The 16 forms of Muruga
While there are
many forms of Lord Muruga, the Kumāratantra, the upāgama of Śrī
Lalitāgama, one of the 28 Śaivāgama-s describes the ṣoḍaśamūrtidhyānabheda
– the 16 different forms and how to meditate on those forms.
The 16 mūrtī-s
described are:
Jñānaśaktidharaḥ
Skandaḥ
Devasenāpatiḥ
Subrahmaṇyaḥ
Gajārūḍha
Saravaṇabhavaḥ
Kārttikeyaḥ
Kumāraḥ
Ṣaṇmukhaḥ
Tārakāriḥ
Senānīḥ
Brahmaśāstā
Vaḷḷī kalyāna sundaraḥ
Bālaḥ
Krauñcabhedaḥ
Śikhivāhanaḥ
The text, edited by Śivasri. Allur Vishvanatha Sivacharyar and published by
the Śri Daṇḍāyutapāṇī Temple, Palani in 2003, has wonderful drawings of the
different mūrtī-s with the dhyānaśloka written below for easy
identification and meditation.
Also given are the gāyatrī mantra of the mayūra and gaja.
It is interesting that the gaja, the vāhana of Lord Ganapati, is
also a vāhana of Lord Subrahmaṇya. It is also a vāhana of Lord
Śasthā.
Mayūra gāyatrī
śuklāpāṅgāya vidmahe pakṣirājāya dhīmahi |
tanno mayūraḥ pracodayāt ||
Gaja gāyatrī
śvetavarṇāya vidmahe vakratuṇḍāya dhīmahi |
tanno gajaḥ pracodayāt ||
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