Vaiśravaṇa

Chief of the Four Heavenly Kings, guardian of the north and lord of the yakṣas, dwelling on Mount Sumeru's lower slopes; identified with Kubera as a god of wealth.

Domains

• guardianship of the north
• lordship of the yaksas
• wealth and fortune

Powers

• Guard the northern quarter of the world
• Command the hosts of yakṣas
• Bestow wealth upon the devout

Epithets

• वैश्रवण sanskrit · Vaiśravaṇa · sutraChief of the Four Heavenly Kings, guardian of the northĀṭānāṭiya Sutta, Dīgha Nikāya 32; Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra (primary)
• 多聞天王 chinese · Duōwén Tiānwáng · sutraThe All-Hearing Heavenly King; East Asian name of VaiśravaṇaChinese Buddhist canon; Suvarṇaprabhāsa (Golden Light) Sūtra (primary)
• 毘沙門天 japanese · Bishamonten · cultJapanese form of Vaiśravaṇa; war-guardian and one of the Seven Lucky GodsJapanese Buddhist tradition; Shitennō (Four Heavenly Kings) cult (secondary)
• धनद Sanskrit · Dhanada · cultGiver of WealthVaiśravaṇa/Kubera tradition; identification of Vaiśravaṇa with Kubera (secondary)

Relations

• companion: DhṛtarāṣṭraFellow Great Kings (Catummaharajika) guarding the four quarters from Mount Sumeru.Digha Nikaya 32 (Atanatiya Sutta) (primary)
• companion: VirūḍhakaFellow Great Kings (Catummaharajika) guarding the four quarters from Mount Sumeru.Digha Nikaya 32 (Atanatiya Sutta) (primary)
• companion: VirūpākṣaFellow Great Kings (Catummaharajika) guarding the four quarters from Mount Sumeru.Digha Nikaya 32 (Atanatiya Sutta) (primary)
• equated with: KuberaSame patronymic (son of Viśravas), same yakṣa lordship, wealth and northern guardianship; Buddhism folds him into the Four Heavenly Kings as protector of the Dharma rather than treasurer of the gods.Āṭānāṭiya Sutta, Dīgha Nikāya 32 (Vessavaṇa as guardian king); Mahābhārata's Kubera Vaiśravaṇa (primary); G.P. Malalasekera, Dictionary of Pāli Proper Names, s.v. 'Vessavaṇa' (secondary)

Sources

• existence: Pali Canon, Āṭānāṭiya-sutta (DN 32), Dīgha Nikāya (primary)