Kushmanda is the 4th form of Goddess Durga and she is worshipped on the 4th day of Navratri.

For personalized Navratri rituals download align27 app

Ku means little, Ushma means energy or warmth and anda means cosmic egg. So Kushmanda means the one who bears the little Cosmic egg to create this universe. She is the Goddess of warmth, smile and she is said to be the creator of the universe.

She is said to dwell in the core of the Sun (Surya) and she advises the Sun on cosmic affairs. She provides energy and light
To the Sun God this bringing the entire universe to be filled with light.

The 4th house in Vedic astrology represents warmth, happiness and also the mother (creator). Kushmanda has a big role to play when it comes to 4th house indicators such as happiness, warmth and the unconditional love of a mother who carries us in her womb. She is the Cosmic Mother.

The mantra for Kushmanda

Aum Hrim Sri Kushmanda Durgaye Namaha

You can use the Japa108 app to chant this mantra 108 times on the 4th day of Navratri. It is said then when the devotee worships this form of Durga, she blesses them with good health, prosperity and fame.

She represents the Anahata Chakra or heart chakra. You can perform the Lotus Mudra – which will help in opening your heart chakra. The lotus flower completely opens itself to the Sun from the top but it is deeply rooted in the muddy pond at the bottom. The Lotus flower symbolizes the fact that beauty and grace can coexist only when someone is deeply grounded or rooted.

The hidden meaning of Kushmanda explained by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Kushmanda also means “Pumpkin” in Sanskrit. A pumpkin is round. So here, it refers to your Prana (subtle life force energy) and that too, Prana which is total; complete like a sphere.
A pumpkin is supposed to enhance one’s Prana, one’s intelligence and energy. A pumpkin is said to have the unique property of absorbing Prana and also radiating Prana. It is one of the most pranic vegetables on the planet. Just like the leaves of the Ashwath tree generate oxygen 24 hours through the day, in the same way, the pumpkin absorbs and also radiates energy.
This entire creation – both the manifest and the unmanifest – is like a huge round ball or pumpkin. You have all kinds of diversity here, from the smallest to the largest.
“Anda” here means the Cosmic Egg or the Cosmic Sphere. “Ku” means small, “sh” means Energy. So energy pervades this entire Universe from the smallest to the largest. From small it becomes big and from big it becomes small. From the small seed it becomes a huge fruit, and from the huge fruit it comes back into seed.
Our energy has this unique quality of being smaller than the smallest, and larger than the largest. This is explained by Kushmanda and this is why the Mother Divine is also called Kushmanda. It means that the Mother Divine manifests as the Prana, as the energy within us.
Just sit and think of yourself as a pumpkin for just five seconds or so. The meaning here is to elevate yourself to the Supreme Intelligence which is the Mother Divine Herself. Like a pumpkin, you too should feel the abundance and fullness in your life and see everything in creation as so alive with Prana in every particle. Seeing that awakened intelligence manifest and pervading everywhere in creation is the meaning of Kushmanda.

For personalized Navratri rituals download align27 app