Kanakadhara Stotram is a very popular prayer dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi and was composed by Adi Sankaracharya. Once Sankaracharya went to the home of a poor woman and asked for food. But she is so poor that nothing was available in her house, she offered an amla fruit in the bowl to Lord Sankaracharya. He realized the womens devotion irrespective of being poor. He immediately started singing twenty one slokas praising Goddess Mahalakshmi , praying her to bless the poor women by driving her poverty and grant her riches. As Sanakaracharya was singing Kanakadhara stotram,Goddess Mahalakshmi showered Golden amla fruit like rain infront of the poor womens hut.
Adi Sankara has sung this "Kanakadhara stotra" for welfare of everyone who is suffering their past karma and suffering in poverty. It is believed that listening or chanting this stotram thrice a day, will destroy our poverty and gives us riches.
By rendering this great verse in her incomparable voice,Divine Singer Smt. M.S.Subbulakshmi has made this song popular wordwide and has been recorded and saved in homes all over the world.
My "immortal" wife Saroja, (immortal to me for whom she was truly his 'better half' and left her mortal coil on 19th February 2014), a great admirer of Smt M.S. rendered this great song in her own voice as a humble homage both to Adi Sankara and Smt.M.S.
Rendered by my wife Saroja Shrinivas around 2005/6