Shloka 21
Vaiśravaṇa-sabhā-varṇanam
Description of Kubera’s Assembly Hall
उपासते महात्मानं तस्यां धनदमीश्वरम् । ब्रह्मर्षि
upāsate mahātmānaṃ tasyāṃ dhanadam īśvaram | brahmarṣi-devarṣayaś ca tathānye ṛṣigaṇāḥ sabhāyāṃ virājamānāḥ | tebhyaḥ pṛthag bahavaḥ piśācā mahābalā gandharvāś ca lokapālaṃ mahātmānaṃ dhanadaṃ kuberam upāsate || bhagavān bhūtasaṅghaiś ca vṛtaḥ śata-sahasraśaḥ, nṛpaśreṣṭha, lakṣaśo bhūtagaṇaiḥ parivṛto ugra-dhanurdharaḥ mahābalaḥ paśupatiḥ (jīvānāṃ svāmī), śūladhārī, bhagadevatā-netra-nāśakaḥ, trilocano bhagavān umāpatiḥ, kleśarahitā devī pārvatī ca—etau ubhau vāmana-vikaṭa-kubja-lāla-netra-mahākolāhala-medo-māṃsa-bhakṣaṇa-nānāstra-śastra-dhāri-vāyu-sama-mahāvega-bhayānaka-bhūta-preta-gaṇaiḥ saha tasmin sabhāyāṃ sadā dhanadaṃ mitraṃ kuberaṃ upaviśataḥ |
Nārada said: In that assembly they worship the great lord of wealth, Kubera. Brahmarṣis and Devarṣis, along with other companies of seers, are seated there in splendor. Apart from them, many Piśācas and mighty Gandharvas also attend, reverently honoring Kubera, the guardian of the quarters. Then the blessed Lord Śiva—surrounded by hundreds of thousands of spirits—appears with Umā (Pārvatī), free from affliction. The three-eyed Lord, wielder of the trident and master of beings, accompanied by fearsome hosts of bhūtas and pretas of many forms and weapons, sits there beside his ever-giving friend Kubera.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage portrays a divinely ordered court where sages and supernatural beings honor Kubera as the rightful steward of wealth, while Śiva’s presence signals that power, prosperity, and awe-inspiring forces are ultimately integrated within cosmic order and reverence rather than mere possession.
Nārada describes Kubera’s splendid assembly: sages sit there, various celestial and spirit-beings attend and worship Kubera, and then Śiva with Pārvatī arrives accompanied by vast hosts of bhūtas and pretas, taking a seat beside Kubera as his friend.