According to a legend, Adi Sankara recited the slokas addressing Goddess Lakshmi. Sankara lost his father when quite young, and his mother performed his upanayana ceremonies with the help of her relatives. Sankara excelled in all branches of traditional vedic learning.

A few miracles are reported about the young Sankara. As a brahmachari, he went about collecting alms from families in the village. A lady who was herself extremely poor, but did not want to send away the boy empty-handed, gave him the last piece of Amla fruit she had at home. Sankara, sensing the abject poverty of the lady, composed a hymn (Kanakadhara Stavam) to Sri, the goddess of wealth, right at her doorstep. As a result, a shower of golden Amlas rewarded the lady for her goodness.

On another occasion, Sankara is said to have re-routed the course of the Poorna River, so that his old mother would not have to walk a long distance to the river. When he visited a house of a poor family, they only had gooseberries to offer him. As he completed the slokas, there was a rain of golden gooseberries.