Muruga -Lord Muruga is a deity who is worshipped and adored with intense devotion and faith not only throughout South India and Sri Lanka but also in places such as Mauritius and Malaysia where there is a high population of Tamil people. The Lord has many powerful names, which convey great meaning and deep esoteric knowledge. Swamiji is especially fond of giving Muruga's names to the young boys who join Premananda Youth. He said, "I am blessing them with these glorious names of the perfect deity, Lord Muruga. I hope that the youngsters will live up to these names. Muruga is the embodiment of brilliant light, courage, fearlessness and pure shakti. According to the Hindu legends, He was born because the Gods had been defeated by powerful demons and they pleaded with Lord Shiva to rescue them. He created Lord Muruga from His third eye. Even from this we can understand that Muruga is the embodiment of the purest and highest knowledge and power."

Kartik,karthika -These names have the essential meaning 'one who gives courage and happiness'. These are all names attributed to Muruga, the powerful son of Shiva and Shakti, the Mother and Father of the universe. They created Him from the elements of divine fire and holy water. He is the embodiment of bravery, having total faith in the golden spear, the vel, of tremendous shining light. This sacred spear destroys all negativity and fear in an instant. Karttika goes into battle against all dark forces. Spiritually this means that the aspirant must stand firm against all negative qualities, ignorance and fear with heroic courage.

Skanda - It is said that Mother Parvati said the name Skanda when she took the newborn children from the six lotus flowers. Skanda means He whose very presence gives a sweet fragrance that is everlasting. It also means "one who is joined" - for when the Goddess embraced the six babies they became a single body with six faces and twelve hands. One who bears this name is graced with the highest blessings of the Divine Mother. It is also He who is the cause of the union of the soul with Himself, the Godhead. Therefore, the name also reminds us of self-realization. Skanda also refers to the origin of the divine child as the name also means "the One who ejected" as he was emitted from the third eye of Shiva. In the Chandogya Upanishad, one of the series of ancient Hindu scriptures, Skanda is also identified with Sanatkumara, the eternal youth..

Shanmukha -Shanmukha means the Lord with six-faces. It is a name of Lord Muruga. Feeling compassion for the predicament of the devas (gods) who were forced to live as slaves to the asuras (demons), Lord Shiva resolved to create an all-powerful deity who would not only defeat and destroy evil but who would become a universal teacher of the highest knowledge. Lord Shiva meditated and ejected sparks of divine fire from His third eye (representing the element of space, or akasha). The fire God, Agni, (representing the element of fire) and the wind God, Vayu, (element of wind or air) carried them and dropped them into the sacred River Ganges, who is no other than the Divine Mother in the form of flowing water (element of water). Mother Ganga carried these divine rays to Lake Saravana and left them in the Saravana Lake where they were transformed into six baby boys lying on lotus flowers. Here lotus flowers sprang from the mud and thus the lake represents the element of earth. The Goddess Parvati, consort of Shiva, gathered the babies into Her arms and they became one beautiful child with six heads. Thus Lord Shanmuka was created from five divine elements as well as divine shakti in the form of the Divine Mother. It is the sixth factor of divine shakti that gave Him the supreme wisdom. In Lord Shanmugha we see the loftiest combination of spiritual forces, ready to combat even the most powerful evil force.

Saravana or Saranabhava -The actual meaning is a small bush that grows abundantly around lakes and marshes (called Naanal in Tamil). Lord Muruga's divine birth took place in a lotus-pond that was enclosed by these reeds. The divine seed of Lord Shiva created this heavenly child. Thus he became known as Saravanabhava (the one born in the reeds). It symbolizes the second birth of the spiritual aspirant in this life - the birth into the spiritual life as opposed to the worldly life. These names became powerful mantras for Lord Muruga. The syllables that make up this name have special effects on the mind. They are soothing and calming. One who receives this name should aspire to have a calm and clear mind, free from all disturbance, so that he can meditate on the supreme Absolute.