Lord Muruga

Lord Muruga, the son of Lord Shiva, and the younger brother of Lord Ganesha is venerated as Kaliyuga Varada, the God who blesses and protects those who ardently seek His grace. Lord Muruga contains in Himself the three divine eternal functions -- creation (srishti), protection (sthithi) and destruction (samhara) as evidenced by the three first letters in His name: MU -- Mukundan (Vishnu), RU -- Rudra (Siva) and KA -- Kamalan (Brahma).

Lord Muruga is considered essentially as the Tamil God (Tamizh Kadavul). He is the repository of Jñana (Knowledge) and the very fountainhead of the three branches of Tamil literature -- prose (iyal), verse (icai) and theatre (natakam). Great sages like Agasthya had worshipped Him and secured His grace.

The three integral elements of Muruga's personality are spear (vel) in His hand, peacock as His mount and cock adorning His banner. Vel signifies jñanasakti (power of wisdom) which helps every human to pierce through their ignorance and gain wisdom; this was given to Muruga by His Divine Mother. Parvati wishing Him victory over asuras (titans) led by the tyrannous Surapadma. The glittering spear of Muruga is venerated by devotees as Sakti Vel or Veera Vel signifying its extraordinary power and strength. Cock and peacock represent nada and bindu. The peacock displays the divine shape of Omkara when it spreads its magnificent plumes into a full-blown circular form, while the cock proclaims loudly the Pranava sound OM. Muruga shines as the very essence of the Vedas and mantras

Lord Muruga Gayatri:

Om Tat Purushaya Vidhmahe
Maha Senaya Dheemahi
Tanno Shanmugha Prachothayat