The nine nidhis
Nine chests on eight wheels, each twelve yojana long, that live at the mouth of the Gaṅgā and came to Bharata's camp when he fasted for them.
"We, living in Māgadha at the mouth of the Gaṅgā, have come to you," they said (§15). Each is eight yojana high, nine broad, twelve long, on eight wheels, with doors of cat's-eye marked with the cakra, the sun and the moon. In each lives a Nāgakumāra god of the same name, a palyopama long, with a thousand yakṣas.
What each holds: Naisarpa the building of camps, cities and mines; Pāṇḍuka all measure, number, grain and seed; Piṅgala ornament; Sarvaratna the emperor's jewels; Mahāpadma clothing; Kāla the knowledge of past, present and future, and the arts; Mahākāla metals, gems and their mines; Māṇava arms, armour, war and justice; Śaṅkha poetry, music, drama and instruments.
The Digambara list is the same nine; three names differ — Padma for Mahāpadma, Piṅga for Piṅgala, Nānāratna for Sarvaratna. One blog makes the chests ten yojana long; the text says twelve.
Measurements and counts
| Count | 9 |
|---|---|
| Each | 12 × 9 × 8 yojana |
| Wheels | 8 |
| Home | Māgadha, at the Gaṅgā's mouth |
| God in each | a Nāgakumāra of the same name |
| Its life | 1 palyopama |
| Yakṣas each | 1,000 |
Connected
Kāla
The nidhi of knowledge of past, present and future; labour such as agriculture; the arts.
One of the nine: a chest eight yojana high, nine broad and twelve long on eight wheels, at the mouth of the Gaṅgā in Māgadha, with a Nāgakumāra god named Kāla living in it and a thousand yakṣas in attendance (§15).
| Holds | knowledge of past, present and future; labour such as agriculture; the arts |
|---|---|
| Size | 12 × 9 × 8 yojana |
| Wheels | 8 |
| God | Kāla, a Nāgakumāra |
| Yakṣas | 1,000 |
Mahākāla
The nidhi of coral, silver, gold, pearls, iron, and their mines.
One of the nine: a chest eight yojana high, nine broad and twelve long on eight wheels, at the mouth of the Gaṅgā in Māgadha, with a Nāgakumāra god named Mahākāla living in it and a thousand yakṣas in attendance (§15).
| Holds | coral, silver, gold, pearls, iron, and their mines |
|---|---|
| Size | 12 × 9 × 8 yojana |
| Wheels | 8 |
| God | Mahākāla, a Nāgakumāra |
| Yakṣas | 1,000 |
Mahāpadma
The nidhi of all clothing.
One of the nine: a chest eight yojana high, nine broad and twelve long on eight wheels, at the mouth of the Gaṅgā in Māgadha, with a Nāgakumāra god named Mahāpadma living in it and a thousand yakṣas in attendance (§15). The Digambara list calls it Padma.
| Holds | all clothing |
|---|---|
| Size | 12 × 9 × 8 yojana |
| Wheels | 8 |
| God | Mahāpadma, a Nāgakumāra |
| Yakṣas | 1,000 |
| Digambara name | Padma |
Naisarpa
The nidhi of the building of camps, cities, villages, mines and towns, reached by land or by sea.
One of the nine: a chest eight yojana high, nine broad and twelve long on eight wheels, at the mouth of the Gaṅgā in Māgadha, with a Nāgakumāra god named Naisarpa living in it and a thousand yakṣas in attendance (§15).
| Holds | the building of camps, cities, villages, mines and towns, reached by land or by sea |
|---|---|
| Size | 12 × 9 × 8 yojana |
| Wheels | 8 |
| God | Naisarpa, a Nāgakumāra |
| Yakṣas | 1,000 |
Pāṇḍuka
The nidhi of all bulk, weight and height; all numbers; grains and seeds.
One of the nine: a chest eight yojana high, nine broad and twelve long on eight wheels, at the mouth of the Gaṅgā in Māgadha, with a Nāgakumāra god named Pāṇḍuka living in it and a thousand yakṣas in attendance (§15).
| Holds | all bulk, weight and height; all numbers; grains and seeds |
|---|---|
| Size | 12 × 9 × 8 yojana |
| Wheels | 8 |
| God | Pāṇḍuka, a Nāgakumāra |
| Yakṣas | 1,000 |
Śaṅkha
The nidhi of poetry, concerts, dramatic arts, and musical instruments.
One of the nine: a chest eight yojana high, nine broad and twelve long on eight wheels, at the mouth of the Gaṅgā in Māgadha, with a Nāgakumāra god named Śaṅkha living in it and a thousand yakṣas in attendance (§15).
| Holds | poetry, concerts, dramatic arts, and musical instruments |
|---|---|
| Size | 12 × 9 × 8 yojana |
| Wheels | 8 |
| God | Śaṅkha, a Nāgakumāra |
| Yakṣas | 1,000 |
Sarvaratna
The nidhi of the Cakravartin's jewels.
One of the nine: a chest eight yojana high, nine broad and twelve long on eight wheels, at the mouth of the Gaṅgā in Māgadha, with a Nāgakumāra god named Sarvaratna living in it and a thousand yakṣas in attendance (§15). The Digambara list calls it Nānāratna.
| Holds | the Cakravartin's jewels |
|---|---|
| Size | 12 × 9 × 8 yojana |
| Wheels | 8 |
| God | Sarvaratna, a Nāgakumāra |
| Yakṣas | 1,000 |
| Digambara name | Nānāratna |