ശിവാപരാധ ക്ഷമാപണ സ്തോത്രമ്

Even before I saw the light of this world, my sins from previous births, Through which I passed because of desire for the fruit of my deeds, Punished me as I lay in my mother’s womb. There I was boiled in the midst of filthy things: Who can describe the pain that afflicts the child in its mother’s womb? Therefore, O Siva! O Mahadeva! O Sambhu! Forgive me, I pray, for my transgressions.

In childhood my suffering never came to an end; My body was covered with filth and I craved for my mother’s breasts. Over my body and limbs I had no control; I was pursued by troublesome flies and mosquitoes; Day and night I cried with the pain of many an ailment, forgetting thee, O Sankara! Therefore, O Siva! O Mahadeva! O Sambhu! Forgive me, I pray, for my transgressions.

In youth the venomous snakes of sound, sight, taste, touch, and smell, Bit into my vitals and slew my discrimination; I was engrossed in the pleasures of wealth, sons, and a youthful wife. Alas! My heart, bereft of the thought of Siva, Was filled with arrogance and pride, Therefore, O Siva! O Mahadeva! O Sambhu! Forgive me, I pray, for my transgressions.

Now in old age my senses have lost the power of proper judging and acting; My body, though still not wholly bereft of life, Is weak and senile from many afflictions, from sins and illnesses and bereavements; But even now my mind, instead of meditating on Siva, Runs after vain desires and hollow delusions. Therefore, O Siva! O Mahadeva! O Sambhu! Forgive me, I pray, for my transgressions.

Not even once have I finished my bath before sunrise and brought from the Ganges Water to bathe thy holy image; Never, from the deep woods, have I brought the sacred vilwa leaves for thy worship; Nor have I gathered full-blown lotuses from the lakes, Nor ever arranged the lights and the incense for worshipping Thee. Therefore, O Siva! O Mahadeva! O Sambhu! Forgive me, I pray, for my transgressions.

I have not bathed thine image with milk and honey, with butter and other oblations; I have not decked it with fragrant sandal paste; I have not worshipped Thee with golden flowers, with incense, with camphor-flame and savoury offerings. Therefore, O Siva! O Mahadeva! O Sambhu! Forgive me, I pray, for my transgressions.

Unable I am to observe the complex rules of Dharma daily, Unable I am to follow the rules of Veda as told by Brahmins, Unable I am to know Dharma by listening to Vedas and meditating, And so what is the use of daily learning all these. Therefore, O Siva! O Mahadeva! O Sambhu! Forgive me, I pray, for my transgressions.

I have not made rich gifts to the Brahmins, cherishing in my heart, O Mahadeva, thy sacred form; I have not made in the sacred fire the million oblations of butter, Repeating the holy mantra given to me by my guru; Never have I done penance along the Ganges with japa and study of the Vedas. Therefore, O Siva! O Mahadeva! O Sambhu! Forgive me, I pray, for my transgressions.

Never, O Siva! have I seen Thee, the Pure, the Unattached, the Naked One, Beyond the three gunas, free from delusion and darkness, absorbed in meditation, And ever aware of the true nature of the world; Nor, with a longing heart, have I meditated on Thine auspicious and sin-destroying form. Therefore, O Siva! O Mahadeva! O Sambhu! Forgive me, I pray, for my transgressions.

I have not sat in the lotus posture, nor have I ever controlled The prana along the Sushumna, repeating the syllable Om; Never have I suppressed the turbulent waves of my mind, nor merged the self-effulgent Om In the ever-shining Witness-Consciousness, whose nature is that of the highest Brahman; Nor have I, in samadhi, meditated on Sankara, who dwells in every form as the inner guide. Therefore, O Siva! O Mahadeva! O Sambhu! Forgive me, I pray, for my transgressions.

The One who resides in the lotus of the heart, known through Vedanta, shining forth with the brilliance of rising light, the embodiment of truth and peace, revered by the lotus-minds of all sages, beyond the three states of waking, dream, and deep sleep, and untouched by the three guṇas—I do not remember that Śaṅkara. Therefore, O Siva! O Mahadeva! O Sambhu! Forgive me, I pray, for my transgressions.

O mind, to gain liberation, concentrate wholly on Siva, The sole reality underlying the worlds, the giver of good; Whose head is illumined by the crescent moon and in whose hair the Ganges is hidden; Whose fire-darting eyes consumed the god of earthly love; whose throat and ears are decked with snakes; Whose upper garment is a comely elephant-skin. Of what avail are all the other rituals?

O mind, of what are wealth or horses, elephants or a kingdom? Of what avail the body or a house? Know all these to be but momentary and quickly shun them; Worship Siva, as your guru instructs you, for the attaining of Self-Knowledge.

May these (the following) traits never arise in me in any birth, O Lord of Beings (Paśupati): performing priestly duties for material gain, nocturnal wanderings of questionable deeds, village leadership marked by dominance, attachment to institutional power, deceitful speech, false testimony, consumption of another’s food, enmity toward Brahman, delight in the company of the wicked, and cruelty toward living beings.

Day by day does man come nearer to death; His youth wears away; the day that is gone never returns. Almighty time devours everything; Fickle as lightning is the goddess of fortune. O Siva! O Giver of shelter to those that come to Thee for refuge! Protect me, who have taken refuge at thy feet.

I salute the self-effulgent guru of the gods, the lord of Uma; I salute the cause of the Universe I salute the lord of beasts, adorned with snakes; I salute Siva, whose three eyes shine like the sun, the moon, and fire; I salute the beloved of Krishna; I salute Sankara, who bestows boons on His devotees and gives them shelter; I salute the auspicious Siva.

O Siva! White is thy body, covered with ashes; white shine thy teeth when thou smilest! White is the skull thou holdest in thy hand; white is thy club, which threatens the wicked! White is the bull on which thou ridest; white are the rings that hang from thine ears! White appear thy matted locks, covered with the foam of the Ganges; White shines the moon on thy forehead! May He who is all white, all pure, bestow on me the treasure of forgiveness for my transgressions!

O Lord Siva, kindly forgive all the wrong acts and omissions I have committed, whether I committed them knowingly or unknowingly, with my hands, feet, words, ears, eyes, or mind. Glory to you, Mahadeva, who is the ocean of kindness and compassion, and the cause of happiness.