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Why Do We Celebrate Navratri? The Story of the 9 Goddesses of NavratriNavratri Day 4: Maa KushmandaMaa Kushmanda is the Goddess of a form of Durga that is worshipped on the fourth day of the 9-day-long festival of Navratri, which is celebrated in India.Maa Kushmanda is also known as the smiling Goddess. Her name translates into three small words - 'Ku' means little. 'Ushma' means small and smiling and 'Anda' means egg which translates into a small cosmic egg. It is believed that is was Maa Kushmanda who actually created the universe. In the beginning, when there was nothing and there was only darkness, that's when Maa Kushmanda using her energy produced a small cosmic egg, which is the universe where we live. It is believed that it is Maa Kushmanda who resides in the core of the center of the sun and it is her that gives the sun the direction. It is she who gives all the universe warmth and energy.At the beginning of time when there was nothing, and after Maa Kushmanda had created the universe, she created 3 life forms - from her left eye she created a fierce Goddess called Maa Mahakali. From her third eye, from her forehead, she produced Maa. And from her right eye created a benevolent and smiling Goddess, Maa Mahasaraswati. And then she started glancing at these 3 life forms. These three life forms, Mahalaxmi, Mahakali, and Mahasaraswati were the first three life forms of the earth.She glanced at Mahakali. From Mahakaali a male and female were born. The male had 5 heads and 10 arms. She named him Shiva. The female has one head and 4 arms - she named her Saraswati. Then she glanced at Mahalaxmi. And from her too a male and a female were born. The male had 4 heads and 4 arms - she named him Brahma. The female has 1 head and 4 arms, she named him Laxmi. And then Maa Kushmanda glanced at Mahasaraswati. And from her too emerged a male and a female. The male had 1 head and 4 arms - she named him Vishnu. And the female too had 1 head and 4 arms - and she named her Shakti. And then she presented Shakti to Shiva, Saraswati to Brahma, and Laxmi to Vishnu as their consorts. It is believed that these 3 went on to create the rest of the universe. And then Maa Kushmanda absorbed the three back into herself. She absorbed Mahakali, Mahasaraswati, Mahalaxmi, all back into herself. And then it is believed that she became one with Shakti as an orb of energy, as an orb of form. And since then it is believed, Maa Kushmanda is the one that actually provides the entire universe with its warmth and energy.On the fourth day of Navratri we pray to Maa Kushmanda and she removes all obstacles from the lives of her devotees. Maa Kushmanda has eight arms, and in these eight arms, she carries a kamandal, a bow, an arrow, a pot of nectar, a lotus, a rosary, a disc and a mace. She rides a lion and because of which her devotees are fearless like her.If you like this video don't forget to push the like button and subscribe to our channel. There are many other videos in this playlist. There are stories about all the 9 forms of Devi Durga and also why we celebrate Navratri and also why we celebrate Dussehra. About the Storyteller, Rohini Vij:Rohini Vij is an early-years educator, professional storyteller, teacher trainer, curriculum developer, drama coach, voice artist, author, and Founder of NutSpace Edtech Pvt. Ltd. She has recorded audiobooks for various renowned publishers.Follow Rohini on: LinkedIn | Facebook | InstagramAbout NutSpaceNutSpace builds life skills and 21st-century skills in children using stories for kids. We deliver our lesson plans via live classes, online classes, self-paced courses www.nutspace.inFollow NutSpace on: Youtube | Facebook | Instagram