Kanakadhara Sthavam:
Adi Shankara as a Brahmachari, before he took up Sanyasa, used to seek Bhiksha daily in accordance with his Asrama Dharma. One Dwadasi day, he went for Bhiksha to a poor Brahmin’s house. That Brahmin himself was living by unchavriddhi (is an act of collecting grains left out in the threshing field) and had gone out to collect grains.
When Shankara came for Bhiksha, the lady of the house was alone and had nothing to offer. However, she had one single gooseberry which was kept as an essential item for dwadasi paranai. (on dwadasi , the day next to ekadasi -day of fasting) people eat gooseberry as a custom) She thought that while she was not able to offer Bhiksha to the Brahmachari, she should atleast give him the gooseberry fruit and so gave it to Shankara.
Shankara understood the lady’s good intention and inability to give grains for Bhiksha. He was moved by the gesture and so prayed to goddess Mahalakshmi to give the family prosperity and composed Kanakadhara Sthavam. An ashareeri was heard to say that the Brahmin couple is suffering from poverty on account of their actions in their previous births and that it cannot change. Shankara, however represented to the divine stating that in this birth, they have parted with the only edible item of gooseberry in their house and by that action alone, they have earned immeasurable punya which nullifies all the papas of their previous births. He then prayed to the Goddess Lakshmi again to give them prosperity. Immediately, thereafter commenced a shower of golden gooseberries in their house.
‘Kanaka’ means gold and ‘dhara’ means shower. Since the sloka caused a shower of gold, it is called Kanakadhara Stotram.
Adi Shankara as a Brahmachari, before he took up Sanyasa, used to seek Bhiksha daily in accordance with his Asrama Dharma. One Dwadasi day, he went for Bhiksha to a poor Brahmin’s house. That Brahmin himself was living by unchavriddhi (is an act of collecting grains left out in the threshing field) and had gone out to collect grains.
When Shankara came for Bhiksha, the lady of the house was alone and had nothing to offer. However, she had one single gooseberry which was kept as an essential item for dwadasi paranai. (on dwadasi , the day next to ekadasi -day of fasting) people eat gooseberry as a custom) She thought that while she was not able to offer Bhiksha to the Brahmachari, she should atleast give him the gooseberry fruit and so gave it to Shankara.
Shankara understood the lady’s good intention and inability to give grains for Bhiksha. He was moved by the gesture and so prayed to goddess Mahalakshmi to give the family prosperity and composed Kanakadhara Sthavam. An ashareeri was heard to say that the Brahmin couple is suffering from poverty on account of their actions in their previous births and that it cannot change. Shankara, however represented to the divine stating that in this birth, they have parted with the only edible item of gooseberry in their house and by that action alone, they have earned immeasurable punya which nullifies all the papas of their previous births. He then prayed to the Goddess Lakshmi again to give them prosperity. Immediately, thereafter commenced a shower of golden gooseberries in their house.
‘Kanaka’ means gold and ‘dhara’ means shower. Since the sloka caused a shower of gold, it is called Kanakadhara Stotram.
श्री कनकधारास्तोत्रम्
अङ्गं हरेः पुलकभूषणमाश्रयन्ती भृङ्गाङ्गनेव मुकुलाभरणं तमालम्। अङ्गीकृताखिलविभूतिरपाङ्गलीला माङ्गल्यदाऽस्तु मम मङ्गलदेवतायाः॥ १॥
अङ्गं हरेः पुलकभूषणमाश्रयन्ती भृङ्गाङ्गनेव मुकुलाभरणं तमालम्। अङ्गीकृताखिलविभूतिरपाङ्गलीला माङ्गल्यदाऽस्तु मम मङ्गलदेवतायाः॥ १॥
मुग्धा मुहुर्विदधती वदने मुरारेः प्रेमत्रपाप्रणिहितानि गतागतानि। माला दृशोर्मधुकरीव महोत्पले या सा मे श्रियं दिशतु सागरसंभवायाः॥ २॥
आमीलिताक्षमधिगम्य मुदा मुकुन्दं आनन्दकन्दमनिमेषमनङ्गतन्त्रम्। आकेकरस्थितकनीनिकपक्ष्मनेत्रं भूत्यै भवेन्मम भुजङ्गशयाङ्गनायाः॥ ३॥
बाह्वन्तरे मधुजितः श्रितकौस्तुभे या हारावलीव हरिनीलमयी विभाति। कामप्रदा भगवतोऽपि कटाक्षमाला कल्याणमावहतु मे कमलालयायाः॥ ४॥
कालाम्बुदालिललितोरसि कैटभारेः धाराधरे स्फुरति या तडिदङ्गनेव। मातुस्समस्तजगतां महनीयमूर्तिः भद्राणि मे दिशतु भार्गवनन्दनायाः॥ ५॥
प्राप्तं पदं प्रथमतः खलु यत्प्रभावात् माङ्गल्यभाजि मधुमाथिनि मन्मथेन। मय्यापतेत्तदिह मन्थरमीक्षणार्धं मन्दालसं च मकरालयकन्यकायाः॥ ६॥
विश्वामरेन्द्रपदविभ्रमदानदक्षं आनन्दहेतुरधिकं मुरविद्विषोऽपि। ईषन्निषीदतु मयि क्षणमीक्षणार्धम् इन्दीवरोदरसहोदरमिन्दिरायाः॥ ७॥
इष्टाविशिष्टमतयोऽपि यया दयार्द्र- दृष्ट्या त्रिविष्टपपदं सुलभं लभन्ते। दृष्टिः प्रहृष्टकमलोदरदीप्तिरिष्टां पुष्टिं कृषीष्ट मम पुष्करविष्टरायाः॥ ८॥
दद्याद्दयानुपवनो द्रविणाम्बुधारां अस्मिन्नकिञ्चनविहङ्गशिशौ विषण्णे। दुष्कर्मघर्ममपनीय चिराय दूरं नारायणप्रणयिनीनयनाम्बुवाहः॥ ९॥
गीर्देवतेति गरुडध्वजसुन्दरीति शाकम्भरीति शशिशेखरवल्लभेति। सृष्टिस्थितिप्रलयकेलिषु संस्थितायै तस्यै नमस्त्रिभुवनैकगुरोस्तरुण्यै॥ १०॥ श्
रुत्यै नमोऽस्तु शुभकर्मफलप्रसूत्यै रत्यै नमोऽस्तु रमणीयगुणार्णवायै। शक्त्यै नमोऽस्तु शतपत्रनिकेतनायै पुष्ट्यै नमोऽस्तु पुरुषोत्तमवल्लभायै॥ ११॥
नमोऽस्तु नालीकनिभाननायै नमोऽस्तु दुग्धोदधिजन्मभूम्यै। नमोऽस्तु सोमामृतसोदरायै नमोऽस्तु नारायणवल्लभायै॥ १२॥
नमोऽस्तु हेमाम्बुजपीठिकायै नमोऽस्तु भूमण्डलनायिकायै। नमोऽस्तु देवादिदयापरायै नमोऽस्तु शार्ङ्गायुधवल्लभायै॥ १३॥
नमोऽस्तु देव्यै भृगुनन्दनायै नमोऽस्तु विष्णोरुरसि स्थितायै। नमोऽस्तु लक्ष्म्यै कमलालयायै नमोऽस्तु दामोदरवल्लभायै॥ १४॥
नमोऽस्तु कान्त्यै कमलेक्षणायै नमोऽस्तु भूत्यै भुवनप्रसूत्यै। नमोऽस्तु देवादिभिरर्चितायै नमोऽस्तु नन्दात्मजवल्लभायै॥ १५॥
सम्पत्कराणि सकलेन्द्रियनन्दनानि साम्राज्यदानविभवानि सरोरुहाक्षि। त्वद्वन्दनानि दुरिताहरणोद्यतानि मामेव मातरनिशं कलयन्तु मान्ये॥ १६॥
यत्कटाक्षसमुपासनाविधिः सेवकस्य सकलार्थसंपदः। संतनोति वचनाङ्गमानसैः त्वां मुरारिहृदयेश्वरीं भजे॥ १७॥
सरसिजनिलये सरोजहस्ते धवलतमांशुकगन्धमाल्यशोभे। भगवति हरिवल्लभे मनोज्ञे त्रिभुवनभूतिकरि प्रसीद मह्यम्॥ १८॥
दिग् हस्तिभिः कनककुंभमुखावसृष्ट- स्वर्वाहिनीविमलचारुजलप्लुताङ्गीम्। प्रातर्नमामि जगतां जननीमशेष- लोकाधिनाथगृहिणीममृताब्धिपुत्रीम्॥ १९॥
कमले कमलाक्षवल्लभे त्वं करुणापूरतरङ्गितैरपाङ्गैः। अवलोकय मामकिञ्चनानां प्रथमं पात्रमकृत्रिमं दयायाः॥ २०॥
स्तुवन्ति ये स्तुतिभिरमीभिरन्वहं त्रयीमयीं त्रिभुवनमातरं रमाम्। गुणाधिका गुरुतरभाग्यभागिनः भवन्ति ते भुवि बुधभाविताशयाः॥ २१॥
