoming adversaries	Black	Defeating human opponents. [source]	Homage 7 →
08Fierce protection	Maroon	Overcoming demons and enemies. [source]	Homage 8 →Cataloged artwork ↗
09Freedom from fear	White	Protection amid fear. [source]	Homage 9 →Cataloged artwork ↗
10Taming interference	Red	Subduing demons and interference. [source]	Homage 10 →
11Relief from poverty	Gold	Alleviating material hardship. [source]	Homage 11 →Cataloged artwork ↗
12Prosperity	Golden yellow	Increasing abundance. [source]	Homage 12 →
13Fiery protection	Flame red	Protection from obstacles. [source]	Homage 13 →Cataloged artwork ↗
14Suppressing obstruction	Black	Forcefully subduing hindrances. [source]	Homage 14 →
15Purification	White	Purifying harmful deeds. [source]	Homage 15 →
16Wisdom	Red	Developing intelligence and wisdom. [source]	Homage 16 →
17Pacifying spirits	Orange	Calming demons and obstacles. [source]	Homage 17 →Cataloged artwork ↗
18Poison and nāgas	White	Pacifying poison associated with nāgas. [source]	Homage 18 →Cataloged artwork ↗
19Conflict and dreams	White	Settling disputes and troubling dreams. [source]	Homage 19 →Cataloged artwork ↗
20Protection from epidemics	Orange	Protection from infectious illness. [source]	Homage 20 →Cataloged artwork (tentative identification) ↗
21Completing activities	White	Bringing all activities to completion. [source]	Homage 21 →Cataloged artwork ↗

View the Atiśa painting gallery Watch the art-history introduction

How the lineages differ

The praise connects several distinct traditions of imagery and practice. Different lineages give the forms associated with its verses different names, colors and appearances.

Atiśa

A shared seated form, differentiated principally by color and activity. This is the system indexed above.

Sūryagupta

A more varied visual vocabulary, with different postures, implements and numbers of arms.

Nyingma transmissions

Longchen Nyingtik and Chokgyur Lingpa are among the distinct practice traditions represented in the larger family of Twenty-One Tārā systems.

A historical depiction

Tārā and her emanations in art

This fourteenth-century Tibetan relief places a large Tārā among smaller emanations, with a meditating monk below. It brings the relationship between sacred imagery and contemplative practice into view.

A fourteenth-century painted stone relief with a large seated Tara surrounded by smaller Tara figures and a meditating monk below. — **Twenty-One Emanations of the Goddess Tārā**
Tibet · 14th century. Stone with polychrome. The Met, 2015.500.4.19. Public domain.
Collection credit
Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015.

Read, listen & understand the practice

Tārā practice includes devotion, recitation, mantra and visualization. Vajrayāna explanations also emphasize recognizing and embodying awakened qualities. Detailed sādhana practice follows the guidance and transmission of a particular lineage.

The praise, verse by verse

A reading guide with twenty-one pointers into the text and links to complete translations.

Hear the English praise

The Sravasti Abbey community’s chant offers a way to hear the prayer alongside its written text.

Recognize the imagery

Himalayan Art Resources introduces the Twenty-One Tārās specifically in Atiśa’s tradition.

Further teaching

Tara Mandala · forms and practice Thubten Chodron · the meaning of the practice Deity yoga: meaning and context Four immeasurables & faces of compassion Goodwill & compassion Tibetan traditions Vajrayāna traditions Tibetan canonical collections Bodhisattvas in the Atlas

Recordings

Find dharma talksAbout Tārā & the Twenty-One Forms

Sources & notes

Texts & teachers

[1] [7][6][1] [7][1]

Both familiar forms have their own practice transmissions. Their relationship to a numbered set of twenty-one depends on the lineage. [3] [5]

[2] [12][6][3]

The short headings below are Atlas descriptions of traditional ritual associations. Numbers correspond to the homages; colors follow Himalayan Art Resources’ indexed list. Historical paintings and their catalog descriptions sometimes vary. [4]

[1] [12]

The Atiśa list above contains no green form. Green Tārā does occur in other arrangements, including one Sūryagupta transmission. Each set is best read with its own source and commentary. [3] [5]

[9]

The Met catalogs the subject as the Twenty-One Emanations of Tārā and leaves the particular lineage unspecified.

[7]

Sources & artwork credits

Original Atlas summaries. The numbered table identifies its lineage; the linked translations, commentaries and collections provide fuller context. Reviewed October 8, 2026.