Murugan/Skanda's glory

Skanda's glory and pre-eminence arise due to three reasons: He 'arrived' on this planet as the son of Lord Siva, as the younger brother of Lord Ganesa, and as the nephew of Lord Narayana. He is venerated as Kaliyuga Varada, the God who blesses and protects those who ardently seek His grace (in this Age of Quarrel). Kausalya, Lord Rama's mother invoked the blessings of Skanda when Rama took leave of her prior to his departure to the forest as per King Dasaratha's wish. And in the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna declares that among all commanders, He is Skanda. The name Muruga in Tamil contains in Himself the three divine eternal functions -- creation (sristi), 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).

The three integral elements of Skanda's personality are the spear (vel) in His hand, peacock as His mount, and cock adorning His banner. Vel signifies jñanasakti (power of wisdom); this was given t oLord Skanda by His Divine Mother. Parvati wished Him victory over asuras (titans) led by the tyrannous Surapadma. The glittering spear of Lord Skanda 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.

Once Lord Skanda turned to a guru or teacher when He explained the essence of Pranava mantra OM to His Father who received the upadesa in all humility as a disciple. He thus came to be known as Swaminatha