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If this thangka were to be an aural experience, as opposed to the visual aid that it is, it would translate to the sound of om tare tuttare ture svaha. It is the mantra of the central figure, the gorgeous Green Tara, who is born of the tears of Avalokiteshvara. Hence She is the embodiment of His compassion, floating in a sea of silks and petals. She is surrounded by twenty-one Tara Devis, each of whom has been expounded in early Indian Tantric texts. These Taras are very important to the singular mandala offering made in monasteries to Green Tara - it is a complex visualisation of the whole universe, in all its beauty and perfection, as an offering to Her.The name of the Devi is derived from the Sanskrit root of the verb that means 'to ferry across'. So Green Tara is the saviouress, She ferries the devotee across the ocean of samsara to nirvana. She reaches out to us to enable us to transcend the world as we know it, the very picture of Enlightenment in a form that is relatable and beauteous. She is none of and more than the numerous Taras that you could see on this thangka, each with Her own aureole, seated in poorna-padmasana and dressed in raiment fit for the otherworldly devis. They look down at us with infinite compassion and patience, no matter who you choose to fixate on at any given point in time.
