Original text
अङ्गं हरेः पुलकभूषणमाश्रयन्ती भृङ्गाङ्गनेव मुकुलाभरणं तमालम् । अङ्गीकृताखिलविभूतिरपाङ्गलीला माङ्गल्यदास्तु मम मङ्गलदेवतायाः ॥ १ ॥ मुग्धा मुहुर्विदधती वदने मुरारेः प्रेमत्रपाप्रणिहितानि गतागतानि । माला दृशोर्मधुकरीव महोत्पले या सा मे श्रियं दिशतु सागरसम्भवायाः ॥ २ ॥ विश्वामरेन्द्रपदविभ्रमदानदक्षम् आनन्दहेतुरधिकं मुरविद्विषोऽपि । ईषन्निषीदतु मयि क्षणमीक्षणार्धम् इन्दीवरोदरसहोदरमिन्दिरायाः ॥ ३ ॥ आमीलिताक्षमधिगम्य मुदा मुकुन्दम् आनन्दकन्दमनिमेषमनङ्गतन्त्रम् । आकेकरस्थितकनीनिकपक्ष्मनेत्रं भूत्यै भवेन्मम भुजङ्गशयाङ्गनायाः ॥ ४ ॥ बाह्वन्तरे मधुजितः श्रितकौस्तुभे या हारावलीव हरिनीलमयी विभाति । कामप्रदा भगवतोऽपि कटाक्षमाला कल्याणमावहतु मे कमलालयायाः ॥ ५ ॥ कालाम्बुदालिललितोरसि कैटभारेर् धाराधरे स्फुरति या तडिदङ्गनेव । मातुः समस्तजगतां महनीयमूर्तिर् भद्राणि मे दिशतु भार्गवनन्दनायाः ॥ ६ ॥ प्राप्तं पदं प्रथमतः किल यत्प्रभावान् माङ्गल्यभाजि मधुमाथिनि मन्मथेन । मय्यापतेत्तदिह मन्थरमीक्षणार्धं मन्दालसं च मकरालयकन्यकायाः ॥ ७ ॥ दद्याद् दयानुपवनो द्रविणाम्बुधाराम् अस्मिन्नकिञ्चनविहङ्गशिशौ विषण्णे । दुष्कर्मघर्ममपनीय चिराय दूरं नारायणप्रणयिनीनयनाम्बुवाहः ॥ ८ ॥ इष्टा विशिष्टमतयोऽपि यया दयार्द्र दृष्ट्या त्रिविष्टपपदं सुलभं लभन्ते । दृष्टिः प्रहृष्टकमलोदरदीप्तिरिष्टां पुष्टिं कृषीष्ट मम पुष्करविष्टरायाः ॥ ९ ॥ गीर्देवतेति गरुडध्वजसुन्दरीति शाकम्भरीति शशिशेखरवल्लभेति । सृष्टिस्थितिप्रलयकेलिषु संस्थितायै तस्यै नमस्त्रिभुवनैकगुरोस्तरुण्यै ॥ १० ॥ श्रुत्यै नमोऽस्तु शुभकर्मफलप्रसूत्यै रत्यै नमोऽस्तु रमणीयगुणार्णवायै । शक्त्यै नमोऽस्तु शतपत्रनिकेतनायै पुष्ट्यै नमोऽस्तु पुरुषोत्तमवल्लभायै ॥ ११ ॥ नमोऽस्तु नालीकनिभाननायै नमोऽस्तु दुग्धोदधिजन्मभूत्यै । नमोऽस्तु सोमामृतसोदरायै नमोऽस्तु नारायणवल्लभायै ॥ १२ ॥ सम्पत्कराणि सकलेन्द्रियनन्दनानि साम्राज्यदानविभवानि सरोरुहाक्षि । त्वद्वन्दनानि दुरिताहरणोद्यतानि मामेव मातरनिशं कलयन्तु मान्ये ॥ १३ ॥ यत्कटाक्षसमुपासनाविधिः सेवकस्य सकलार्थसम्पदः । संतनोति वचनाङ्गमानसैस् त्वां मुरारिहृदयेश्वरीं भजे ॥ १४ ॥ सरसिजनिलये सरोजहस्ते धवलतमांशुकगन्धमाल्यशोभे । भगवति हरिवल्लभे मनोज्ञे त्रिभुवनभूतिकरि प्रसीद मह्यम् ॥ १५ ॥ दिग्घस्तिभिः कनककुम्भमुखावसृष्ट स्वर्वाहिनीविमलचारुजलप्लुताङ्गीम् । प्रातर्नमामि जगतां जननीमशेष लोकाधिनाथगृहिणीममृताब्धिपुत्रीम् ॥ १६ ॥ कमले कमलाक्षवल्लभे त्वं करुणापूरतरङ्गितैरपाङ्गैः । अवलोकय मामकिञ्चनानां प्रथमं पात्रमकृत्रिमं दयायाः ॥ १७ ॥ स्तुवन्ति ये स्तुतिभिरमूभिरन्वहं त्रयीमयीं त्रिभुवनमातरं रमाम् । गुणाधिका गुरुतरभाग्यभागिनो भवन्ति ते भुवि बुधभाविताशयाः ॥ १८ ॥ ॥ इति श्रीमच्छङ्कराचार्यविरचितं कनकधारास्तोत्रं सम्पूर्णम् ॥
Transliteration
Angam hareh pulakabhushanamashrayanti Bhringanganeva mukulabharanam tamalam Angikritakhilavibhutirapangalila Mangalyadastu mama mangaladevatayah ||1|| Mugdha muhurvidadhati vadane murareh Prematrapapranihitani gatagatani Mala drishormadhukariva mahotpale ya Sa me shriyam dishatu sagarasambhavayah ||2|| Vishvamarendrapadavibhramadanadaksham Anandaheturadhikam muravidvisho'pi Ishannishidatu mayi kshanamikshanardham Indivarodarasahodaramindirayah ||3|| Amilitakshamadhigamya muda mukundam Anandakandamanimeshamanangatantram Akekarasthitakaninikapakshmanetram Bhutyai bhavenmama bhujangashayanganayah ||4|| Bahvantare madhujitah shritakaustubhe ya Haravaliva harinilamayi vibhati Kamaprada bhagavato'pi katakshamala Kalyanamavahatu me kamalalayayah ||5|| Kalambudalilalitorasi kaitabharer Dharadhare sphurati ya tadidanganeva Matuh samastajagatam mahaniyamurtir Bhadrani me dishatu bhargavanandanayah ||6|| Praptam padam prathamatah kila yatprabhavan Mangalyabhaji madhumathini manmathena Mayyapatettadiha mantharamikshanardham Mandalasam cha makaralayakanyakayah ||7|| Dadyad dayanupavano dravinambudharam Asminnakinchanavihangashishau vishanne Dushkarmagharmamapaniya chiraya duram Narayanapranayininayanambuvahah ||8|| Ishta vishishtamatayo'pi yaya dayardra Drishtya trivishtapapadam sulabham labhante Drishtih prahrishtakamalodaradiptirishtam Pushtim krishishta mama pushkaravishtarayah ||9|| Girdevateti garudadhvajasundariti Shakambhariti shashishekharavallabheti Srishtisthitipralayakelishu sansthitayai Tasyai namastribhuvanaikagurostarunyai ||10|| Shrutyai namo'stu shubhakarmaphalaprasutyai Ratyai namo'stu ramaniyagunarnavayai Shaktyai namo'stu shatapatraniketanayai Pushtyai namo'stu purushottamavallabhayai ||11|| Namo'stu nalikanibhananayai Namo'stu dugdhodadhijanmabhutyai Namo'stu somamritasodarayai Namo'stu narayanavallabhayai ||12|| Sampatkarani sakalendriyanandanani Samrajyadanavibhavani saroruhakshi Tvadvandanani duritaharanodyatani Mameva mataranisham kalayantu manye ||13|| Yatkatakshasamupasanavidhih Sevakasya sakalarthasampadah Santanoti vachanangamanasais Tvam murarihridayeshvarim bhaje ||14|| Sarasijanilaye sarojahaste Dhavalatamanshukagandhamalyashobhe Bhagavati harivallabhe manojne Tribhuvanabhutikari prasida mahyam ||15|| Digghastibhih kanakakumbhamukhavasrishta Svarvahinivimalacharujalaplutangim Pratarnamami jagatam jananimashesha Lokadhinathagrihinimamritabdhiputrim ||16|| Kamale kamalakshavallabhe Tvam karunapuratarangitairapangaih Avalokaya mamakinchananam Prathamam patramakritrimam dayayah ||17|| Stuvanti ye stutibhiramubhiranvaham Trayimayim tribhuvanamataram ramam Gunadhika gurutarabhagyabhagino Bhavanti te bhuvi budhabhavitashayah ||18|| Iti shrimachchhankaracharyavirachitam kanakadharastotram sampurnam ||
The story of the golden amlas
As a boy brahmachari, Shankara went from house to house for bhiksha, as students did. At one door a woman so poor that she had nothing in the house found a single dried amla (gooseberry) and, ashamed, gave it to him. Moved by her generosity in poverty, Shankara sang this hymn to Lakshmi on the spot, asking the goddess to turn her glance on the household. When he finished, golden amlas rained down on the house — kanaka-dhara, "a stream of gold". The story is told in the Shankara-digvijaya tradition, and a house in Kalady, Kerala, is still pointed out as the place.
A hymn about a glance
Almost every verse of the Kanakadhara is about one thing: Lakshmi's kataksha, her sidelong glance. The poet does not ask her to come; he asks her to look.
- Verse 1: her glance clings to Hari's body, thrilling with joy, "like a female bee to the budding tamala tree" — may that glance, which holds all prosperity, bring me auspiciousness.
- Verses 2–7: the glance moving shyly to and from Murari's face; resting on his chest beside the Kaustubha like a necklace of sapphires; flashing like lightning against his cloud-dark chest. Each verse ends asking that glance to fall on the poet.
- Verse 8: the heart of the hymn — "May the cloud of Narayana's beloved's eyes, blown by the wind of compassion, pour a rain of wealth on this poor fledgling bird, and carry away the heat of bad karma for ever."
- Verses 10–12: she is Saraswati, Garuda-dhvaja's beloved, Shakambhari and Shiva's consort — all one goddess. A string of namo'stu salutations follows.
- Verses 16–17: the famous image of the elephants of the directions bathing her with golden pots of Ganga water, and the plea "Kamale, look at me — I am the first vessel of your compassion among the poor."
- Verse 18: the phalashruti — those who praise her daily with these verses become rich in virtue and fortune.
How and when to recite it
- Fridays, Lakshmi's day, after the evening lamp.
- Diwali, Dhanteras and Akshaya Tritiya, and Sharad Purnima.
- Traditional practice is once or three times a day; some keep a sankalpa of 108 recitations over a set period. Offer lotus or red flowers, and if possible a little amla in memory of the story.
Our text has 18 verses, as commonly printed; some editions run to 21, with extra verses at the end or in a different order, and readings such as girdevateti/dhirdevateti vary.
Frequently asked questions
Who wrote the Kanakadhara Stotram?
Adi Shankaracharya, as a young brahmachari, according to tradition.
What does Kanakadhara mean?
"Stream of gold" — after the shower of golden amlas that fell on the poor woman's house.
How many verses does the Kanakadhara Stotram have?
Commonly 18; some editions have 21. The core verses are the same.
When should it be recited?
On Fridays, Diwali, Dhanteras, Akshaya Tritiya and Sharad Purnima, ideally in the evening after lighting a lamp.
Is it only for wealth?
Its central plea is for Lakshmi's compassionate glance, which the hymn says brings both fortune and the removal of bad karma. The story itself rewards generosity, not greed.
Spotted a mistake?
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