Blue Tara (Ekajati): Meaning, Mantra, Symbolism, and the Dzi Beads That Carry Her Energy

By Ancient Dzi Shop | Tibetan Buddhist Deity Guide and Dzi Bead Tradition

In the vast and richly populated world of Tibetan Buddhist deities, Blue Tara stands apart. She is not the most widely known -- that role belongs to her green sister, the universally accessible swift protectress. She is not the most commonly depicted in thangkas sold to tourists. She is, however, by the unanimous consensus of the Tibetan tradition, the most fierce, the most powerful, and the most esoteric of all the Taras. The guardian who stands at the threshold of the deepest teachings. The protectress who does not comfort -- she cuts.

This is the complete guide: who she is, what she does, how her mantra works, how to understand her iconography, and which authentic dzi beads a practitioner or collector might carry in connection with her energy.

Who Is Blue Tara? The Basics

Blue Tara is one of the Twenty-One Taras -- the family of enlightened female deities who embody different aspects of compassionate activity in Tibetan Buddhism. Her Sanskrit name is Ekajati (pronounced eh-kah-JAH-tee), meaning "one braid" (eka = one, jati = twisted lock of hair). In Tibetan she is called Ralchigma (རལ་གཅིག་མ) -- "the one with a single braid." She is also known as:

• Vajra Tara -- the Tara of the Vajra family, emphasizing her role in protecting the Vajrayana teachings
• Ugra Tara -- Sanskrit for "wrathful Tara"
• Ngag Sungma -- Tibetan for "Mother Protectress of Mantra"
• Mahacinatara -- "the great Blue Tara," linking her to ancient tantric traditions across Asia

She is one of the three principal protectors of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism -- the oldest school, founded by Guru Padmasambhava in the eighth century -- alongside Rahula and Vajrasadhu (Dorje Legpa). In this capacity she does not merely protect individual practitioners from worldly dangers. She protects the teaching lineage itself -- the living transmission of Dzogchen wisdom from master to student across centuries.

Blue Tara's Iconography: The Teaching in Her Appearance

Blue Tara appears in two distinct forms across Tibetan Buddhist art, both authentic and both expressing the same underlying truth from different angles.

The Peaceful Vajra Tara Form

In her peaceful manifestation, Blue Tara appears as a beautiful two-armed deity in deep sapphire blue, seated or standing on a lotus, holding a blue utpala lotus flower. This is the form most commonly depicted in thangkas for general devotional use -- accessible, radiant, and clear as the sky itself. Her expression is compassionate and vast. This form emphasizes her role as protectress and liberator: the open, boundless quality of a mind that has seen through all obstruction.

The Wrathful Ekajati Form

In her fierce wrathful manifestation -- the form most discussed in canonical Nyingma texts -- Ekajati is among the most striking figures in all of Tibetan Buddhist iconography:

Iconographic Feature	Number / Description	The Teaching It Carries
Eyes	One eye	Non-dual vision -- perceiving the single undivided nature of reality beyond subject and object. Not blindness but the most penetrating sight possible.
Teeth	One tooth	The singular, undivided truth she protects and proclaims. One reality, not many competing ones.
Braid	One braid of hair	The source of her name Ekajati. Single-pointed, non-dual wisdom -- the plait from which her entire nature flows.
Breast	One breast (in some traditions)	Single-pointed, undivided nurturing of awakening. Nothing withheld, nothing divided.
Skin color	Deep blue-black	The color of deep space, ultimate emptiness, and the primordial nature of mind before any concept arises.
Hair	Wildly flowing, unbound	Her unbounded, uncontainable nature -- the energy of awakening that cannot be confined by convention or form.

Her terrifying appearance is not anger. It is the face of a power so absolute that anything false or impure cannot survive in her presence. The terror belongs to what she destroys, not to her.

Blue Tara's Role: Guardian of Dzogchen

Ekajati holds a position in Tibetan Buddhism that no other Tara holds. She is the supreme protectress of Dzogchen -- the Great Perfection teaching that represents the pinnacle of the Nyingma tradition and is considered by many masters to be the most direct path to enlightenment available in this age.

According to tradition, Guru Padmasambhava bound Ekajati by oath to protect the secret Dzogchen teachings and the terma treasures: sacred teachings hidden in the earth, rocks, water, and the minds of enlightened masters, to be discovered by future generations when the time is right. The great master Sri Singha entrusted the Nyingthik teachings -- the innermost heart essence of Dzogchen -- to Ekajati's personal care.

This makes her unusual among protective deities. She is not simply guarding against external dangers. She is guarding the integrity of the teaching itself -- ensuring that the most profound tantric wisdom reaches only those who are ready, and that it is never misused, diluted, or corrupted. As the great Dzogchen master Chogyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche described her: she is "a personification of the essentially non-dual nature of primordial energy."

What Blue Tara Is Invoked For

Purpose	Traditional Description
Fierce protection	Among the most powerful protectors in the entire Vajrayana pantheon. Her presence alone is said to destroy obstacles and dispel negative forces.
Removal of fear of enemies	Canonical texts explicitly describe her as removing the fear of enemies and spreading joy and good fortune in their place.
Clearing learning obstacles	She destroys obstacles to study and practice -- particularly valuable for Dharma students who encounter inner or outer blockages on their path.
Transmutation of anger	She transforms anger -- the most destructive of the five poisons -- into mirror-like wisdom: the clarity that perceives all things without distortion.
Protection of sacred teachings	For those who hold, transmit, or study Vajrayana teachings, she is the ultimate guardian of the lineage itself.
Swift spiritual awakening	Her energy produces swift and powerful transformation on the path to enlightenment, cutting through all obstacles to realization.
Protection from harmful energies	Specifically invoked to cut through harmful energies directed at a practitioner -- from external sources or internal mental poisons.

Blue Tara's Mantra: Om Bhim Vrim Hum Phat

The primary mantra of Blue Tara Ekajati is: Om Bhim Vrim Hum Phat

This is among the most potent and compact mantras in the Vajrayana tradition. Each syllable carries a specific function:

Syllable	Function
Om	Universal opening syllable -- homage to the body, speech, and mind of all enlightened beings; the sound of the universe's own nature
Bhim	Piercing syllable -- cuts through all obstacles and obstructive energies with precision, like a needle through cloth
Vrim	Cutting syllable -- severs all destructive and harmful forces at their root, not merely at the surface
Hum	Seed syllable of the Vajra family -- the sound of indestructible, diamond-like awareness; the syllable that invokes the Vajra nature
Phat	Wrathful dispersal syllable -- shatters and completely disperses all negativity, obstacles, and harmful forces

In some Vajrayana lineages, this mantra is considered secret and transmitted only through formal initiation. An alternative mantra used in certain traditions is Om Tare Hrih Svaha. Practitioners traditionally recite the mantra 21 or 108 times. Blue offerings -- lapis lazuli, blue flowers, deep blue incense -- are traditional accompaniments.

Blue Tara Among the Twenty-One Taras

Within the family of the Twenty-One Taras, each form represents a different quality of compassionate activity. Blue Tara holds the role of fierce protection and the guardian activity -- the most wrathful of the family:

• Green Tara -- swift, universally accessible protection; the Tara most widely invoked for immediate help
• White Tara -- healing, longevity, and compassionate wisdom
• Yellow Tara (Vasudhara) -- wealth, abundance, and earthly prosperity
• Red Tara (Kurukulla) -- magnetizing love, attraction, and transformation of desire
• Black Tara -- fierce protection and subjugation of harmful forces
• Blue Tara (Ekajati) -- the most wrathful and powerful protector; guardian of the secret teachings and the lineage itself

Blue and Black Tara are considered part of the same Vajra family in Tibetan Buddhist color symbolism -- both representing the color of space, emptiness, and the indestructible nature of ultimate reality. Ekajati is sometimes depicted in dark blue-black and is closely related to Black Tara in certain lineages.

Blue Tara and Dzi Beads: Protection in Wearable Form

In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, dzi beads and protective deities like Blue Tara are deeply intertwined. Dzi beads are sacred agate amulets believed to carry the protective energy of enlightened forces -- a physical anchor for blessings that cannot be seen but can be felt. Just as Ekajati stands between the practitioner and all that would harm their practice, a genuine dzi bead is understood to stand between its wearer and misfortune.

One question practitioners frequently bring to us: is there a specific Blue Tara dzi bead? The answer requires honesty. No genuine ancient or antique Blue Tara dzi bead exists in the documented tradition. The only Tara with a dedicated dzi motif is Green Tara. Any bead sold as a "Blue Tara dzi" is either a modern creation or a marketing label -- not a recognized category in authentic dzi collecting. For the full explanation of why and how to spot such fakes, see: Is There a Blue Tara Dzi Bead? The Truth.

However, certain authentic dzi motifs carry energy that resonates powerfully with Blue Tara's fierce protective domain:

The Nine-Eye Dzi is the primary recommendation. It is the King of all dzi motifs -- the most powerful bead in the entire tradition -- governing all nine areas of worldly life and providing supreme protection from all harmful forces. Its comprehensive scope mirrors Blue Tara's role as the most powerful and complete protector in the Vajrayana pantheon. For a practitioner who works with Ekajati's energy, the Nine-Eye Dzi is the natural companion.

The Vajra Motif Dzi resonates directly with Ekajati's role as protectress of the Vajrayana teaching itself. The Vajra -- the indestructible weapon that cuts through all illusion -- is the central symbol of the tradition she guards.

The Garuda Motif Dzi carries the fierce, obstacle-destroying energy of the mythic eagle-being who destroys poison at its source -- the same mode of action as Ekajati's wrathful activity.

The Four-Eye Dzi -- with its omnidirectional protection and obstacle-removal function -- also resonates with Tara's activity of watching in all directions and clearing the path.

Frequently Asked Questions About Blue Tara

Who is Blue Tara in Tibetan Buddhism?

Blue Tara, known as Ekajati (Sanskrit) or Ralchigma (Tibetan), is one of the Twenty-One Taras and the supreme protector of the Dzogchen teachings in Tibetan Buddhism. She is one of the three principal protectors of the Nyingma school and is considered the most fierce and powerful protective deity in the entire Vajrayana tradition.

What is Blue Tara's mantra?

Blue Tara Ekajati's primary mantra is Om Bhim Vrim Hum Phat. In some lineages this mantra is transmitted only through formal initiation. Om Tare Hrih Svaha is used as an alternative in certain traditions. The mantra is traditionally recited 21 or 108 times.

What is the difference between Blue Tara and Green Tara?

Green Tara is universally accessible -- she acts swiftly to rescue practitioners from immediate danger and is the most widely invoked of all the Taras. Blue Tara (Ekajati) is fiercer and more esoteric, specifically protecting the deepest tantric teachings and the lineage itself. Green Tara is the protector of individuals; Blue Tara is the protector of the Dharma. Green Tara has a dedicated dzi bead motif; Blue Tara does not.

Why does Ekajati have one eye?

In her wrathful form, Ekajati is depicted with one eye, one tooth, one braid, and sometimes one breast. The number "one" throughout her iconography is the teaching of non-duality: there is only one nature of mind, one reality, one truth beyond all duality. One eye sees beyond subject-object duality to perceive the single undivided nature of reality directly. It is not a deformity -- it is the most advanced symbolic expression of awakened vision in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy.

Is Blue Tara the same as Ekajati?

Yes -- in Tibetan Buddhism, particularly in the Nyingma tradition, Blue Tara and Ekajati are completely interchangeable names for the same deity. She is also known as Vajra Tara, Ugra Tara, and Ralchigma. In some other lineages, "Blue Tara" can refer to Vajra Tara as a slightly different manifestation that shares the blue color but different iconographic details.

Which dzi bead is best for Blue Tara practice?

The Nine-Eye Dzi is the strongest choice -- its supreme protective power and comprehensive scope mirror Blue Tara Ekajati's role as the most fierce and complete protector in the Vajrayana tradition. The Vajra Motif Dzi and Garuda Motif Dzi also carry fierce protective energy resonant with her domain. Note that no genuine ancient "Blue Tara dzi bead" exists as a traditional category. See: Is There a Blue Tara Dzi Bead?

Further Reading

• Who Is Blue Tara (Ekajati)? Full Iconography and Mantra Guide
• Is There a Blue Tara Dzi Bead? The Truth and What to Wear Instead
• The Nine-Eye Dzi Bead: Meaning, Symbolism and Why It Is the King of All Dzi
• The Four-Eye Dzi Bead: Omnidirectional Protection
• How to Tell Real vs. Fake Dzi Beads: The Complete Authentication Guide

At Ancient Dzi Shop, we never retouch our photographs. Every bead is shown exactly as it is. What you see is what you receive.