Maa Kushmanda Mantra, Katha, Aarti and Bhog: Navratri Day 4 Puja Vidhi

Who is Maa Kushmanda? (Kushmanda Devi Meaning & Form)

Her name comes from three Sanskrit parts: ku, a little; ushma, warmth or energy; anda, a cosmic egg. Together, Kushmanda means "she who created the little cosmic egg," the goddess credited with bringing the universe itself into being. She is the fourth of the Navdurga, worshipped on Day 4.

She's shown golden and radiant, riding a lion, with eight arms holding a kamandalu, bow, arrow, lotus, a jar of amrit (nectar), a discus, a mace and a japa mala. Her most striking feature, unlike any other Navdurga form, is her gentle, ever-present smile, the very smile said to have created light out of darkness.

Maa Kushmanda Mantra & Beej Mantra (with Meaning)

Kushmanda mata mantra:

ॐ देवी कूष्माण्डायै नमः॥

Om Devi Kushmandayai Namah

"Salutations to Goddess Kushmanda."

Suitable for daily puja and jaap.

Beej (seed) mantra, used in havan:

ॐ बालायै नमः स्वाहा॥

Om Balayai Namah Swaha

This beej mantra invokes Kushmanda in her form as Bala, the young, radiant energy at the heart of creation, offered with each ahuti during a Day 4 havan.

Dhyana mantra, describing her form:

सुरासम्पूर्णकलशं रुधिराप्लुतमेव च। दधाना हस्तपद्माभ्यां कूष्माण्डा शुभदास्तु मे॥

Surasampurna Kalasham Rudhiraplutameva Cha, Dadhana Hastapadmabhyam Kushmanda Shubhadastu Me

"Holding a kalash full of divine nectar in her lotus hands, may Kushmanda grant me auspiciousness."

Kushmanda Mata ki Katha

Before the universe existed, there was nothing but endless darkness and void, no sun, no stars, no life. It is said that in this emptiness, Maa Kushmanda simply smiled, and that single smile produced a radiant spark of light.

From this spark came the Brahmanda, the cosmic egg, out of which the universe itself unfolded, the sun, the planets, the stars and every living being. According to Sanskriti Magazine, this origin story is one of the oldest cosmological ideas in Hindu thought, with Kushmanda regarded as Adishakti, the primordial energy from which all creation flows.

Having created the cosmos, she took up residence inside the sun itself, where she continues to govern its warmth and light, sustaining the universe she brought into being. This is why Kushmanda, worshipped on Day 4, is honoured not as a warrior or an ascetic like the devis before her, but as the very source of life and energy at the heart of creation.

Maa Kushmanda Puja Vidhi on Navratri Day 4

1. Continue the daily puja. Water the barley and keep the kalash in place as on the previous days.
2. Place her image or idol. Set Maa Kushmanda's photo, ideally in royal blue, near the kalash.
3. Offer the dhyana mantra. Recite "Surasampurna Kalasham..." while visualising her radiant smile and the kalash of nectar in her hands.
4. Chant her mantra. Say "Om Devi Kushmandayai Namah" with flowers and a lit diya.
5. Offer malpua. This is her traditional bhog, offered with the sankalp of health and vitality.
6. Close with the aarti. End with the Devi aarti, given below.

Day 4 is also marked in Kashi with the Navratri Mahalakshmi Pooja, performed by temple Pandits.

Day 4 · Mahalakshmi, KashiNavratri Maa Mahalakshmi Dhan-Sthirta Shri Nariyal Vidhi Solah Rajsi ShringarNavratri Mahalakshmi Pooja for steady prosperity at home, performed in your name.Shri Adi Mahalakshmi (Mahalakshmi Gauri) Mandir, VaranasiBook this puja

Maa Kushmanda Bhog & Colour

Malpua, a sweet pancake, is offered to Maa Kushmanda on Day 4, for clarity, good health and vitality. The colour for her day is royal blue, chosen for the depth and radiant energy at the centre of her form.

Many devotees also offer a whole white pumpkin, since "kushmand" is itself a Sanskrit word for pumpkin, making it a fitting offering alongside the malpua. See the full day-wise Navratri bhog list for the other eight days.

Kushmanda Mata ki Aarti

As with the previous days, there's no aarti unique to Kushmanda. The same Durga aarti, Jai Ambe Gauri, continues to be sung on Day 4:

जय अम्बे गौरी, मैया जय श्यामा गौरी। तुमको निशिदिन ध्यावत, हरि ब्रह्मा शिवरी॥

Jai Ambe Gauri, Maiya Jai Shyama Gauri, Tumko Nishidin Dhyavat, Hari Brahma Shivari.

"Victory to Mother Gauri, who is meditated upon day and night by Hari, Brahma and Shiva."

The aarti continues for several more verses and closes the evening puja each day of the festival.

Benefits of Worshipping Kushmanda Devi

• Health and vitality. As the goddess who resides in the sun, she's prayed to for good health, energy and freedom from illness.
• Governs the Anahata chakra. In yogic tradition, she's linked to the heart chakra, associated with compassion and emotional balance.
• Clarity and new direction. Her role as the creator of light out of darkness makes her a natural focus for prayers at the start of a new venture.
• Removal of obstacles. Devotees believe her radiance clears away hurdles and sorrow, bringing harmony into daily life.

Light Your Own Day 4

Of all the Navdurga, Kushmanda is the one whose story begins with nothing and ends with an entire universe, a reminder that even in darkness, a single act of grace can bring everything into being. Carry that same light into the rest of your Navratri, in whatever form your Day 4 puja takes.

Not everyone can travel to a Devi temple during these nine nights. Ekishwar performs Navratri pujas at Shakti Peeths across India, in your name and gotra, so the worship still reaches the Devi even when you can't be there yourself.

Navratri 2026 · 11 – 19 October

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