Kanakadhara Stotram is a celebrated devotional hymn in praise of Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth. It is believed to have been composed by the great saint-philosopher Adi Shankara to relieve the acute poverty of a highly compassionate woman.
‘Kanaka’ means gold, and ‘dhara’ is stream. So, the hymn carries the name, ‘The Stream of Gold.’ There is an interesting story about the origin of this stotram.
Legend
According to the legend, young Adi Shankara, who used to seek alms daily, happened to land at the door of a poor woman one day. Unfortunately, the pious woman had virtually nothing at home that she could offer to the boy. However, determined not to send the boy with a divine aura, empty-handed, she searched and managed to locate a gooseberry fruit, the only edible item available at home then, and offered it to the boy with love and reverence.
Shankara was deeply touched by her mercy and compassion. Her noble gesture, driven by selflessness, of giving away the only edible item she had at home without bothering about herself, moved him beyond words. Overcome with emotion, he immediately came out with a stirring composition, appealing to the Universal Mother and Wealth Goddess Lakshmi, and pleading with her to end the penury of the noble woman and shower the Goddess’ blessings on her with eternal wealth, abundance, and welfare.
It is said that the Goddess herself was deeply impressed with the woman’s kind act of charity and Adi Shankara’s soulful prayer, and immediately showered golden gooseberries in the woman’s house.
As Shankara’s remarkable prayer of 22 stanzas was able to melt the Goddess’ heart and evoke her remarkable kindness in the form of a ‘golden shower’ that instantly destroyed poverty, Kanakadhara Stotram is regarded as extremely powerful and highly efficacious in eliciting divine grace to eliminate scarcity and bestow immense prosperity.
Blessings
Hence, it is firmly believed that chanting Kanakadhara Stotram with sincerity, faith, and devotion will earn the grace of Goddess Mahalakshmi, relieve people of all their monetary problems and financial constraints, and bless them with affluence, prosperity, and well-being.
Here, let us go through the English version of this Sanskrit hymn. The hymn itself claims that reading or chanting this Stotram daily 3 times with devotion and belief can bestow immense wealth on par with Kubera, the Lord of celestial and universal wealth.
Kanakadhara Stotram – English Lyrics
Vande vandaru mandaramindirananda kandalam
Amandananda sandoha bandhuram sindhurananam
Angam hare pulaka bhooshanamasrayanthi
Bhringanga neva mukulabharanam thamalam
Angikrithakhila vibhuthirapanga leela
Mangalyadasthu mama mangala devathaya || 1 ||
Mugdha muhurvidhadhadathi vadhane Murare
Premathrapapranihithani gathagathani
Mala dhrishotmadhukareeva maheth pale ya
Sa ne sriyam dhisathu sagarasambhavaya || 2 ||
Ameelithaksha madhigamya mudha Mukundam
Anandakandamanimeshamananga thanthram
Akekara stiththa kaninika pashma nethram
Bhoothyai bhavanmama bhjangasayananganaya || 3 ||
Bahwanthare madhujitha srithakausthube ya
Haravaleeva nari neela mayi vibhathi
Kamapradha bhagavatho api kadaksha mala
Kalyanamavahathu me kamalalayaya || 4 ||
Kalambudhaalithorasi kaida bhare
Dharaadhare sphurathi yaa thadinganeva
Mathu samastha jagatham mahaneeya murthy
Badrani me dhisathu bhargava nandanaya || 5 ||
Praptham padam pradhamatha khalu yat prabhavath
Mangalyabhaji madhu madhini manamathena
Mayyapadetha mathara meekshanardham
Manthalasam cha makaralaya kanyakaya || 6 ||
Viswamarendra padhavee bramadhana dhaksham
Ananda hethu radhikam madhu vishwoapi
Eshanna sheedhathu mayi kshanameekshanartham
Indhivarodhara sahodharamidhiraya || 7 ||
Ishta visishtamathayopi yaya dhayardhraDhrishtya thravishta papadam sulabham lab
