KaalPanchang
‹ Back to Festival Muhurtas

Navratri Day 4: Kushmanda - Creator of the Cosmic Egg

The Goddess whose radiant smile birthed the universe, and with it all light and life.

Wednesday, 14 October 2026·Ashwin Shukla Chaturthi (Navratri Day 4)·Mumbai, Maharashtra

Wear todayRoyal Blue
Navratri Day 4KushmandaCreator of the Cosmic Egg
ॐ देवी कूष्माण्डायै नमः
Bhog MalpuaVahana Lioness
Main Muhurta★★★★★
Auspicious Choghadiya
6:32 am – 8:00 am(1 hr 28 min)
Time to muhurta…
On the Day
  • Wear the day's colour
  • Offer malpua as bhog and share it as prasad
  • Chant the seed mantra japa "ॐ देवी कूष्माण्डायै नमः" with a rosary, ideally 108 times
  • Focus worship on vitality, health and cosmic energy, praying for strength of body and mind

Muhurtas

Durga Puja - Abhijit Muhurat★★★★★
Not available at this location

Perform the main Kushmanda puja, offer malpua and pray for health, vigour and vitality.

Why this rank: The Abhijit Muhurat at midday is the most auspicious window of the day, self-purifying and free of most doshas, ideal for invoking the sun-hearted Goddess whose realm is light.
Deity: Durga as KushmandaDo: Complete the shodashopachara puja and aarti within this window, Offer malpua as bhog and chant the seed mantraAvoid: Avoid rushing the rituals or letting the window pass unused
Auspicious Choghadiya★★★☆☆
  • Labh 6:32 am – 8:00 am
  • Amrit 8:00 am – 9:28 am
  • Shubh 10:56 am – 12:24 pm
  • Labh 4:48 pm – 6:16 pm

An alternative time for japa, lamp offering and any new undertaking begun in the Goddess's grace.

Why this rank: An auspicious Choghadiya block such as Amrit, Shubh or Labh offers a favourable secondary window when the Abhijit Muhurat cannot be kept.

This day's panchang

TithiShukla Chaturthi
NakshatraAnuradha
YogaAyushman
KaranaVanija
MasaAshwin
SamvatVikram 2082

Significance

Importance

The fourth night of Navratri belongs to Kushmanda, the creative source from whom the entire cosmos is said to have unfolded. Her name evokes the little cosmic egg, the brahmanda, that she brought forth from her own laughter when the universe was still darkness. Worshipping her on this day is believed to strengthen vitality, health and inner radiance. She is honoured as the abiding warmth at the heart of the sun.

Religious significance

Kushmanda represents the creative power of Shakti, the spark of prana that turns emptiness into a living, breathing cosmos. To worship her is to seek the health, courage and vital force that let a devotee flourish in body and spirit. Her light is understood as the source of the sun's own brilliance, the wellspring of all vitality.

Why it is celebrated

Devotees honour Kushmanda to receive vigour, sound health and the clearing away of sorrow and disease, tracing all life back to her creative smile.

The story

Kushmanda is depicted with eight arms, from which she is called Ashtabhuja, holding a bow, arrow, discus, mace, a lotus, a jar of nectar, a pot of blood and a rosary that grants all boons. Her name breaks into ku (a little), ushma (warmth or energy) and anda (the egg), for it is taught that she created the brahmanda with a mere smile when there was nothing but void. She is said to dwell within the core of the sun, and her luminous form is the only one able to endure that blaze, giving light and heat to all the worlds. Seated serenely upon her lioness, she radiates the primal energy that quickens every living thing. Her mala is counted for the eight siddhis and nine niddhis she bestows on her devotees.

Who celebratesDevotees of Durga across the Shakta and wider Hindu tradition observe this fourth day of Navratri.
Where observedObserved wherever Sharad Navratri is kept, with special fervour across North, West and East India and among Hindu communities worldwide.

Associated deities

Durga as Kushmanda

What to do

Recommended

  • Wear the day's colour
  • Offer malpua as bhog and share it as prasad
  • Chant the seed mantra japa "ॐ देवी कूष्माण्डायै नमः" with a rosary, ideally 108 times
  • Focus worship on vitality, health and cosmic energy, praying for strength of body and mind
  • Light a lamp and offer red flowers to the smiling Mother seated on her lioness
  • Read passages of the Durga Saptashati and keep the puja space clean and fragrant

Avoid

  • Avoid anger, harsh speech and heavy, tamasic food that dulls the body's vitality
  • Avoid neglecting the day's fast or breaking it without offering bhog first
  • Avoid worship in an unclean or disordered space
  • Avoid intoxicants and idleness that squander the vital energy she grants

Regional variations

Special notes

Frequently asked questions

Why is the fourth Goddess called Kushmanda?

Her name joins ku (little), ushma (warmth or cosmic energy) and anda (the egg), because she is said to have created the brahmanda, the cosmic egg, with a single radiant smile when all was darkness.

What bhog is offered to Kushmanda?

Malpua is the traditional bhog offered on her day, presented with devotion and then shared as prasad to invite health and abundance.

What blessing does worshipping Kushmanda bring?

She is invoked for vitality, sound health, courage and the removal of sorrow and disease, since she is honoured as the source of all life and light.

What is Kushmanda's mount and iconography?

She rides a lioness and is eight-armed, holding a bow, arrow, discus, mace, lotus, rosary and pots of nectar and blood, her form radiant like the heart of the sun.

All timings are computed for Mumbai, Maharashtra and follow Drik-style rules (sunrise/sunset, Pradosh-vyapini placement, sthir-lagna muhurtas). Times shift with your location - change your city on the calendar to recompute.