Editing Kubera (section)

===Early descriptions and parentage===
In the ''Atharvaveda''—where he first appears<ref name="Alain">{{cite book|last= Daniélou|first=Alain|title=The myths and gods of India|year=1964|publisher=Inner Traditions / Bear & Company|pages=135–7|chapter=Kubera, the Lord of Riches}}</ref>—and the ''[[Shatapatha Brahmana]]'', Kubera is the chief of evil spirits or spirits of darkness, and son of Vaishravana.<ref name = "monier"/><ref name = "williams"/> The ''Shatapatha Brahmana'' calls him the Lord of thieves and criminals.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/sbr/sbe44/sbe44104.htm|title=Satapatha Brahmana Part V (SBE44): Thirteenth Kânda: XIII, 4, 3. Third Brâhmana (13.4.3.10)|website=www.sacred-texts.com|access-date=2017-06-23}}</ref> In the ''[[Manusmriti]]'', he becomes a respectable ''lokapala'' ("world protector") and the patron of merchants.<ref name = "S63">{{Harvnb|Sutherland|1991|p=63}}</ref> In the epic ''[[Mahabharata]]'', Kubera is described as the son of ''[[Prajapati]]'' [[Pulastya]] and his wife Idavida, and the brother of sage [[Vishrava]]. Kubera is described as born from a cow. However, from the ''Purana''s, he is described as the grandson of Pulastya and the son of Vishrava and his wife [[Ilavida]] (or Ilivila or Devavarnini), daughter of the sage [[Bharadvaja]] or Trinabindu.<ref name = "Mani">{{cite book|author = Mani, Vettam|title = Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary With Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature|url = https://archive.org/details/puranicencyclopa00maniuoft|publisher = Motilal Banarsidass|year = 1975|location = Delhi|isbn = 0-8426-0822-2|pages = [https://archive.org/details/puranicencyclopa00maniuoft/page/434 434]–7}}</ref><ref name="Alain"/><ref name = "H142"/><ref name = "williams">{{cite book|last=Williams|first=George Mason|title=Handbook of Hindu mythology|year=2003|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=1-85109-650-7|pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9791576071068/page/190 190–1]|chapter=Kubera|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9791576071068/page/190}}</ref>

By this time, though still described as an ''[[asura]]'', Kubera is offered prayers at the end of all ritual sacrifices.<ref name = "williams"/> His titles, such as "best of kings" and "Lord of kings" (The''[[Harivamsa]]'' indicates that Kubera is made "Lord of kings"), in contrast to the god-king of heaven, [[Indra]], whose title of "best of gods" led to the later belief that Kubera was a man. The early texts ''Gautama [[Dharmaśāstra|Dharmashastra]]'' and ''[[Apastamba]]'' describe him as a man. Only the ''[[Grhya Sutras#Grhya Sutras|Grihyasutra]]''s of Shankhayana and Hiranyakesin call him a god, and suggest offerings of meat, sesame seeds and flowers to him.<ref name="prakash"/><ref name = "H146">{{harvnb|Hopkins|1915|p=146}}</ref>