The fourth day of Navratri belongs to Maa Kushmanda, the fourth form of Maa Durga. Her name carries her story: “Ku” for little, “ushma” for warmth and “anda” for the cosmic egg. According to tradition, when the universe was only darkness, it was her gentle smile that brought it into being.
She is said to live at the heart of the Sun, which draws its light and energy from her. Devotees picture her with eight arms, seated on a lion, her hands holding a lotus, a bow, an arrow, a mace, a discus and a rosary among other sacred symbols.
She is also believed to govern the Anahata, or Heart Chakra, blessing seekers with love, health, strength and spiritual growth. Her power is not fierce. It is warm, and it begins in the heart.
That is why she is worshipped on the fourth day. She reminds us that the greatest strength can also be the gentlest, and that love is not softness but the force that holds everything together.
A soft echo of that spirit lives in Star Plus’ Apsara. Sunehri, played by Samiksha Jaiswal, is a girl in Mumbai whose warmth is the first thing anyone notices about her. She cares openly, even when the world around her is not always kind in return, and she holds on to that kindness anyway. It is a quiet beginning to a story that has much more to reveal. Samiksha says, “Sunehri leads with her heart. Her kindness is never her weakness. It is where her strength begins.”
Apsara premieres on 21st Oct at 10:30pm on Star Plus and JioHotstar.
