Taramala
Fifteenth bead of the Taramala
O Batuka, take me to Kashi,
The eternal city poised on your trishula,
Bounded by Varuna and Asi rivers,
Forming the great maha smashana.
Kashi, etched in my heart since childhood,
Yet I’ve not received your permission to visit.
What sin have I committed, O Batuka?
How long must I wait for your darshana?
When I step into Kashi,
I will rush to hold your feet,
Pouring out my heart’s essence—
Dreams fulfilled at last.
I know no one in Kashi,
Except you, my Batuka deva.
Hold my hand, show me around,
Reveal all that Kashi beholds.
First, guide me to Baba Kalabhairava,
Engaged in his Kappar seva.
Praying for the destruction of ego,
And seeking to absorb Bhairava Tattwas.
Baba, the most compassionate, his eyes protect,
While his Trishula strikes fear into the enemy’s spine.
Let me surrender to him, O Batuka,
The lord of lords, Baba Kalabhairava.
Then, take me to Kashi Vishwanatha,
Where the saptarshi aarti shines bright.
Can anyone hide from Vishalakshi’s gaze?
Lead me there, let me meditate with Maa.
O Batuka, your sacred feet
Purify the soil with a fragrant aroma.
I will gather a fistful to bring home,
Smearing and cherishing you evermore.
O Batuka, this life is your bhiksha.
Responsibilities keep me bound.
Promise to bring me here each year,
Holding my hand and guiding me around.
~Tāradāsa
26.08.2024
This is the fifteenth bead of the Taramala. Taramala is a collection of poems dedicated to the divine Mother Tara and Batuka Bhairava, where each poem represents a bead in a mala dedicated to Maa Tara. These poems are dedicated to the lotus feet of the master who introduced the Nama-Amrutham of Maa Tara to me.
Sri Pavankumar, who writes under the pen name of Tāradāsa, is a member of Kamakhya Bhairava Upasaka Foundation. He is an ardent devotee of Ma Tara and Bhairava. The following lines shared by him exemplify his bhakti towards his Ishta-
‘Bhagawati’s guard,
Her name my shield and my strength,
I obey her call.’
