Mundaka Upanishad Verse 1.2.4

This verse describes the seven “tongues” or flames of Agni (the sacrificial fire), representing the various powers of illumination and transformation.

Sanskrit

काली कराली च मनोजवा च सुलोहिता या च सुधूम्रवर्णा । स्फुलिङ्गिनी विश्वरुची च देवी लेलायमाना इति सप्त जिह्वाः ॥ ४ ॥

Transliteration

kālī karālī ca manojavā ca sulohitā yā ca sudhūmravarṇā | sphuliṅginī viśvarucī ca devī lelāyamānā iti sapta jihvāḥ || 4 ||

Translation

“The Black (Kālī), the Terrible (Karālī), the Swift-as-mind (Manojavā), the Deep-red (Sulohitā), the Smoke-colored (Sudhūmravarṇā), the Scintillating (Sphuliṅginī), and the All-illuminating (Viśvarucī) Goddess—these are the seven moving tongues of the fire.”

Name	Meaning	Symbolic Quality
Kālī	The Black	Dark, intense heat
Karālī	The Terrible	Fierce, consuming power
Manojavā	Swift as Mind	Speed of transformation
Sulohitā	The Deep Red	Nourishing, warm glow
Sudhūmravarṇā	Smoke-Colored	Purple-grey, obscuring
Sphuliṅginī	The Scintillating	Sparkling, radiating sparks
Viśvarucī	All-Illuminating	Bright, universal light

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Cross-references:

• Prashna Upanishad Verse 3.5 (The seven flames/arising of seven lights)