Devyaparādha Kṣamāpaṇa Stotram — Ādi Śaṅkara's twelve-verse plea for the Mother's forgiveness: “a bad son may be born, but never a bad mother.”
Verse 2 — na mantraṃ no yantraṃ tadapi ca na jāne…
na mantraṃ no yantraṃ tadapi ca na jāne stutimaho na cāhvānaṃ dhyānaṃ tadapi ca na jāne stutikathāḥ | na jāne mudrāste tadapi ca na jāne vilapanaṃ paraṃ jāne mātastvadanusaraṇaṃ kleśaharaṇam ||
I know no mantra, no yantra, no hymn of praise; no invocation, no meditation, no ritual speech; no sacred gestures, no lament — I know only this, Mother: following You removes all suffering.
Through ignorance of duty, lack of means, laziness, and inability to do what is enjoined, whatever lapse from Your feet has occurred — forgive it all, O Mother, deliverer of all, O auspicious One. A bad son may be born, but never a bad mother.
On earth You have many straightforward sons, Mother — but among them I, Your son, am the rarest of the rare. Abandoning me may suit me, but it does not suit You, O auspicious One. A bad son may be born, but never a bad mother.
Verse 5 — jaganmātarmātastava caraṇasevā na racitā na vā…
jaganmātarmātastava caraṇasevā na racitā na vā dattaṃ devi draviṇamapi bhūyastava mayā | tathāpi tvaṃ snehaṃ mayi nirupamaṃ yatprakuruṣe kuputro jāyeta kvacidapi kumātā na bhavati ||
O Mother of the world, I never rendered service to Your feet, nor ever gave You wealth, O Goddess. Yet the matchless love You show me — a bad son may be born, but never a bad mother.
For over eighty-five years of my life I neglected the gods, busy serving worldly ends. If even now, Mother, Your grace does not come, then — O Mother of Lambodara — supportless, to what refuge shall I go?
A dog-eater babbles words sweet as honeyed milk; the fearless pauper sports lifelong with crores of gold — when Your name enters the ear, O Aparṇā, such is its fruit. Who can say, Mother, what is fit to chant and how?
Smeared with cremation ash, poison His food, sky-clad, matted-haired, serpent-garlanded at the throat — yet Pashupati, Lord of beings, attains the sole lordship of the universe: Bhavānī, this is the fruit of holding Your hand in marriage.
Verse 9 — na mokṣasyākāṅkṣā na ca vibhavavāñchāpi ca na…
na mokṣasyākāṅkṣā na ca vibhavavāñchāpi ca na me na vijñānāpekṣā śaśimukhi sukhecchāpi na punaḥ | atastvāṃ saṃyāce janani jananaṃ yātu mama vai mṛḍānī rudrāṇī śiva śiva bhavānīti japataḥ ||
I crave neither liberation, nor wealth, nor knowledge, O moon-faced One, nor happiness again. So I beg of You, Mother: let my birth be spent chanting “Mṛḍānī, Rudrāṇī, Śiva, Śiva, Bhavānī.”
You were never worshipped by me duly with varied offerings — or what was left undone by harsh, brooding words? O dark one, if You show even a little grace to me, the shelterless one — that alone, Mother, befits You.
Plunged in calamity, I remember You, O Durgā, ocean of compassion, O auspicious One. Do not take this for my cunning — those afflicted by hunger and thirst remember their mother.
jagadamba vicitramatra kiṃ paripūrṇā karuṇāsti cenmayi | aparādhaparamparāvṛtaṃ na hi mātā samupekṣate sutam ||
O Mother of the world, what wonder is here? If Your grace is full upon me — a mother never forsakes a son wrapped in a succession of faults.
Verse 13 — matsamaḥ pātakī nāsti pāpaghnī tvatsamā na hi |…
matsamaḥ pātakī nāsti pāpaghnī tvatsamā na hi | evaṃ jñātvā mahādevī yathā yogyaṃ tathā kuru ||
None is as sinful as I; none is as sin-destroying as You. Knowing this, O great Goddess, do as is fit.
About Devyaparādha Kṣamāpaṇa Stotram
Devyaparādha Kṣamāpaṇa Stotram is a Sanskrit stotra, composed by Ādi Śaṅkarācārya, addressed to Durga — a Stotra. It is presented here in Devanagari, Roman (IAST), Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, each verse with its English meaning. Source text: Sanskrit Wikisource.
The preeminent Advaita Vedānta ācārya and a prolific composer of devotional stotras revered across the Hindu traditions.
What is Devyaparādha Kṣamāpaṇa Stotram and what does it mean?
Devyaparādha Kṣamāpaṇa Stotram is a Sanskrit stotra (devotional hymn), composed by Ādi Śaṅkarācārya, addressed to Durga, of 13 verses. On Avabodhak every verse is shown with its English meaning, so you can understand the text line by line as you read.
How do I pronounce Devyaparādha Kṣamāpaṇa Stotram correctly?
Avabodhak presents Devyaparādha Kṣamāpaṇa Stotram in Devanagari, Roman (IAST), Kannada, Telugu, Tamil alongside IAST Roman transliteration that marks every long vowel (ā, ī, ū) and conjunct consonant. Reading the Devanagari text with the IAST line lets you follow the exact pronunciation syllable by syllable, and the guided practice mode replays it line by line.
What is the word-by-word meaning of Devyaparādha Kṣamāpaṇa Stotram?
Avabodhak pairs each verse of Devyaparādha Kṣamāpaṇa Stotram with its English meaning, and the practice view breaks lines into individual words — so you learn what each word means, not just the overall sense.
Who composed Devyaparādha Kṣamāpaṇa Stotram?
Devyaparādha Kṣamāpaṇa Stotram is attributed to Ādi Śaṅkarācārya.
In which scripts can I read Devyaparādha Kṣamāpaṇa Stotram?
Devyaparādha Kṣamāpaṇa Stotram is available in Devanagari, Roman (IAST), Kannada, Telugu, Tamil on Avabodhak, each with English meaning and IAST transliteration.
Can I chant or practice Devyaparādha Kṣamāpaṇa Stotram online?
Yes — Avabodhak offers a free reading view plus guided practice and word-puzzle modes to help you chant and memorise Devyaparādha Kṣamāpaṇa Stotram.