Lord Kuber holds an important place in Hinduism. We worship him as the God of Wealth. Kuber is an ardent devotee of Shiva. Chitrari is his wife’s name. He is said to be a servant of Vishnu and a friend of Indra. His figure is often described as a dwarf, fair-complexioned with a belly pot. This demi-god carries Gadauyutham as his divine weapon.
We can witness Kuber’s presence in Hindu mythology. We all know Lord Kuber brings us wealth and fortune. But his saga explains that he was a thief before. Let us read the story of Kuber in detail.
How did Kuber become a demi-god?
Many beliefs propounded by various ancient scriptures depict Kuber in different ways. Some witnessed that Kuber was the head of evil spirits.
Lord Kuber first appeared in the Atharva Veda. Later, he was in the Shatapatha Brahmana. He appeared as the son of Vaishravana in the Shatapatha Brahmana, which called Kuber the Lord of criminals and thieves. The Manusmriti gave him the respectable position of the Protector of the World and also the Patron of Merchants.
The story of Gunnidhi is a famous verse of Shiva Purana. It narrates how a thief named Gunnidhi transformed into King Kuber.
Once upon a time, a thief named Gunnidhi lived in a small village. He used to steal food, clothes, and money for his livelihood. Gunnidhi used to steal for his food and other expenses daily. One day he saw a huge Shiva temple was under construction in his village. He regularly visited the temple site to check the construction of the temple.
Once the work was over, Gunnidhi had become surprised to see the gigantic temple. He also planned to steal money from the temple.
After some months, one night, he walked to the temple to steal all the money. But, once he entered, strong winds lit off all the lamps. However, he lit all the lamps. But again, a strong wind came and blew off all the lamps. He got up again and lit all the lamps. Though it happened continuously, Gunnidhi never stopped to light the lamps.
Finally, he lost his patience and thought of burning his clothes so that strong winds could not blow them off. His devotion and dedication to money impressed Lord Shiva. So, he appeared in front of Gunnidhi. Seeing Shiva made him dumbstruck; he started crying and repented for his mistake. Lord Shiva blessed him and said he would be known as the “God of Wealth,” Maharaja Kuber, in his next birth.
According to the legends, Lord Venkateswara borrowed a huge amount of money for his marriage from Lord Kuber, which was said to have been repaid by the Venkateswara on an instalment basis within the period of Kaliyuga.
Lord Kuber in other cultures
Lord Kuber is popular even outside India and prominent in Buddhism and Jainism. Jambhala or Vaisravana is the name of Kuber in Buddhism. Japanese worship him in the name of Bishamon. We can see his figures in Indonesia, Tibet, and Vietnam also.
According to Buddhist legends, Kuber is compared with Panchika, whose wife is Hariti. She is the symbol of abundance, like Riddhi in Hinduism. The iconography of Panchika and Kuber is nearly similar.
Kuber is the attendant Yaksha of the 19th Teerthankara, Mallinath in Jainism. He is referred to as Sarvanubhuti or Sarvahna, and. the Jain community worships Lord Kuber with the features of four faces, rainbow colors, and eight arms.
According to the Digambara sect, Kuber has three heads and six weapons. On the other hand, the Svetambaras portray him with six arms and holding numerous weapons. He is also carrying a money bag and a citron fruit. He is in the posture of either riding an elephant or a man.
In Hinduism, we consider Kuber the god of wealth; likewise, in Feng Shui, the Laughing Buddha is believed to bring auspicious energy, wealth, and blessings if his statue is placed anywhere in the house.
Temples of Kuber
There are rare temples of Kuber in India. Kuber Bhandari Temple is a famous temple in Gujarat. Sri Lakshmi Kuberar Temple, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, is another prominent temple managed by the Rajalakshmi Kubera Trust, Chennai. Lakshmi Kubera is the main deity of this temple.
Though many stories run behind Lord Kubera, we still worship him to get the blessings of wealth, peace, and prosperity.
