Kuber Yantra: meaning of the 72 number square, with the Kubera mantra

The Kuber Yantra

This is the arrangement printed in most Kuber Yantras. Read across, down or corner to corner, every line of three adds up to 72.

Who Kuber is

Kuber (Kubera), also called Vaishravana, is the treasurer of the gods, king of the yakshas and guardian of the north. Tradition sees Lakshmi as prosperity itself and Kuber as the one who keeps it and shares it out, so the two are often honoured side by side, especially on Dhanteras, the first day of Diwali.

Kuber is remembered as a careful keeper rather than a spender: the one who guards what is entrusted to him. Many people keep his yantra as a reminder of that kind of steadiness with money: honest earning, careful keeping and generous sharing.

How the square works

The nine numbers are 20 to 28, each used once, with 24, their middle, at the centre. Every line through the square adds up to 72, three times the centre:

• Rows: 27 + 20 + 25 = 72; 22 + 24 + 26 = 72; 23 + 28 + 21 = 72.
• Columns: 27 + 22 + 23 = 72; 20 + 24 + 28 = 72; 25 + 26 + 21 = 72.
• Diagonals: 27 + 24 + 21 = 72; 25 + 24 + 23 = 72.

It is the ancient 3×3 magic square, the same pattern as the Surya Yantra, with 19 added to every number. In the yantra tradition such balanced squares stand for order and wholeness: whichever way you read, the total is the same.

Word by word

• yakshaya: to the lord of the yakshas, the guardians of hidden riches.
• kuberaya vaishravanaya: to Kubera, son of Vishrava.
• dhanadhanyadhipataye: to the master of wealth (dhana) and grain (dhanya).
• dhanadhanya samriddhim me: fullness of wealth and grain, to me.
• dehi dapaya: give, and cause to be given.
• svaha: the word with which an offering is made.

How it is traditionally kept

Many families set up or refresh a Kuber Yantra on Dhanteras or at the Diwali Lakshmi puja, next to the image of Lakshmi and Ganesha, with a lamp, a flower, a little kumkum and the mantra above. Some simply draw the square on paper with kumkum or sandal paste for the day.

Many families keep it in the puja space or where the accounts are kept, facing north, Kuber’s own direction; keep it however feels right to you.

Questions

What is the total of the Kuber Yantra?

72. Each row, each column and both diagonals of the square add up to 72, and the nine numbers are 20 to 28.

Are all Kuber Yantras the same?

Most printed and engraved ones use the 72 square shown here, sometimes turned or mirrored, which keeps every total the same. Some add lotus petals, a circle or the mantra around it.

Is a Kuber Yantra needed for the Dhanteras puja?

No. Dhanteras is kept in many ways: a lamp for Yama in the evening, Dhanvantari worship, a small purchase for the home, Lakshmi and Kuber puja. The yantra is one custom among these, not a requirement.

Can I draw the Kuber Yantra myself?

Yes, many families draw it with kumkum, sandal paste or ink on clean paper. Writing the numbers carefully, one by one, is itself a quiet act of attention.