Adi Shankaracharya

Adi Shankaracharya was very merciful to old people. Once he saw on the banks of the Ganges one old man studying sanskrit grammar. He immediately requested the old man to give up studying the grammar and pray to Govinda. ( bhaja govindam bhaja govindam ... mudhamathe ).

Once Sri Sankaracharya went to beg uncooked food-stuffs from householders. He stood before one hut and asked for bhiksha. He shouted "Om Bhavati Biksham Dehi" - please give me raw food-stuffs. One old woman came out and told him that she was penniless and could give nothing to him. He still insisted. So she finally found one dried fruit ( Amala ) and she gave it to him. Sri Shankaracharya was so pleased that immediately he started glorifying Sri Mahalaxmi. ( Vande vandaru mindirananad kandalam, amanda nanda sandhoh sindhuranam, angam hare pulak bhushana mashrayanti, bhringaganeva mukulam bharanam tamalam, angi krita akhila vibhuti apangalila, mangalya dastu mam mangala devataya .... ) Thus he composed one stotra named Kanakadhara Stotra ( Shower of Gold Praise of Laxmi ). Immediately a rain of golden fruit started ( same fruit which old woman offered ) falling on the woman's hut. Within a few seconds her hut was full of gold. Anybody who reads this stotra three times a day ( 6 AM, 12 NOON, 6 PM ) becomes as rich as Kuvera (trisandhya ya pateth nityam sa kuvera samo

bhavet ).