Nidhi

Short description: Group of nine treasures in Hinduism

Nidhi (Sanskrit: निधि, romanized: nidhi) is a Sanskrit term meaning, "treasure". It is generally used to indicate the nine treasures called navanidhi (Sanskrit: नवनिधि, romanized: navanidhi) belonging to Kubera, the god of wealth.[1] According to tradition, each nidhi is personified as having a guardian spirit, with some Tantrikas worshipping them. The nature and characteristics of nidhis have remained largely unexplained and have not been fully understood.[2]

## Description

According to the Amarakosha and the Padma Purana,[3] the nine nidhis are:

Name  | Meaning  | Symbolism

|
|

Mahapadma  | "great lotus flower"  | Twofold Himalayan lake
Padma | "lotus flower"  | Himalayan lake
Shankha | "conch"  | Conch shell
Makara | "crocodile"  | black antimony
Kacchapa  | "tortoise"  | turtleshell
Mukunda  | "a particular precious stone"  | quicksilver
Kunda | "jasmine"  | arsenic
Nila | "sapphire"  | antimony
Kharva  | "dwarf"  | firebaked vessel

## References

1. ↑ (in en) The Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki: An Epic of Ancient India, Volume VII: Uttarakāṇḍa. Princeton University Press. 2018-09-11. pp. 577. ISBN 978-0-691-18292-6. https://books.google.com/books?id=rViYDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA577.
2. ↑ Walker, Benjamin (2019-04-09) (in en). Hindu World: An Encyclopedic Survey of Hinduism. In Two Volumes. Volume I A-L. Routledge. pp. 615. ISBN 978-0-429-62421-6. https://books.google.com/books?id=_J2RDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT615.
3. ↑ Bhatt, Dr G. P.; Deshpande, Dr N. A. (2013-01-01) (in en). The Padma-Purana Part 10: Ancient Indian Tradition and Mythology Volume 48. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 3290. ISBN 978-81-208-3915-1. https://books.google.com/books?id=VWXxDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA3290.

## Sources

* A Dictionary of Hindu Mythology & Religion by John Dowson
* A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion, Geography, History, and Literature, by John Dawson, page 221
* Amarakosha, ed. W. L. Shastri Pansikar, v. 142
* Megha-duta, collected works, iv. 372. verse 534

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