Last updated: 5 November 2026. Lists checked against the sources listed at the end on 5 November 2026.

Quick answer: The Nava Nidhi (नवनिधि) are the nine treasures in the keeping of Kubera, lord of wealth. The usual list of nine, as given in the Sanskrit lexicon Amarakosha, is Mahapadma, Padma, Shankha, Makara, Kacchapa, Mukunda, Kunda, Nila and Kharva. Not every text agrees: the Markandeya Purana counts eight, with Nandaka in place of Kunda and no Kharva. The nidhis are understood as personified, divine treasures. They are not a list of objects to buy.

निधिनायकम्

Nidhi-nāyakam, "the leader of the treasures", is how Kubera is described in his dhyana verse (as given in Drik Panchang's Kuber Puja Vidhi). Nidhi simply means "treasure" or "store".

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The nine nidhis

No.

Nidhi

Sanskrit

Literal meaning of the word

1

Mahapadma

महापद्म

great lotus

2

Padma

पद्म

lotus

3

Shankha

शङ्ख

conch

4

Makara

मकर

the makara, a sea creature (often rendered crocodile)

5

Kacchapa

कच्छप

tortoise

6

Mukunda

मुकुन्द

a name also used of Vishnu; as a treasure, often glossed as a kind of precious stone

7

Kunda

कुन्द

jasmine

8

Nila

नील

blue, sapphire

9

Kharva

खर्व

dwarf, short

This is the list of nine that reference works give from the Amarakosha (and also from the Padma Purana). The order above follows the Amarakosha as summarised in those works, which begins with Mahapadma.

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Some reference works go further and attach a "symbolism" to each nidhi (a Himalayan lake, antimony, arsenic and so on). Those glosses are late, and the texts do not agree on them, so we have left them out. Reference works, citing Benjamin Walker's Hindu World, note that the nature of the nidhis has never been fully explained.

Variant list: the Markandeya Purana's eight

The Markandeya Purana, in its account of the Padmini vidya (chapter 68), lists eight nidhis:

यत्र पद्ममहापद्मौ तथा मकरकच्छपौ । मुकुन्दो नन्दकश्चैव नीलः शङ्खोऽष्टमो निधिः ॥

Transliteration: yatra padma-mahāpadmau tathā makara-kacchapau । mukundo nandakaś caiva nīlaḥ śaṅkho'ṣṭamo nidhiḥ ॥

Meaning: "Where there are Padma and Mahapadma, Makara and Kacchapa, Mukunda and Nandaka, Nila, and Shankha the eighth treasure."

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Label: Puranic (Markandeya Purana 68.5).

Compared with the list of nine:

Amarakosha (nine)

Markandeya Purana (eight)

Mahapadma, Padma

Padma, Mahapadma

Shankha

Shankha

Makara, Kacchapa

Makara, Kacchapa

Mukunda

Mukunda

Kunda

Nandaka (in place of Kunda)

Nila

Nila

Kharva

not listed

So when you see "eight treasures" in one book and "nine" in another, both are traditional. "Nava Nidhi" is simply the more widespread count.

The nidhis in the Kubera Ashtottara

The Kubera Ashtottara Shatanamavali (108 names) on sanskritdocuments.org salutes Kubera as lord of the individual nidhis, one name at a time:

  • ॐ महापद्मनिधीशाय नमः (lord of the Mahapadma treasure)
  • ॐ पद्मनिधीश्वराय नमः (lord of the Padma treasure)
  • ॐ शङ्खाख्यनिधिनाथाय नमः (master of the treasure called Shankha)
  • ॐ मकराख्यनिधिप्रियाय नमः (fond of the treasure called Makara)
  • ॐ सुकच्छपाख्यनिधीशाय नमः (lord of the treasure called Kacchapa)
  • ॐ मुकुन्दनिधिनायकाय नमः (leader of the Mukunda treasure)
  • ॐ कुन्दाख्यनिधिनाथाय नमः (master of the treasure called Kunda)
  • ॐ नीलनित्याधिपाय नमः (eternal lord of Nila)
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These eight names follow the Amarakosha names. Kharva is not named separately in this version. The full list of names is on our page 108 Names of Lord Kubera.

The nidhis in the Ramayana and in Kalidasa

  • Valmiki Ramayana, Uttara Kanda: after Ravana strikes Kubera down in battle, Kubera is carried to the Nandana garden and revived "by the treasures, Padma and the others" (padmādibhir nidhibhiḥ). The text treats the nidhis as living powers who serve their lord. The battle is told on Kubera and Ravana.
  • Kalidasa's Meghaduta: in the description of Alaka, Kubera's city, its Yaksha residents keep inexhaustible treasures inside their homes (akṣayyā antarbhavane nidhayaḥ, in the words of the commentator Mallinatha).
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What the nidhis mean for devotees

In devotional practice the nidhis are a way of picturing Kubera's role. He does not create wealth; he guards it and gives it out. Many families remember this at Kubera and Lakshmi worship by praying for wealth that is earned rightly and used well. The Kubera Yantra and the Dhanteras puja are both ways of expressing that prayer.

These are traditional devotional ideas. Reciting the nidhi names is not a promise of money.

Frequently asked questions

What are the Nava Nidhi of Kubera?

The nine treasures of Kubera: Mahapadma, Padma, Shankha, Makara, Kacchapa, Mukunda, Kunda, Nila and Kharva. This is the list of nine that reference works give from the Amarakosha.

Are there eight or nine nidhis?

Both counts appear. The Amarakosha and the Padma Purana give nine. The Markandeya Purana gives eight, with Nandaka in place of Kunda and no Kharva.

What does nidhi mean?

Nidhi means treasure, store or deposit. In the Puranas and in poetry the nidhis are personified as divine treasures that serve Kubera.

Where are the nidhis mentioned in the Ramayana?

In the Uttara Kanda, after Ravana defeats Kubera, the wounded Kubera is revived in the Nandana garden by "the treasures, Padma and the others".

What do the names of the nidhis mean?

Most are ordinary words: padma is lotus, shankha is conch, makara is a sea creature, kacchapa is tortoise, kunda is jasmine, nila is blue or sapphire, and kharva means dwarf. What each one stands for as a treasure is not explained consistently in the texts.

Does chanting the nidhi names bring wealth?

No result is guaranteed. Devotees recite Kubera's names, including those naming the nidhis, as worship of the guardian of wealth, not as a formula for money.

Sources

Fact-checked on 5 November 2026. We could not consult the Amarakosha verse directly online, so the list of nine is given as summarised in reference works, and we have not reproduced the Sanskrit verse.