Disciple:
Greetings, Gurudeb.
Gurudeb:
Greetings. Yes, tell me.
Disciple:
We are receiving many phone calls from people.
Gurudeb:
What kind of calls?
Disciple:
They want to know about the seven tongues of Agni (the Fire God).
Gurudeb:
Yes, Agni has seven tongues, and they have seven names. Generally, since this is based on the Vedas, we must kindle a fire. For any ritual—such as the first rice-eating ceremony (Annaprashan) or the sacred thread ceremony (Upanayana)—the Vedic principles require fire. The fire must burn throughout the process because Agni is referred to as Jataveda.
Gurudeb:
Just as Agni is called Jataveda, he is also one of the Ashtavasus (eight elemental gods). We use fire in various contexts, especially during Tantric practices and when giving initiation (Diksha), because Agni acts as the witness. You should know that whenever we initiate someone, especially a Brahmin, we must light a small fire. Here, we always have a fire preserved; it has been burning continuously since the Mahamrityunjaya Yajna.
Gurudeb:
There are seven tongues of fire. When we kindle the fire using wood, a specific Vedic mantra is chanted. We also find this mentioned in Tantra. While lighting the fire, we say:
Gurudeb:
"Agnim Prajvalitam Vande Jatavedam Hutasanam | Suvarnavarnam Samriddham Vishvato Mukham ||"
Gurudeb:
This means Agni is at the face of the universe. Being Jataveda, Agni is the mouth of the world. That is why we chant this mantra to worship him.
Gurudeb:
Agni enriches us. By lighting the fire, we offer oblations (Havis) to the deities. There is a saying that if Lord Indra does not receive his offering even for a single day, he will perish. This is why Homa (fire rituals) are performed daily somewhere in India. In the temple at Puri, a Homa for Lord Shani is performed every single day. In Varanasi, the Mahamrityunjaya Homa is performed daily. If Indra and other primal powers do not receive their offerings, they lose their strength.
Gurudeb:
Consider the offerings at Gaya. If no one offers Pinda (ancestral offerings) for a day, the priests themselves provide it. It is said that if the demon Gayasur, whom Lord Narayana subdued, does not receive Pinda one day, he will wake up and destroy the city. Therefore, offerings are made every day. Even during the current lockdown, when people cannot travel to Gaya, the offerings are still being made. Similarly, we offer daily oblations here to sustain the divine powers of Indra and others.
Gurudeb:
Now, I will recite the Vedic mantras for the seven tongues of Agni:
Gurudeb - First Tongue:
"Om Vaishvanaro Jatavedo Ihabaha Lohitaksho Sarva Karmani Sadhaya Swaha | Idam Jastang Agnaye Swaha Namah ||"
Gurudeb - Second Tongue:
"Om Vaishvanaro Jatavedo Ihabaha Lohitaksho Sarva Karmani Sadhaya Swaha | Idam Vamam Agnaye Swaha ||"
Gurudeb - Third Tongue:
"Om Vaishvanaro Jatavedo Ihabaha Lohitaksho Sarva Karmani Sadhaya Swaha | Idam Karalim Agnaye Swaha Namah ||"
Gurudeb - Fourth Tongue:
"Om Vaishvanaro Jatavedo Ihabaha Lohitaksho Sarva Karmani Sadhaya Swaha | Idam Meghalayam Agnaye Swaha ||"
Gurudeb - Fifth Tongue:
"Om Vaishvanaro Jatavedo Ihabaha Lohitaksho Sarva Karmani Sadhaya Swaha | Idam Raudrim Agnaye Swaha Namah ||"
Gurudeb - Sixth Tongue:
"Om Vaishvanaro Jatavedo Ihabaha Lohitaksho Sarva Karmani Sadhaya Swaha | Idam Ambikam Agnaye Swaha Namah ||"
Gurudeb - Seventh Tongue:
"Om Vaishvanaro Jatavedo Ihabaha Lohitaksho Sarva Karmani Sadhaya Swaha | Idam Ambikam Agnaye Swaha Namah ||"
Gurudeb - Additional Offering:
"Om Kang Kamala Agnaye Swaha Namah ||"
Gurudeb:
This is an offering to Goddess Kamala, the last of the ten Mahavidyas, to attain perfection (Siddhi). So, there are seven main tongues plus this eighth offering.
Gurudeb:
After honoring the seven tongues, offerings are made to other deities. Depending on the purpose—be it for Kali, Tara, or Mahamrityunjaya—the fire is "refined" (Samskara) and named accordingly. You must make a resolution (Sankalpa) regarding why you are performing the Homa—whether for world peace, the welfare of all, or personal well-being.
Disciple:
Gurudeb, regarding these seven tongues—do we have to give offerings to all seven for every Sankalpa?
Gurudeb:
Yes, initially, when you light and worship the fire, you must do so. In the Puranas, it is mentioned that Agni has brothers and sisters. Agni is often associated with Swaha and Swadha. Swaha represents the fatherly aspect, and Swadha represents the motherly aspect. In the Vedas, which are primarily masculine in form, we emphasize the fatherly aspect. This is also mentioned during ancestral rites (Tarpan):
Gurudeb:
"Devatabhya Pitribhyashcha Mahayogibhya Eva Cha | Namah Swadhayai Swahayai Nityameva Bhavantviti ||"
Gurudeb:
Finally, when we conclude the ritual, the fire must be formally immersed (Visarjan). We cannot simply leave it. We take the burning embers and place them in water while reciting:
Gurudeb:
"Agnitvam Samudram Gachha, Prithvitvam Shitala Bhava" (O Fire, go to the ocean; O Earth, become cool).
Gurudeb:
Since the earth becomes heated during the fire ritual, we use milk and curd to cool it down. This is the Vedic procedure.
Disciple:
Friends, we just heard from Gurudeb about the seven tongues of Agni. Please subscribe to the Gupta Sadhak YouTube Seva Channel, like the video, and leave your comments. Stay tuned for more valuable insights and updates. Greetings, Gurudeb.
Gurudeb:
Om...
Spiritual Insight
This extraordinary recording captures Gurudev revealing the seven sacred tongues of Agni—a profound Vedic teaching rarely heard outside traditional ritual contexts. The seven mantras invoke different aspects of the Fire God: Jastang, Vamam, Karalim, Meghalayam, Raudrim, Ambikam, each representing a distinct power of Agni. The eighth offering to Goddess Kamala (the last Mahavidya) demonstrates how Tantra integrates with Vedic practice. Gurudev's explanation of Agni as Jataveda—"the mouth of the world"—and his emphasis on the necessity of fire in all sacraments (Annaprashan, Upanayana) and Tantric initiation reveals the centrality of fire in Hindu spirituality. The teaching that even Indra would perish without daily offerings underscores the reciprocal relationship between humans and the divine. The Visarjan mantra—"Agnitvam Samudram Gachha"—sending the fire back to the ocean, demonstrates the ecological consciousness embedded in Vedic ritual: even sacred fire must return to its source.