Goddess Kuṣmāṇḍa is the fourth form of the NavaDurga is worshipped on the fourth day of Navratri.
Ku means little, Ushma means energy and Anda means cosmic egg.
Kushmanda is the minute particle or egg from which creation takes place. She is the ultimate source of life. Ma Kuṣmāṇḍa is the creator of the world.
Maa Kuṣmāṇḍa is said to control or reside in the Anahata (heart) chakra which is associated with love, compassion, positivity, and empathy.
The Legend Associated with Ma Kushmanda
According to the legends, after defeating Jatukasur, the bat demon, and his army as Maa Chandraghanta, there was darkness engulfing the universe and there was no existence of life. Hence, this is when Maa Parvati took the form of Kushmanda to bring energy and light to the universe.
To lighten up the Cosmos and bring in the energy for life to thrive, Maa Kushmanda smiled and filled the universe with radiance as that of the sun. It is believed that her divine smile created the initial cosmic energy that helped all life forms to sustain.
Hence, after the fearless and fiery form of Maa Chandraghanta, eradicating evil, Maa Parvati transformed into Maa Kushmanda to restore balance and life in the universe.
The sun gives life to the world and Goddess Kushmanda herself is the power of the sun and is the source of all energy when she resides within the core of the Sun God. It was to create a balance in the universe and provide life to all living beings from the sun rays, her power gives the sun its capability to give life to everyone, as she herself is Shakti.
At the beginning of the dawn of time the universe was no more than a void full of darkness. Suddenly a ray of divine light, which was ever-existing, spread everywhere, illuminating each and every nook of the void. This sea of light was formless. Suddenly, it started taking a definite shape and took the form of the Goddess Kushmanda. The birth of the universe is said to have occurred because of the radiant smile of the goddess. Her smile dispelled the darkness and created a new universe. She gave light and life to the entire universe with her brilliant smile.
She’s that aspect of womanhood that brightens up the lives of those around her by her joy.
Kushmanda is as radiant as the sun and has healing powers. She has three peaceful eyes and a calm face. She is adorned with many ornaments and dressed in blue and yellow clothes. She has eight hands. The four right hands hold the kamandalu, bow, arrow, lotus and the left hands hold the pot of nectar, japa mala, mace and spinning wheel. She is mounted on a lioness. She is capable of giving ashta siddhis, the eight kinds of miraculous powers and the nine kinds of riches. She gives her devotees the strength to create newer and newer worlds for ourselves, both physically and spiritually.
Her planet is Surya or the sun, her favourite colour is royal blue and favourite flower, jasmine.
Maa Kuṣmāṇḍa Story
It is about the time when the universe was no more than a void full of darkness. There were no indications of the world anywhere. But then a ray of divine light, which is ever-existing, spread everywhere, illuminating each and every nook of the void. This sea of light was formless. Suddenly, it started taking a definite size and finally looked like a Divine Lady, who was none other than Goddess Kuṣmāṇḍa herself. The birth of the universe occurred because of the silent smile of Goddess Kuṣmāṇḍa. She was the one who produced the Cosmic egg. Her smile sent away the entirety of the darkness and thus formed a new creation of the universe. She gave light and life to the entire universe with her silent smile.
The earth, planets, sun, stars and the galaxies were all brought into being. But to sustain life, the world needed the sun God. So, the Goddess centered herself in between the sun and she became the cause of the energy and light necessary for life. The sun gives life to the world and Goddess Kuṣmāṇḍa herself is the power of the sun and is the source of all energy when she resides within the core of the Sun God. From her smile, a body of energy came forth from her and from that potent energy, came forth light and creation. She always smiles when the Gods, inferior people, and other celestial beings honored her.
She endows the Anahata or Heart chakra with divine bliss and healing. Only when we worship Devi Kuṣmāṇḍa with fervent purity and conscious Shraddha in the heart will Maa bestow us the flow of Divine Grace.
Durgā in her vision of Sri Kuṣmāṇḍa guides us into a deeper introspection, allowing us to enhance our peaceful nature and experience ‘Satchitānanda’.
--
From today the next three days are dedicated to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, beauty and goodness. She is the one who is lavish with her gifts of all types of good fortune which include the positive traits of the mind. In the garden of our mind which has been ruthlessly weeded by Kaali we invite the beauteous Lakshmi to come and sow the seeds of love, generosity, consideration, compassion, gratitude and so on. For this we worship this beautiful goddess and entreat her to come and take her abode in our pure hearts.
