devyaparadha kshamapana stotram

॥ अथ देव्यपराधक्षमापणस्तोत्रम् ॥ 

Devyaparadha Kshamapana Stotram 

न मन्त्रं नो यन्त्रं तदपि च न जाने स्तुतिमहो 

न चाह्वानं ध्यानं तदपि च न जाने स्तुतिकथाः । 

न जाने मुद्रास्ते तदपि च न जाने विलपनं 

परं जाने मातस्त्वदनुसरणं क्लेशहरणम् ॥ १॥ 

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 ॥ 1॥ 

My mother, I neither know nor am I trained in spells and chants, or in creating magical writings or symbols, 

I do not have the knowledge to compose hymns praising you,

I do not know how to invoke you,

nor do I have any idea as to how I should meditate upon you, 

and I am not capable of giving discourses prasing your glories, 

I have no idea about the magical gestures that would please you, 

and I am not even smart enough to display my emotions by crying effectively drawing your sympathy… 

But I am fully aware of one truth.. 

Mother Uma, I know that if I obey you and and follow your path unconditionally, all my miseries and difficulties would be annihilated. 

विधेरज्ञानेन द्रविणविरहेणालसतया 

विधेयाशक्यत्वात्तव चरणयोर्या च्युतिरभूत् । 

तदेतत् क्षन्तव्यं जननि सकलोद्धारिणि शिवे 

कुपुत्रो जायेत क्वचिदपि कुमाता न भवति ॥ २॥ 

vidherajñānena draviṇaviraheṇālasatayā 

vidheyāśakyatvāttava caraṇayoryā cyutirabhūt । 

tadetat kṣantavyaṃ janani sakaloddhāriṇi śive 

kuputro jāyeta kvacidapi kumātā na bhavati ॥ 2॥ 

My mother Uma, the consort of Lord Shiva, 

A wayward and bad son may be born but there can never be a bad mother. 

Therefore, you must pardon me for all my failures and derelictions from the right path 

Such sinful deviations on my part have occurred 

due to my ignorance about the rules and procedures of right conduct in the world and lack of attention in the matter of your worship

Because of my poverty and lack of money that has rendered me incapable of meeting the expected standards 

and 

surely because of my laziness and lack of commitment

and I have failed in the worship of your lotus feet 

Mother, I admit and I confess that there have been failures on my part which do not really deserve pardon 

But you are the mother, you have to pardon me, 

पृथिव्यां पुत्रास्ते जननि बहवः सन्ति सरलाः 

परं तेषां मध्ये विरलतरलोऽहं तव सुतः । 

मदीयोऽयं त्यागः समुचितमिदं नो तव शिवे 

कुपुत्रो जायेत क्वचिदपि कुमाता न भवति ॥ ३॥ 

pṛthivyāṃ putrāste janani bahavaḥ santi saralāḥ 

paraṃ teṣāṃ madhye viralataralo'haṃ tava sutaḥ । 

madīyo'yaṃ tyāgaḥ samucitamidaṃ no tava śive 

kuputro jāyeta kvacidapi kumātā na bhavati ॥ 3॥

Oh Mother of all, Uma, you have numerous sons who are nice in conduct and character and are well behaved in all respects, but among your sons I too am born as an exceptional one who has deviated from the right path and has gone wayward. Oh Mother, the consort of Shiva, how can you just abandon me just for this reason that I am not good and nice like others. You are my mother too.. And mother, should you not remember that although there can be bad and wayward sons, there never can exist a bad and uncaring mother. 

जगन्मातर्मातस्तव चरणसेवा न रचिता 

न वा दत्तं देवि द्रविणमपि भूयस्तव मया । 

तथापि त्वं स्नेहं मयि निरुपमं यत्प्रकुरुषे 

कुपुत्रो जायेत क्वचिदपि कुमाता न भवति ॥ ४॥ 

jaganmātarmātastava caraṇasevā na racitā 

na vā dattaṃ devi draviṇamapi bhūyastava mayā । 

tathāpi tvaṃ snehaṃ mayi nirupamaṃ yatprakuruṣe 

kuputro jāyeta kvacidapi kumātā na bhavati ॥ 4॥ 

Mother of the whole world, Uma, I have never engaged myself in the service of your lotus feet, and further I have never been able to offer to you in worhsi any wealth or costly things( may be because of poverty or because of lack of devotion). However, my mother, you are always exhibiting unqualified love and affection to me always.. That only proves that often a bad son is born but there is no bad mother. 

परित्यक्ता देवा विविधविधसेवाकुलतया 

मया पञ्चाशीतेरधिकमपनीते तु वयसि । 

इदानीं चेन्मातस्तव यदि कृपा नापि भविता 

निरालम्बो लम्बोदरजननि कं यामि शरणम् ॥ ५॥ 

parityaktā devā vividhavidhasevākulatayā 

mayā pañcā śīteradhikamapanīte tu vayasi । 

idānīṃ cenmātastava yadi kṛpā nāpi bhavitā 

nirālambo lambodarajanani kaṃ yāmi śaraṇam ॥ 5॥ 

During my lifetime, I have progressively given up my duties towards gods, and given up formal worship of the divinity especially since I did not have either the capacity nor the interest to follow the strict rituals..

Now eighty five years of my life are past. ( This statement shows a doubt as to whether it was Adi Shankara who composed this stotram.. Adishankara attained videhamukthi at the age of 32 according to legends. Maybe this one stanza is composed by some successor mataadhipathi of Shankara.. many such saints have lived upto their very ripe ages. I did not want to remove this slokam from my translation because it is our duty to be faithful to the original traditions.).

Oh my mother Uma, if at this miserable stage of my life, if your sweet mercy and grace are not extended to me, then I am absolutely helpless and desolate, oh,mother of Lambodare the Ganesha, tell me, where can I go seeking help and refuge? 

श्वपाको जल्पाको भवति मधुपाकोपमगिरा 

निरातङ्को रङ्को विहरति चिरं कोटिकनकैः । 

तवापर्णे कर्णे विशति मनु वर्णे फलमिदं 

जनः को जानीते जननि जननीयं जपविधौ ॥ ६॥ 

śvapāko jalpāko bhavati madhupākopamagirā 

nirātaṅko raṅko viharati ciraṃ koṭikanakaiḥ । 

tavāparṇe karṇe viśati manu varṇe phalamidaṃ 

janaḥ ko jānīte janani jananīyaṃ japavidhau ॥ 6॥

Oh Mother Aparna, when great words and prayers extolling your glory enters the ears of a devotee then the following results materialize

Even a low born person who ekes out his livelihood by cooking and eating the flesh of a dog and who is of no intelligence, becomes an erudite orator whose words flow like concentrated honey

Even a miserable and indigent person is cured of all his sorrows and is for ever blessed with crores of units of gold .

It is indeed queer, and I fail to understand, my mother, why people fail to practice the worship and chanting of your names which they must indeed know if their life is to be in order.

Aparna is the name of Devi Parvathi.. It is seen that during the penance undertaken by Uma Parvathi for attaining Shiva as her husband, she took the vow of spending the days with complete fasting, without even avoiding eating some leaves.. अपाकृतं पर्णाः येन सा अपर्णा.. The damsel who gave up even leaves during her penance.

The mother whose service would relieve us of all our debts or ऋणानि also can be addressed as Aparnaa.. अपकृतानि ऋणानि यया सा अपर्णा 

Aparna is a name of the mother praised in Lalithasahasranaamam. 

चिताभस्मालेपो गरलमशनं दिक्पटधरो 

जटाधारी कण्ठे भुजगपतिहारी पशुपतिः । 

कपाली भूतेशो भजति जगदीशैकपदवीं 

भवानि त्वत्पाणिग्रहणपरिपाटीफलमिदम् ॥ ७॥ 

citābhasmālepo garalamaśanaṃ dikpaṭadharo 

jaṭādhārī kaṇṭhe bhujagapatihārī paśupatiḥ । 

kapālī bhūteśo bhajati jagadīśaikapadavīṃ 

bhavāni tvatpāṇigrahaṇaparipāṭīphalamidam ॥ 7॥ 

Oh mother Bhavaani, Lord Shiva has attained a position where he is the owner and the master of the whole universe, just as a result of the fact tthat he took your hands in marriage. 

This Shiva is the one who is in the habit of just smearing the ashes from the funeral pyre all over his body, he takes dangerous poison as food, he has no clothes and the space covering all the eight direction are his clothes, (Digambara) he is wearing matted locks and no crown or diadem, he wears a snake around his neck as a garland, and his entire possession are cattle, as he is pashupathi, and his followers are Bhootaganas, he is holding an empty skull in his hands and uses it as a bowl for alms, and still he has become the master of the world once he held your hands.. That is the power of Your Bounteous Grace.

Bhavaani is an important manifestation of Uma the Parvathi. She is called bhavaani because she is the wife of Shiva, who is also called Bhava because he is the origin or creator of all life and the sustainer of such life too.( The destructive part is another phase of the same Lord) . Bhavani is the kuladevata of Maharastra and Rajput Kings.. and also the people of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajastaan etc.. The people of the western India treat Bhavani as their guardian mother.. and there are many many temples for the mother in that form in that area… Bhavani was the favourite deity of Chatrapathi Shivaji 

न मोक्षस्याकाङ्क्षा भवविभववाञ्छापि च न मे 

न विज्ञानापेक्षा शशिमुखि सुखेच्छापि न पुनः । 

अतस्त्वां संयाचे जननि जननं यातु मम वै 

मृडानी रुद्राणी शिव शिव भवानीति जपतः ॥ ८॥ 

na mokṣasyākāṅkṣā bhavavibhavavāñchāpi ca na me 

na vijñānāpekṣā śaśimukhi sukhecchāpi na punaḥ । 

atastvāṃ saṃyāce janani jananaṃ yātu mama vai 

mṛḍānī rudrāṇī śiva śiva bhavānīti japataḥ ॥ 8॥ 

My moter Uma, I have no desire for emancipation or deliverance from this worldly woe.. 

I have no yearning for the comforts and status that the wealth in this world would give me.. 

I have no keenness for acquiring knowledge too.. 

I do not want physical comforts either.. 

Therefore all that I beg of your Grace is this. May your Merciful Grace be pleased to permit me to spend my life chanting the divine names Mrudaanee, Rudraanee, Shiva, Shiva, and Bhavanee. 

मृडानी mrudaanee is the consort of Mruda.. Mruda means the lord who is always in a state of happiness and who gives happiness to all.. Mruda is an epithet of Lord Shiva

Rudraanee means the consort of Rudra the Shiva. 

नाराधितासि विधिना विविधोपचारैः 

किं रुक्षचिन्तनपरैर्न कृतं वचोभिः । 

श्यामे त्वमेव यदि किञ्चन मय्यनाथे 

धत्से कृपामुचितमम्ब परं तवैव ॥ ९॥ 

nārādhitāsi vidhinā vividhopacāraiḥ 

kiṃ rukṣacintanaparairna kṛtaṃ vacobhiḥ । 

śyāme tvameva yadi kiñcana mayyanāthe 

dhatse kṛpāmucitamamba paraṃ tavaiva ॥ 9॥ 

You have never been worshipped in the manner prescribed by the scriptures and extending all the rituals and respects eminently befitting your Merciful Grace

And alas, what all evil thoughts I have been filling my mind all my life, what all fould words have been uttered by me on a continuous basis, 

Mother Shyama, the Uma Parvathi, if you are showering even a little mercy on this wretched orphan of a human being that only reveals your greatness in an eminent way.. 

(Here the sage says that he has done nothing to deserve the Mothers mercy.. In fact he has spent his life in a most neafarious way. Still the mothe is showering Her mercy on him. Only a mother can do it. It is befitting of her grace.) 

Shyama is the black one.. the Mahakaali aspect of Durga.. In one story it is said that when the atrocities of the demons Shumba and Nishumba are reported to Mother Parvathi, she becomes angry and contemplates annihilating the demons,, and a blue_black figure of her own image issues out of her body, and that form is called Shyama or Kali or Mahakali.. and the residual form of parvathi becomes whiter and She is called Gauri.. 

Again, the Shyama, Syamala or Kali is described as emanating from the eyes of Shiva, during the fight against Shumba and Nishumba. 

Whatever it may be, Shyama or Mahakali is the Goddess of the East India. Bengal, Bihar, Assam and so on. 

आपत्सु मग्नः स्मरणं त्वदीयं 

करोमि दुर्गे करुणार्णवेशि । 

नैतच्छठत्वं मम भावयेथाः 

क्षुधातृषार्ता जननीं स्मरन्ति ॥ १०॥ 

āpatsu magnaḥ smaraṇaṃ tvadīyaṃ 

karomi durge karuṇārṇaveśi । 

naitacchaṭhatvaṃ mama bhāvayethāḥ 

kṣudhātṛṣārtā jananīṃ smaranti ॥ 10॥

My mother Uma Parvathi, as a mother you know that when a child is hungry or thirsty, it remembers and cries out calling its mother.

Similarly, Mother Durga, the lordess of the ocean of mercy, I am remembering you and meditating upon you (perhaps only) when I am neck-deep immersed in dangers.. Obvuioulsly, I can call only my mother for help.. Please do not consider it as my obstinacy or adamance, or opportunism (just because I did not think of you when things were comfortable.) 

जगदम्ब विचित्रमत्र किं 

परिपूर्णा करुणास्ति चेन्मयि । 

अपराधपरम्परापरं 

न हि माता समुपेक्षते सुतम् ॥ ११॥ 

jagadamba vicitra matra kiṃ 

paripūrṇā karuṇāsti cenmayi । 

aparādhaparamparāparaṃ 

na hi mātā samupekṣate sutam ॥ 11॥ 

Uma Parvathi, you the Mother of the whole universe and my mother too, there is nothing strange or contradictory in your attitude to me.. if your compassion for me is always full to the brim, even though I commit errors and sins one after another in succession.. After all, will the mother ever give up on her son, or forsake him? 

मत्समः पातकी नास्ति पापघ्नी त्वत्समा न हि । 

एवं ज्ञात्वा महादेवि यथायोग्यं तथा कुरु ॥ १२॥ ॐ ॥ 

matsamaḥ pātakī nāsti pāpaghnī tvatsamā na hi । 

evaṃ jñātvā mahādevi yathāyogyaṃ tathā kuru ॥ 12॥ oṃ ॥

Mother, the Supreme one among all goddesses and divinities, it is a fact there there is no graver sinner than me, and also that there is no one who is capable of destroying sins more effectively than you. 

Please apply this fact favourably in my case, and may your Merciful Grace be pleased to do what is correct and appropriate ( and benevolent too).