Dharmo Rakshathi Rakshitha:: Sri Shiva Aparadha Kshamapana Sthothram by Sri Adi Shankaracharya

|| Jai Sriman Narayana ||

|| Shankara ||

Oh! Mahadeva, Oh! Shambo, Oh! Shiva, Shiva, I shall earnestly pray to forgive the sins I have committed, I have gone through numerous hardships while I was in my mother’s womb due to my previous Karma, I have been in the midst of feces and waste matters, excruciating heat etc… that could bring only discontentment, it is impossible to describe the tortures I have gone through in the mother’s womb.

Oh! Mahadeva, Oh! Shambo, Oh! Shiva, Shiva I shall earnestly pray to forgive the sins I have committed, I have been through lots of miseries in the early years of childhood, I have been in the dirt for innumberable hours depending on mothers milk, I have been lying helplessly with the insect bites, not even the strength to prevent it, I have gone through various illnesses and pains, Oh! Shankara, I have not find time to remember you at all.

Oh! Mahadeva, Oh! Shambo, Oh! Shiva, Shiva, I shall earnestly pray to forgive the sins I have committed, during my youthful period I have been addicted to the sensual pleasures like Vishya and Vishadha, due to that I have lost my intelligence and wisdom, my priorities have been Sutha/child, Wealth/dhana, women/Yuvathi and material well being, therefore I did not find time to remember you.

Oh! Mahadeva, Oh! Shambo, Oh! Shiva, Shiva, I shall earnestly pray to forgive the sins I have committed, during my old age I have lost interest in sensual pleasures due to the weakness, I have lost memory and wisdom, my body has become weak and fragile, I have surmounted with illnesses and pain, my mind has overcome with illusion, desire and distress therefore I did not find time to remember you.

Oh! Mahadeva, Oh! Shambo, Oh! Shiva, Shiva, I shall earnestly pray to forgive the sins I have committed, I am feeble to follow any of the rituals or Karma, or recitation of Veda and Scriptures, I am too weak to follow the path of Bhramam or meditate or follow dharmic rites, I have lost the capacity to listen or recite or understand the Vedic hymns.

Oh! Mahadeva, Oh! Shambo, Oh! Shiva, Shiva, I shall earnestly pray to forgive the sins I have committed, I am not able to offer the sacred water of river Ganga for your abalation in the early hours of dawn and perform sacred bath according to the prescribed rules, I am not in a position to offer the sacred Bilwa leaves or garlands made of lotus flower freshly blossomed in the lake for your veneration, or fragrant incense sticks or earthen lamp etc..

Oh! Mahadeva, Oh! Shambo, Oh! Shiva, Shiva, I shall earnestly pray to forgive the sins I have committed, I have not underwent meditation or never provided enough alms to the devotees of Lord Shiva, or I have not performed any fire sacrifices or offered Havyam or recited Vedic hymns, I have not underwent austerities or meditation on the river bank of sacred river Ganga, or recited the sacred hyms of Veda or Rudra.

Oh! Mahadeva, Oh! Shambo, Oh! Shiva, Shiva, I shall earnestly pray to forgive the sins I have committed, I have not performed any Yogic practices or meditation sitting in one place, to invoke the Kundalini through the subtle path with the intense Yogic practices to attain the illuminous form of Bhramam, or I did not find time to remember you.

Oh! Mahadeva, Oh! Shambo, Oh! Shiva, Shiva, I shall earnestly pray to forgive the sins I have committed, I have not meditated upon the supreme Lord Shiva who is free from Thrigunas such as Swathik, Rajass and Thamass, destroys desires and darkness of illusion, true ascetic, free from worldly bondages and unblemished, Oh! Shankara I did not find time to meditate upon you.

Oh! Mahadeva, Oh! Shambo, Oh! Shiva, Shiva I shall earnestly pray to guide me through the superior path of liberty from the cycles of birth and death, Oh! Supreme Lord Shiva who is decked in crescent moon, Oh! Shekhara who is the enemy of Lord Manmatha, Oh! Gangadhara who is decked in sacred river Ganga on matted hair locks, oh! Shankara who is the provider of peace to his worshipper, he is decked in venmous serpents as garlands on his neck and ears, he has Lord Agni as his third eye, he is beautifully attired on the skin of elephant and he is the Lord of three worlds.

Oh! Soul, what is the use of accumulation of wealth and kingdom? What is the use of Puthra/son, Kalathra/wife, Mithra/companion, riches in the form of domesticated animals and gold which are momentary and perishable in seconds? , therefore keep all of them away and surrender to your preceptor and meditate upon Sriparvathi Vallabham/ Lord Shiva with his consort Goddess Sri Parvathi.

Oh! Soul, your life span is decreasing on daily basis, your youth is disappearing, the time is swallowing the Universe, and the gone days are not going to come back, life and riches are momentary, they are not permanent, they are just like lightning and waves in the ocean, therefore surrender to supreme Lord Shiva who is the safe heaven of his devotees.

Oh! Shiva, Shiva, Oh! Karunabdhe/ocean of mercy, Oh! Sri Mahadeva, Oh! Shambo, I shall earnestly request you to forgive me, for all those mistakes I have committed by mind, speech, actions, words and thought.

Adhou Karma Prasangath Kalayathi Kalusham Mathru Kukshou Sthitham Mam |

Vinmudhramedhya Madhye Kathayathi Nitharam Jatharo Jathaveda; |

Yadhvai Thathra Dhukham Vyathayathi Nitharam Shakhyathe Kena Vathrum |