Every Amavasya night is a great time to do upasana of Kali and related forms. Tonight is the great Kaushiki Amavasya, where a Mela is held in Tarapith, and all Tantra sadhakas and Shakti upasakas gather in the holy precincts of this ancient temple town, named after the great saviouress Ugratara. Most people do not know the reason behind the name Kaushiki. It comes from Kusha grass, which is collected on that day before sunrise and used for pitru karmas. That Chaturdasi tithi is called Aghora Chaturdasi. While in the Vedic realm, it is a great day to placate ancestors, it is also an ideal day for smashanic upasana, not of Shiva, but Ugratara. Yes, Ma Tara is ultimately the devata of Aghora.
In the Hindu Shakta pantheon, Tara is the second goddess of the 10 Mahavidyas or 10 Great Wisdoms, almost like Kali in appearance but differing slightly in iconography. She has three primary forms: Ekajata (with a single Jata on Her head), Nilasaraswati (Blue Saraswati), and Ugratara or Fierce Tara. As Ugratara, She resides in the cremation grounds, surrounded by spirits and other ethereal entities; as Nila Saraswati, She grants unparalleled knowledge and wisdom of all things occult and unseen. Ekajata, the least worshipped of Her forms, is associated with the capacity for intense Tapasya or spiritual penance.
Tara is a Tantric Devi who is the protector of Her devotees, the granter of spiritual illumination, Siddhis, exceptional knowledge of occult matters, and tremendous power of expression.
Tonight is considered especially auspicious for upasana of Ugratara in a cremation ground setting when it is believed that the veil between the physical and astral world becomes thin, and those capable are able to access the mysteries of the subtle realms by the grace of Tara’s immeasurable Power.
Jai Ma Tara
