Vedic Tithi
VedicTithi

Stotram - Sacred Scripture

Shiva Aparadha Kshamapana Stotram

Shiva Aparadha Kshamapana Stotram

Shiva Aparadha Kshamapana Stotram

Stotram
Shiva
18 Verses
110%

śivāparādha kṣamāpaṇa stotram

ādau karmaprasaṅgātkalayati kaluṣaṃ mātṛkukṣau sthitaṃ māṃ

viṇmūtrāmedhyamadhye kvathayati nitarāṃ jāṭharo jātavedāḥ |

yadyadvai tatra duḥkhaṃ vyathayati nitarāṃ śakyate kena vaktuṃ

kṣantavyo me'parādhaḥ śiva śiva śiva bho śrīmahādeva śambho || 1||

bālye duḥkhātireko malalulitavapuḥ stanyapāne pipāsā

no śaktaścendriyebhyo bhavaguṇajanitāḥ jantavo māṃ tudanti |

nānārogādiduḥkhādrudanaparavaśaḥ śaṅkaraṃ na smarāmi

kṣantavyo me'parādhaḥ śiva śiva śiva bho śrīmahādeva śambho || 2||

prauḍho'haṃ yauvanastho viṣayaviṣadharaiḥ pañcabhirmarmasandhau

daṣṭo naṣṭo vivekaḥ sutadhanayuvatisvādusaukhye niṣaṇṇaḥ |

śaivīcintāvihīnaṃ mama hṛdayamaho mānagarvādhirūḍhaṃ

kṣantavyo me'parādhaḥ śiva śiva śiva bho śrīmahādeva śambho || 3||

vārdhakye cendriyāṇāṃ vigatagatimatiścādhidaivāditāpaiḥ

pāpai rogairviyogaistvanavasitavapuḥ prauḍhahīnaṃ ca dīnam |

mithyāmohābhilāṣairbhramati mama mano dhūrjaṭerdhyānaśūnyaṃ

kṣantavyo me'parādhaḥ śiva śiva śiva bho śrīmahādeva śambho || 4||

snātvā pratyūṣakāle snapanavidhividhau nāhṛtaṃ gāṅgatoyaṃ

pūjārthaṃ vā kadācidbahutaragahanātkhaṇḍabilvīdalāni |

nānītā padmamālā sarasi vikasitā gandhadhūpaiḥ tvadarthaṃ

kṣantavyo me'parādhaḥ śiva śiva śiva bho śrīmahādeva śambho || 5||

dugdhairmadhvājyayuktairdadhisitasahitaiḥ snāpitaṃ naiva liṅgaṃ

no liptaṃ candanādyaiḥ kanakaviracitaiḥ pūjitaṃ na prasūnaiḥ |

dhūpaiḥ karpūradīpairvividharasayutairnaiva bhakṣyopahāraiḥ

kṣantavyo me'parādhaḥ śiva śiva śiva bho śrīmahādeva śambho || 6||

no śakyaṃ smārtakarma pratipadagahanapratyavāyākulākhyaṃ

śraute vārtā kathaṃ me dvijakulavihite brahmamārgānusāre | var brahmamārge susāre

jñāto dharmo vicāraiḥ śravaṇamananayoḥ kiṃ nididhyāsitavyaṃ

kṣantavyo me'parādhaḥ śiva śiva śiva bho śrīmahādeva śambho || 7||

dhyātvā citte śivākhyaṃ pracurataradhanaṃ naiva dattaṃ dvijebhyo

havyaṃ te lakṣasaṅkhyairhutavahavadane nārpitaṃ bījamantraiḥ |

no taptaṃ gāṅgātīre vratajapaniyamaiḥ rudrajāpyairna vedaiḥ

kṣantavyo me'parādhaḥ śiva śiva śiva bho śrīmahādeva śambho || 8||

nagno niḥsaṅgaśuddhastriguṇavirahito dhvastamohāndhakāro

nāsāgre nyastadṛṣṭirviditabhavaguṇo naiva dṛṣṭaḥ kadācit |

unmanyā'vasthayā tvāṃ vigatakalimalaṃ śaṅkaraṃ na smarāmi

kṣantavyo me'parādhaḥ śiva śiva śiva bho śrīmahādeva śambho || 9||

sthitvā sthāne saroje praṇavamayamarutkumbhake (kuṇḍale) sūkṣmamārge

śānte svānte pralīne prakaṭitavibhave jyotirūpe'parākhye |

liṅgajñe brahmavākye sakalatanugataṃ śaṅkaraṃ na smarāmi

kṣantavyo me'parādhaḥ śiva śiva śiva bho śrīmahādeva śambho || 10||

hṛdyaṃ vedāntavedyaṃ hṛdayasarasije dīptamudyatprakāśaṃ

satyaṃ śāntasvarūpaṃ sakalamunimanaḥpadmaṣaṇḍaikavedyam |

jāgratsvapne suṣuptau triguṇavirahitaṃ śaṅkaraṃ na smarāmi

kṣantavyo me'parādhaḥ śiva śiva śiva bho śrīmahādeva śambho || 11||

candrodbhāsitaśekhare smarahare gaṅgādhare śaṅkare

sarpairbhūṣitakaṇṭhakarṇavivare netrotthavaiśvānare | yugale

dantitvakkṛtasundarāmbaradhare trailokyasāre hare

mokṣārthaṃ kuru cittavṛttimacalāmanyaistu kiṃ karmabhiḥ || 12||

kiṃ vā'nena dhanena vājikaribhiḥ prāptena rājyena kiṃ

kiṃ vā putrakalatramitrapaśubhirdehena gehena kim |

jñātvaitatkṣaṇabhaṅguraṃ sapadi re tyājyaṃ mano dūrataḥ

svātmārthaṃ guruvākyato bhaja mana śrīpārvatīvallabham || 13||

paurohityaṃ rajanicaritaṃ grāmaṇītvaṃ niyogo

māṭhāpatyaṃ hyanṛtavacanaṃ sākṣivādaḥ parānnam |

brahmadveṣaḥ khalajanaratiḥ prāṇināṃ nirdayatvaṃ

mā bhūdevaṃ mama paśupate janmajanmāntareṣu || 14||

āyurnaśyati paśyatāṃ pratidinaṃ yāti kṣayaṃ yauvanaṃ

pratyāyānti gatāḥ punarna divasāḥ kālo jagadbhakṣakaḥ |

lakṣmīstoyataraṅgabhaṅgacapalā vidyuccalaṃ jīvitaṃ

tasmāttvāṃ śaraṇāgataṃ śaraṇada tvaṃ rakṣa rakṣādhunā || 15|| tasmānmāṃ

vande devamumāpatiṃ suraguruṃ vande jagatkāraṇaṃ

vande pannagabhūṣaṇaṃ mṛgadharaṃ vande paśūnāṃ patim |

vande sūryaśaśāṅkavahninayanaṃ vande mukundapriyaṃ

vande bhaktajanāśrayaṃ ca varadaṃ vande śivaṃ śaṅkaram ||16||

gātraṃ bhasmasitaṃ sitaṃ ca hasitaṃ haste kapālaṃ sitaṃ var smitaṃ ca

khaṭvāṅgaṃ ca sitaṃ sitaśca vṛṣabhaḥ karṇe site kuṇḍale |

gaṅgā phenasitā jaṭā paśupateścandraḥ sito mūrdhani

so'yaṃ sarvasito dadātu vibhavaṃ pāpakṣayaṃ sarvadā || 17||

karacaraṇakṛtaṃ vākkāyajaṃ karmajaṃ vā

śravaṇanayanajaṃ vā mānasaṃ vā'parādham |

vihitamavihitaṃ vā sarvametatkṣmasva

śiva śiva karuṇābdhe śrīmahādeva śambho || 18||

|| iti śrīmad śaṅkarācāryakṛta śivāparādhakṣamāpaṇastotraṃ sampūrṇam ||

About This Stotram

Overview

The Shiva Aparadha Kshamapana Stotram is an 18-verse Sanskrit stotram dedicated to Lord Shiva that serves as a prayer for forgiveness of offenses committed — intentionally or unintentionally — in the course of worship and daily life. It acknowledges human limitations and appeals to Shiva's capacity for compassion, and it belongs to the Shaiva devotional tradition of Sanskrit stotram literature.

What are the benefits of chanting Shiva Aparadha Kshamapana Stotram?

  • Seeking absolution for transgressions in thought, word, and deed related to Shiva worship
  • Purification of the mind and alleviation of guilt from ritual errors
  • Invocation of Shiva's grace through humility and sincere repentance
  • Mitigation of negative karma accumulated through inadvertent offenses

When is the best time to recite this?

This stotram is appropriately recited at the close of morning or evening Shiva puja, as a way of acknowledging any shortcomings in the ritual. It is also recited on Maha Shivaratri and during Shravana, and at any time one wishes to seek Shiva's forgiveness.

What is the historical and traditional background?

The Shiva Aparadha Kshamapana Stotram is not definitively attributed to a named author or traced to a specific ancient Purana, though its sophisticated Sanskrit and structure suggest composition by a learned devotee in the medieval or post-medieval period. Prayers for forgiveness of ritual offenses (aparadha kshamapana) are a recognized genre in Sanskrit devotional literature, with parallel texts existing for Vishnu and Devi worship. The stotram is widely included in printed Shaivite devotional collections and is in active liturgical use.

Available scripts

This text is available in 14 scripts: devanagari, tamil, telugu, kannada, malayalam, gujarati, bengali, iast, gurmukhi, oriya, assamese, sinhala, itrans, hk. Use the script selector above to switch between them.

Related Texts

  • Shiva Kavacham — a Sanskrit kavacham invoking Shiva's protective presence, often recited alongside devotional stotrams to Shiva
  • Lingashtakam — an eight-verse hymn honoring the Shivalinga, widely used in daily Shiva worship