Fourth Day of Navratri Celebrates Goddess Kushmanda

The festival of Navratri, dedicated to the worship of the Goddess Durga and her various forms, sees its fourth day celebrated in honor of Maa Kushmanda. Observed with great fervor among Hindu devotees, this day represents a segment of the nine-night festival marking the divine feminine energy.

Each day of Navratri is aligned with a specific manifestation of the Goddess, with different colors symbolizing various spiritual attributes associated with each form. On the fourth day, the color orange is worn, symbolizing vitality, enthusiasm, and positivity. This hue is deeply significant as it aligns with the divine qualities attributed to Maa Kushmanda, believed to bless her devotees with warmth and energy.

Maa Kushmanda, one of the forms of Goddess Durga, is revered for her role in the creation mythology where it is said she brought the universe into existence with her radiant smile, dispelling the darkness. She is depicted with eight arms, wielding significant symbols such as a chakra, mace, lotus flower, bow and arrow, kamandalu, amrita Kalash, and japa mala.

The lore surrounding Maa Kushmanda describes her emergence after the divine form of Maa Chandraghanta, who defeated the demon Jatukasur, a mythological representation of the reestablishment of cosmic order following chaos. With her divine power, Maa Kushmanda illuminated the universe, akin to the brilliance of the sun, underscoring her association with the vital life force.

The rituals for worshiping Maa Kushmanda involve offerings of particular foods such as halwa, sweetened yogurt, or malpua, which are traditional forms of prasad distributed among devotees and offered to Brahmins as a means of sharing blessings. The worship practices emphasize prayer and rituals believed to dissolve sorrows and bestow divine grace on believers.

As the celebration continues, devotees immerse themselves in the spiritual ambience, emphasizing devotion, religious practices, and the broader narrative of the victory of light over darkness, which is central to Navratri.