Meditating on the forms of Muruga

In the previous post, we saw that the mantrāvatāra paṭala of Kumāratantra describes 16 forms of Lord Muruga. Here are the images for each form, along with the dhyāna śloka that is used to meditate on that form. All images sourced from the Kumāratantra text, 2003 Ed.

1. Jñānaśaktidharasvāmi

The first form of Muruga described in the Kumāratantra is Jñānaśaktidharasvāmi.

The dhyāna śloka is –

ekāsyaṁ dvibhujaṁ vāme vajraṁ dakṣiṇaje kare |

ichchājñāna kriyāśakti rūpaśaktidharaṁ bhaje || 2.52

I worship that form of the Lord with one face and two arms; with the left hand carrying the vajrāyudha and the right hand carrying the śaktyādhudha – the physical form of ichchā-jñāna-kriyā śakti.

2. Skandasvāmi

The second form is Skandasvāmi.

The dhyāna śloka is –

kalpadrumaṁ praṇamatāṁ kamalāruṇābhaṁ skandaṁ bhujadvayam anāmayam ekavaktram |

kātyāyanīsutamahaṁ kaṭibaddhadāma kaupīnadaṇḍadhara dakṣiṇahastamīḍe || 

I worship the son of Kātyāyanī (Pārvatī), who glows bright as the lotus and is without end; who is with one face and two arms; who wears a kaupīna loincloth; who rests his left hand on his hip and holds a daṇḍa staff in his right hand and who, like a kalpavṛkṣa, grants every wish of those who bow to him.

3. Senāpatisvāmi

The third form is Senāpatisvāmi.

The dhyāna śloka is –

naumyāditya pradīptaṁ dvidaśanayanaṁ ṣaṇmukhaṁ mandahāsam |

vāmāṅke susthitāyāḥ dhṛtasarasiruhā āliṅgitāyāḥ priyāyāḥ ||

uttuṅgorustanāgre  vihitakaratalaṁ bhītikheṭañcaśūlam |

hrādinyuddīpta śaktīṣvasana Ghana gadā kukkuṭābjeṣu hastam || 

I bow down to the Lord who is radiant as the sun, smiling with six faces and twelve eyes; with abhaya hasta, carrying weapons such as khēṭa, śūla, vajra, the incandescent śakti, bow, cockerel, lotus and arrow; who embraces the devī carrying a lotus, seated on his left thigh.