日本語の「毘沙門天（びしゃもんてん）」は、
サンスクリット語の「ヴァイシュラヴァナ（वैश्रवणः [vaiśravaṇaḥ ]）」から来ています。
ヴァイシュラヴァナとは、お金を司る神様「クベーラ（कुबेरः [kuberaḥ]）」の別名で、
「賢者（
リシ）ヴィシュラヴァスの息子」という意味です。
実質的なご利益を期待して、お金を司る神様のクベーラはインド全国で良く知られています。
神様といっても、「ヤクシャ（यक्षः [yakṣaḥ]）」（日本語では夜叉）というステータスで、
デーヴァよりは低いステータスですが、
ヤクシャの王様で、
ヴェーダのマントラにも登場ます。
クベーラを讃えるこの
マントラは有名なマントラで、
クベーラの風貌
ヒンドゥー寺院の中に小さく祀られていたり、
ラクシュミーの横に小さく描かれていることが多いです。
 |
| あらゆる富を司る女神ラクシュミーと一緒に描かれることが多い。横にいるのは妻のリッディ（成功）。 |
クベーラの風貌は、背が小さくて、お腹が出ていて、
金貨の詰まった壺を抱いている、という姿で描写されるのが一般的です。
ラーマーヤナと
マハーバーラタにも登場しますが、
原典の中から私が探した限りでは、彼の風貌を描写する部分は見つかりませんでした。
プラーナという、神話を集めた文献にはいろいろ書かれているようです。
１８あるプラーナの中の、ヴァーユ・プラーナでは、
クベーラは、三本の足、八本の歯を持ち、斜視であると伝えられています。（カルパドゥルマより）
その他の詳細は、最後の部分に、プラーナ辞典のエントリー（英文）を載せておきました。
クベーラの出生
一般に良く知られている部分だけを要約しますね。
プラスッティヤの息子ヴィシュラヴァスは、
カイカシーとイダヴィダーという名の二人の妻を娶る。
長い間子宝に恵まれなかったのでブランマージーに願掛けをしながら苦行をした結果、
カイカシーはラーヴァナ、クンバカルナ、ヴィビーシャナを授かり、
イダヴィダーはクベーラを授かる。
クベーラはブランマージーに願掛けをした苦行により、
ランカー（現在のスリランカ）の王となるが、
後に異母兄弟であるラーヴァナに追い出され、
宝のひとつであるプシュパカ・ヴィマーナ（直訳すると花の乗り物。乗客の数によって自在に伸び縮みする空飛ぶ絨毯）も略奪される。
詳しくは最後の引用を参照してください。
クベーラの名前の意味
私がよく使う、カルパドゥルマという梵語→梵語辞書によると、
こじつけっぽいですが、
１．覆い隠す者 kub（隠す）+ era（者）
２．醜い身体を持つ者 ku (kutsita醜い) + vera (体)
という派生になっております。
参考：
カルパドゥルマ
कुबेर/
कुबे(वे)रः कुबे(वे)रः, पुं, (कुम्बतीति . कुब इ कि आच्छादने“
कुम्बेर्नलोपश्च” . उणां १ . ६० . इति एरक् .नलोपश्च . यद्वा कुत्सितं वेरं
शरीरं यस्य . पिङ्गलनेत्रत्वात्तथात्वम् .) यक्षराजः . इति
सिद्धान्त-कौमुद्यामुणादिवृत्तिः .. (स च विश्रवस ऋषेरिलविलायां जातः . स
तु त्रिपात् अष्टदन्तःकेकराक्षश्च . यथा, वायुपुराणे .“ कुत्सायां
क्वितिशब्दोऽयं शरीरं वेरमुच्यते .कुवेरः कुशरीरत्वात् नाम्ना तेनैव
सोऽङ्कितः” ..तथा काशीखण्डे देवीदत्तशापोक्तौ च .“ कुवेरो भव नाम्ना त्वं
मम रूपेर्ष्यया सुत !” ..)
プラーナ辞典
KUBERA. 1)
Genealogy. Descended from Viṣṇu thus: Brahmā--
Pulastya--Viśravas--Kubera. 2) Birth. Pulastya Prajāpati wedded Māninī
alias Havir- bhū, daughter of sage Tṛṇabindu, and a son called Viśravas
was born to them, Viśravas married Ilibilā alias Daivavarṇinī, daughter
of Bharadvāja. Rāvaṇa Kumbhakarṇa and Vibhīṣaṇa were the sons of
Viśravas by another wife. (Refer to the genealogy of Rāvaṇa). Viśravas
was childless for long, and the above mention- ed four sons were the
fruits of the boon granted him by Brahmā, whom he pleased by
austerities. (For details see under Viśravas, Para 1). 3) Kubera's
attainment of eminence. Once during Kṛta- yuga the Devas went to Varuṇa,
and after performing a Yajña for Kubera they told him thus: “In future
you live in the ocean itself as deva of all rivers, and let the ocean
and the rivers obey you. As in the case of the moon you too will
experience waxing and waning.” From that day onwards Kubera became the
lord of oceans, rivers, streams etc. and all of them together gave him
immense wealth. Śiva became a particular friend of Kubera. (Śalya Parva,
Chapter 47). 4) Kubera in Laṅkā. Afterwards Kubera performed penance
for ten thousand years in water with head submerged, to please Brahmā.
Yet, Brahmā did not appear. Then he performed penance standing on one
foot in the centre of Pañcāgni. Brahmā appeared and asked him to choose
any boon. Kubera requested that he might be made a lokapālaka (protector
of the uni- verse) and the custodian of wealth, and Brahmā respon- ded
by supplying Kubera the treasures Śaṅkha nidhi and Padmanidhi and also
the Puṣpaka Vimāna as vehicle. He was also appointed one of the
Aṣṭadikpāla- kas. (Indra, Agni, Yama, Nirṛti, Varuṇa, Vāyu, Kubera and
Īśa are the eight protectors of the eight regions). Kubera's city is
called Mahodaya. Kubera felt really happy and told his father Viśravas
about his new status and dignity. The father also blessed the son.
Kubera requested his father to get a city built for him to live in, and
his father asked him to settle down in Laṅkā built by Maya on top of the
mountain Trikūṭa in the middle of the south sea. From that day onwards
Kubera took his abode in Laṅkā. (It was originally built for Indra). 5)
Old history of Laṅkā. Once upon a time when Brahmā was repeating the
Vedas he felt hungry. He was annoyed that at that untimely hour he
should have felt hungry, and from his angry face emerged the Rākṣasa
called Heti. From his hunger emerged the Yakṣa called Praheti. The
Rākṣasa turned out to be an unrighteous being, and the Yakṣa a righteous
person. Heti married Bhayā, daugher of Kāla, and a son Vidyutkeśa was
born to them, who wedded Sālakaṭaṅkā, daughter of Sandhyā. To them were
born a child, whom they forsook in the valley of mountain Manthara and
went their own. way. Śiva and Pārvatī came that way just then, saw the
forsaken child and blessed it. At once the child became a youth. Śiva
named him Sukeśa, and he married Devavatī, the daughter of a Gandharva
called Maṇimaya. To them were born three sons called Mālyavān, Sumālī.
and Mālī. Thanks to the blessings of Śiva all of them became youths as
soon as they were born. By means of penances they secured from Brahmā
the boon to conquer the three worlds. They then returned to their
father. They did not relish the advice of their father to lead a
righteous life. They went round the three worlds harassing people. Maya
built for them the city called Laṅkā on the top of the Mountain Trikūṭa.
There is a story about the origin of Trikūṭa. Once a controversy arose
between Vāsuki and Vāyubhagavān as to who was the greater of the two. To
prove that he was greater than Vāyu, Vāsuki enveloped with his body
mountain Mahāmeru so that Vāyu (wind) could not enter it, and Vāyu tried
to blow off the mountain with the result that a dust storm concealed
the whole world from view. The Devas took refuge in Viṣṇu, who paci-
fied Vāsuki, and he then unwound one coil round the mountain. Vāyu took
advantage of the opportunity and swept off one peak of the mountain to
the South into the sea, and that peak is Trikūṭa. Mālyavān, Sumālī and
Mālī settled down in Laṅkā, and they married Sundarī, Ketumatī and
Vasudhā, the three daughters of Narmadā, a Gandharva woman. Seven sons
called Vajramuṣṭi, Virūpākṣa, Durmukha, Supta- ghna Yajñakośa, Matta and
Unmatta and a daughter called Nalā were born to Mālyavān and Sundarī.
Ten sons called Prahasta, Akampa, Vikaṭa, Kālakāmukha, Dhūmrākṣa, Daṇḍa,
Supārśva, Saṁhrāda, Prakvāta and Bhāsakarṇa and four daughters called
Vekā, Puṣ- potkaṭā, Kaikasī and Kumbhīnasī were born to Sumālī and
Ketumatī. Four sons called Anala, Anila, Aha and Sampāti (these four
were the ministers of Vibhīṣaṇa) were born to Mālī and Vasudhā. When the
harassments of the Rākṣasas became unbear- able the Devas sought
protection from Śiva, and Indra detailed to him about the unrighteous
actions of Mālya- vān, Sumālī and Mālī. Śiva directed the Devas to
Viṣṇu, who set out, to fight against the Rākṣasas. Mālī cut at Garuḍa,
and Viṣṇu killed him (Mālī) with his Sudarśana Cakra. The other Rākṣasas
retreated to Laṅkā. As their presence in Laṅkā was dan- gerous to the
Devas, Viṣṇu directed the Sudarśana Cakra to go to Laṅkā every day and
kill the Rākṣasas in groups. The Cakra began its work, and the remaining
Rākṣasas escaped to Pātāla. Laṅkā became thus deserted and Kubera took
his abode there. The Yakṣas, born from the hunger of Brahmā roamed about
without a leader and ultimately settled down in Laṅkā under the leader-
ship of Kubera. (Uttara Rāmāyaṇa). 6) Kubera left Laṅkā. The other sons
of Viśravas like Rāvaṇa returned with boons from Brahmā for the con-
quest of the earth, and the first thing Rāvaṇa did was to drive away his
brother Kubera from Laṅkā. He also took by force the Puṣpaka Vimāna of
Kubera, who cursed Rāvaṇa thus: “This will never be your vehicle, but
will become that of his, who kills you.” Kubera, with the Yakṣas,
Kinnaras etc. went north and settled on mount Gandhamādana. (Vana Parva,
Chap- ter 275). 7) Kubera's sabhā. The assembly hall of Kubera is 100
yojanas in length and 100 yojanas wide. High walls surround the city. In
the centre of the city is a beautiful mansion studded with gems where
Kubera sits surrounded by thousands of women. Māruta Deva carrying
fragrance from Kalpavṛkṣa worships him. Gandharva and Apsarā women
entertain Kubera with music. Miśrakeśī, Ram- bhā, Menakā, Urvaśī,
Citrasenā, Śucismitā, Ghṛtācī, Puñjikasthalā, Viśvācī, Sahajanyā,
Pramlocā, Vargā, Saurabheyī, Samīcī, Budbudā, and Latā are the chief
among them. Maṇibhadra (Māṇibhadra), Dhanada, Āśveta, Bhadra, Guhyaka,
Kaśeraka, Gaṇḍakaṇḍu, Pradyota, Mahābala, Ka, Tumburu, Piśāca,
Gajakarṇa, Viśāla, Varāhakarṇa, Tāmroṣṭha, Halakakṣa, Halodaka
Haṁsacūḍa, Śaṅkhāvarta, Hemanetra, Vibhīṣaṇa, Puṣpānana, Piṅgalaka,
Śoṇitoda, Pravālaka, Vṛkṣabāṣ- paniketa, Cīravāsas and Nalakūbara are
the chief members in the court of Kubera. Śiva, a good friend of Kubera,
very often visits him. Gandharvas and sages like Viśvāvasu, Hāhā, Hūhū,
Parvata, Tumburu and Śailūṣa live in Kubera's assembly. Nārada told
Dharma- putra that the Kuberasabhā was thus always sweet and pleasant.
(Sabhā Parva, Chapter 10). 8) Fight between Kubera and Rāvaṇa. Kubera
got secret information that the Devas and the brahmins had decid- ed
jointly to complain to Mahāviṣṇu about their unbearable harassment by
Rāvaṇa. He sent a messen- ger to his brother Rāvaṇa warning him to lead a
more righteous life. Rāvaṇa got so much enraged at the advice of his
brother that he cut the messenger into pieces and served as food to the
Rākṣasas. Rāvaṇa mobilised his army against Kubera and the Devas, and
decided first to attack Kubera. At the head of a huge army led by heroes
like Mahodara, Prahasta, Mārīca, Śuka, Sāraṇa, Vajradaṁṣṭra, Dhūmrākṣa,
Virūpākṣa, Yūpākṣa, Mahāpārśva, Matta, Unmatta, Vikaṭa, Suptaghna,
Yajñāntaka, Makarākṣa, Kumbha- karṇa, Atikāya and Akṣakumāra, Rāvaṇa
marched to Alakāpurī where a fierce battle ensued between Rāva- ṇa's and
Kubera's armies. Many Yakṣas were killed by Rāvaṇa's army, and the
Yakṣa hero Maṇicara killed a large number of Rākṣasas. As a last resort
Rāvaṇa thrashed Maṇicara on the head with a club and this turned the
hair on his head to one side. From that day Maṇicara came to be known as
Pārśvamauli (head turned to one side). In the fight that followed
between Kubera and Rāvaṇa the former fell down unconscious. But, the
Yakṣas brought two Vimānas and carried Kubera to the palace. Rāvaṇa
plundered Kubera's palace and carried off to Laṅkā a lot of costly gems
