This painting depicts Raja Kapotanasana or royal pigeon pose. The pigeon pose is a deep hip opener, as well as a balancer for the upper back and shoulders. It is ultimately a heart-opening pose and is reminiscent of the puffy-chested park pigeon as he inflates his heart when wooing a female.
In the background is the yantra for the great Mahavidya goddess Tara. In Sanskrit the root târ-means "to traverse" or "cross over. She carries you across the realms of creation and serves as a bridge to attain immortality.
The oral tradition gives an intriguing story behind the Goddess Tara. The legend begins with the churning of the ocean. Shiva has drunk the poison that was created from the churning of the ocean, thus saving the world from destruction, but has fallen unconscious under its powerful effect. Tara appears and takes Shiva on her lap. She suckles him, the milk from her breasts counteracting the poison, and he recovers. This myth is reminiscent of the one in which Shiva stops the rampaging Kali by becoming an infant. Seeing the child, Kali's maternal instinct comes to the fore, and she becomes quiet and nurses the infant Shiva. In both cases, Shiva assumes the position of an infant with the goddess. In other words the Goddess is Mother even to the Great Lord himself. A distinguishing feature in Tara's iconography is the scissors she holds in one of her four hands. The scissors relate to her ability to cut off all attachments. Literally the word 'Tara' means a star. Thus Tara is said to be the star of our aspiration, the muse who guides us along the path of life. These qualities are but a manifestation of her compassion. The Buddhist tradition stresses these qualities of this Goddess, and she is worshipped in Tibet as an important embodiment of compassion.
The mantra for Tara is:
“OM! Tara, Tuttare Ture, Swaha.”
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