Seven Tongues

[Guest guest]

Dear Family

I have noticed that Maa Kaali's name occurs as the first (and also, according to

some opinions, the foremost) name of at least three different groups of

Goddesses:

 

1) the Fifteen Nityas of Kaali; the first Nitya is called Kaali (these Nityas

being the points of the five triangles of Her Dakshina Kaalika Yantra)

2) the Ten Mahavidyas (Kaali, Tara, etc.)

3) the Seven tongues of Agni, namely: Kaalii, Karaalii, Manojavaa, Sulohitaa,

Sudhuumravarnaa, Sphulinginii, and Vishwaruchi. (The Black, the Fierce, The

Mind-swift, The Deep-red, TheSmoke-coloured, The Scintillating, The bright

All-shining)

 

It is this third group that I am interested in at the moment. The only

information I have about Them are Their names (as given) from the Mundaka

Upanishad; and two brief mentions from the Mahanirvana Tantra, which gives

Sphulinginii the alternative name Ugraa, and Vishwaruchi the name Pradiiptaa.

Now the second of these seven, Karali, is often encountered in other contexts

(100 or 1000 name stotras) as a form of Kaalii, so I am inclined to regard all

seven as Her forms. In support of this I would say that in some schools of

thought all ten of the Mahavidyas are similarly regarded as forms of Kaalii. The

variant name Ugraa (for Sphulinginii) also occurs in Maa Kaalii's 1000 name

stotra.

If anyone has any thoughts or information about these Seven Tongues that you

could add do please share with the group.

Jai Maa

Loladas

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Thank you loladas23 for the detailed information on the seven

tongues. Though we are familiar with the term Saptha Jihva this is

the first time I have heard about the names of the seven tongues of

fire.

 

I am sure the entire family will benefit from such informative

postings.

 

Sankar