Goddess Kushmanda is worshipped on the fourth day of Navratri. Her name begins with the word "Ku," which means small. Ushma, the next word, denotes energy or vitality, while Anda, the third word, denotes an egg. Her name therefore implies that she is the one who created the "tiny cosmic egg" that we refer to as the Universe. With eight hands she holds a Chakra (discus), Trishula (trident), Gada (mace), Dhanu (bow), Bana (arrow), Padma (lotus), and Kamandalu (pot),and a Mala (rosary) in her eighth hand which she uses to bestow Ashta Siddhis and Navasiddhis on her followers. Her fearless spirit is represented by the lion that carries her.
Before her, there was nothing but darkness and emptiness throughout the entire universe. A holy ray of light suddenly appeared and gradually filled everything. This celestial light was at first shapeless and without form. But soon it began to grow clearly, and eventually it assumed the shape of a female. Goddess Kushmanda was this divine woman and the very first being in the universe. Three divine goddesses—who were also the first creatures in our universe—were then made by Kushmanda. She transformed herself into a striking shape called "Mahalakshmi'' using the primary eye on her forehead. Her left eye gave birth to the powerful second form, which she named "Mahakali." She then produced "Mahasaraswati," a smiling and graceful form, using her right eye. Later, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva were created out of these forms and Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Kaali became their divine companions.
Goddess Kushmanda is the ultimate manifestation of the divine feminine energy. She rests in the core of the sun which symbolises the liveliness of feminine nature. Darkness came to an end when she created the divine beings. From her, we learn the limitlessness of creativity. We learn to not hold back on our creativity, since it is the source of newness & sublime. It has endless possibilities. She epitomises the creative spirit which is present in each one of us, within our feminine energies, regardless of our genders.
