The great guru Shankara had four main disciples: Trotaka, Hastamalaka, Sureshvara and Padmapada. Of these, Padmapada only wanted to serve the teacher and did not pay attention to classes. Other students used to make fun of him for his poor academic performance. But his deep reverence for the guru compensated for this gap.
One day he was washing the teacher’s clothes and drying them on a stone in the middle of the river. He held his clothes, but the water suddenly began to rise higher and higher, and he himself could barely stay on top of the stone. It was already late, the guru might soon need clean clothes. Then Padmapada decided to walk straight through the stormy waves of the river. He knew that the guru's blessing would protect him. And so it happened. Where his foot stepped, lotuses as hard as stone blossomed and held him on their petals.
This is where his name came from - Lotus-footed (Padmapada). The guru's grace allowed him to master all knowledge and become the brightest example of ancient wisdom.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru