Taraka Mantra is associated with Shiva. It is believed that
Shiva chants the Taraka mantra into the ear of a dying person in Varanasi or
Kashi. In Benaras, the mantra is also referred as the ferry boat mantra.
By the power of the Taraka Mantra, the dying person is
believed to be illumined with the knowledge of Brahman – the Supreme Truth
without a second – the ultimate truth in Hinduism. Thus, the dying person is
ferried across cycle of birth and death with the help of the mantra.