In his travels throughout India, Adi Sankara and his disciples arrived at a place known as Sringeri. Risya Sringa had meditated at this place earlier.The river Tungabhadra flowed through this place. People here were engaged with performing Vedic Yagams. Here as in all places Sankara preached and expounded his teachings. He had a temple built for the Goddess Sarada Devi, taking heed of her promise that she will reside wherever Sankara chooses to invoke her.
Here a new disciple Giri joined Sankara and his followers. He was obedient, industrious and upheld righteousness. He served Sankara well anticipating what Sankara wanted and provided it even before he asked. He followed Sankara like a shadow, always walking behind the Guru, stopped when he stopped, listened attentively to what he had to say, and neither did he talk too much in his guru's presence.
One day he was at the river washing his Guru's clothing. As he was late to return Sankara waited for him to be present before beginning his discourse. One of Sankara's followers, Padmapada voiced out his dissatisfaction at having to wait for Giri to return, and said, "Whom are we to wait for? What qualification has a fellow so dull for the study of the Sastras?" That is when Sankara awakened in Giri, by an act of will, the knowledge of 14 subjects. With this knowledge awakened in him, Giri arrived from the river banks singing a hymn.
"On the supporting tree of the Acharya grows the creeper of devotion, taking its root at its own feet and watered by his grace. On that creeper, on the stalk called Totaka, has grown this fruit of a wonderful poem which will for all time be relished by the superb parrots, the men of wisdom."
Witnessing the wisdom and the poetical skill of their comrade, acquired through devotion to their master, the others abandoned their pride of learning and regarded Giri highly. He came to be known as Totakacharya.
The above story was adapted from Madhava-Vidyaranya's SANKARA-DIG-VIJAYA, published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Madras.