Devi Aparadh Kshamapan Stotram · देवी अपराध क्षमापन स्तोत्र
A hymn asking the Mother's forgiveness, beginning "Na mantram no yantram", with the refrain "a bad son may be born, but never a bad mother".
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 ॥
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 ॥
मैं न मंत्र जानता हूँ, न यंत्र, अहो, न कोई स्तुति; न आवाहन जानता हूँ, न ध्यान, न आपकी कथाएँ; न आपकी मुद्राएँ जानता हूँ, न आपको पुकारना। पर माँ, इतना जानता हूँ कि आपका अनुसरण सब क्लेश हर लेता है।
I know no mantra, no yantra, alas, nor any hymn of praise; I know no invocation, no meditation, nor any tales of your glory; I do not know your mudras, nor even how to cry out to you. But this I know, Mother: following you takes away all suffering.
विधेरज्ञानेन द्रविणविरहेणालसतया विधेयाशक्यत्वात्तव चरणयोर्या च्युतिरभूत् । तदेतत् क्षन्तव्यं जननि सकलोद्धारिणि शिवे कुपुत्रो जायेत क्वचिदपि कुमाता न भवति ॥
vidherajñānena draviṇaviraheṇālasatayā vidheyāśakyatvāttava caraṇayoryā cyutirabhūt । tadetat kṣantavyaṃ janani sakaloddhāriṇi śive kuputro jāyeta kvacidapi kumātā na bhavati ॥
विधि न जानने से, धन के अभाव से, आलस्य से, और करने योग्य कार्य न कर पाने से, आपके चरणों से मेरी जो चूक हुई, हे सबका उद्धार करने वाली कल्याणी माँ, उसे क्षमा करें: कुपुत्र कहीं हो सकता है, पर माता कुमाता नहीं होती।
Through not knowing the rules, through lack of wealth, through laziness and inability to do what should be done, I have fallen away from your feet. Mother, auspicious one who uplifts all, forgive this: a bad son may be born somewhere, but never a bad mother.
पृथिव्यां पुत्रास्ते जननि बहवः सन्ति सरलाः परं तेषां मध्ये विरलतरलोऽहं तव सुतः । मदीयोऽयं त्यागः समुचितमिदं नो तव शिवे कुपुत्रो जायेत क्वचिदपि कुमाता न भवति ॥
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 ॥
हे माँ, पृथ्वी पर आपके बहुत से सरल पुत्र हैं, पर उनमें मैं आपका एक चंचल पुत्र हूँ। फिर भी, हे शिवे, मुझे त्याग देना आपके योग्य नहीं: कुपुत्र कहीं हो सकता है, पर माता कुमाता नहीं होती।
Mother, you have many simple, honest sons on earth, but among them I am your restless, fickle son. Yet it is not fitting, auspicious one, that you should abandon me: a bad son may be born somewhere, but never a bad mother.
जगन्मातर्मातस्तव चरणसेवा न रचिता न वा दत्तं देवि द्रविणमपि भूयस्तव मया । तथापि त्वं स्नेहं मयि निरुपमं यत्प्रकुरुषे कुपुत्रो जायेत क्वचिदपि कुमाता न भवति ॥
jaganmātarmātastava caraṇasevā na racitā na vā dattaṃ devi draviṇamapi bhūyastava mayā । tathāpi tvaṃ snehaṃ mayi nirupamaṃ yatprakuruṣe kuputro jāyeta kvacidapi kumātā na bhavati ॥
हे जगन्माता, माँ, मैंने न आपके चरणों की सेवा की, न आपको अधिक धन अर्पित किया; फिर भी आप मुझ पर अनुपम स्नेह रखती हैं: कुपुत्र कहीं हो सकता है, पर माता कुमाता नहीं होती।
Mother of the world, Mother, I have never served your feet, nor given you much wealth, goddess; and still you show me love beyond compare: a bad son may be born somewhere, but never a bad mother.
परित्यक्ता देवा विविधविधसेवाकुलतया मया पञ्चाशीतेरधिकमपनीते तु वयसि । इदानीं चेन्मातस्तव यदि कृपा नापि भविता निरालम्बो लम्बोदरजननि कं यामि शरणम् ॥
parityaktā devā vividhavidhasevākulatayā mayā pañcāśīteradhikamapanīte tu vayasi । idānīṃ cenmātastava yadi kṛpā nāpi bhavitā nirālambo lambodarajanani kaṃ yāmi śaraṇam ॥
तरह-तरह की पूजाओं की उलझन में मैंने देवताओं को भी छोड़ दिया, और अब मेरी आयु के पचासी वर्ष से अधिक बीत चुके हैं। हे गणेश-जननी, यदि अब भी आपकी कृपा न हुई, तो निराश्रय मैं किसकी शरण जाऊँ?
Busy with many kinds of worship, I have left the other gods behind, now that more than eighty-five years of my life have gone. Mother of Ganesha, if your grace does not come to me now, with no other support, to whom shall I go for refuge?
श्वपाको जल्पाको भवति मधुपाकोपमगिरा निरातङ्को रङ्को विहरति चिरं कोटिकनकैः । तवापर्णे कर्णे विशति मनुवर्णे फलमिदं जनः को जानीते जननि जपनीयं जपविधौ ॥
śvapāko jalpāko bhavati madhupākopamagirā nirātaṅko raṅko viharati ciraṃ koṭikanakaiḥ । tavāparṇe karṇe viśati manuvarṇe phalamidaṃ janaḥ ko jānīte janani japanīyaṃ japavidhau ॥
हे अपर्णा, आपके मंत्र के अक्षर कान में पड़ते ही चांडाल भी मधु जैसी मधुर वाणी बोलने लगता है, और कंगाल भी करोड़ों स्वर्ण-मुद्राओं के साथ निर्भय होकर लंबे समय तक विचरता है: यह उसका फल है। तब, माँ, विधि से जप करने का फल कौन जान सकता है?
Aparna, when the syllables of your mantra reach the ear, even an outcaste begins to speak with words sweet as honey, and a pauper lives long without fear among crores of gold: this is its fruit. Mother, who then can know what fruit comes from reciting it in the proper way?
चिताभस्मालेपो गरलमशनं दिक्पटधरो जटाधारी कण्ठे भुजगपतिहारी पशुपतिः । कपाली भूतेशो भजति जगदीशैकपदवीं भवानि त्वत्पाणिग्रहणपरिपाटीफलमिदम् ॥
citābhasmālepo garalamaśanaṃ dikpaṭadharo jaṭādhārī kaṇṭhe bhujagapatihārī paśupatiḥ । kapālī bhūteśo bhajati jagadīśaikapadavīṃ bhavāni tvatpāṇigrahaṇaparipāṭīphalamidam ॥
चिता की भस्म का लेप, विष का भोजन, दिशाएँ ही वस्त्र, जटाधारी, कंठ में सर्पराज का हार, कपालधारी, भूतों के स्वामी पशुपति जगदीश्वर के एकमात्र पद को पाते हैं: हे भवानी, यह आपके पाणिग्रहण का ही फल है।
Smeared with the ashes of the pyre, poison his food, clothed by the sky, with matted hair and the king of serpents at his throat, Pashupati, bearer of the skull, lord of spirits, holds the one rank of lord of the world: Bhavani, this is the fruit of his taking your hand in marriage.
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 ॥
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 ॥
मुझे न मोक्ष की इच्छा है, न संसार के वैभव की चाह; हे चंद्रमुखी, न ज्ञान की अपेक्षा है, न सुख की इच्छा। इसलिए माँ, मैं आपसे यही माँगता हूँ कि मेरा जीवन "मृडानी, रुद्राणी, शिव, शिव, भवानी" जपते हुए बीते।
I have no longing for liberation, no wish for worldly riches; I seek no knowledge, moon-faced one, nor happiness. So this alone I ask of you, Mother: may my life pass in repeating "Mridani, Rudrani, Shiva, Shiva, Bhavani".
नाराधितासि विधिना विविधोपचारैः किं रुक्षचिन्तनपरैर्न कृतं वचोभिः । श्यामे त्वमेव यदि किञ्चन मय्यनाथे धत्से कृपामुचितमम्ब परं तवैव ॥
nārādhitāsi vidhinā vividhopacāraiḥ kiṃ rukṣacintanaparairna kṛtaṃ vacobhiḥ । śyāme tvameva yadi kiñcana mayyanāthe dhatse kṛpāmucitamamba paraṃ tavaiva ॥
मैंने विधि से अनेक उपचारों द्वारा आपकी आराधना नहीं की; कठोर विचारों में लगी मेरी वाणी ने क्या नहीं किया? हे श्यामा, फिर भी यदि आप मुझ अनाथ पर कुछ कृपा करती हैं, तो माँ, यह आपके ही योग्य है।
I have not worshipped you as prescribed, with the many kinds of offerings; what have my words, given to harsh thoughts, not done? Shyama, if you still show some grace to me, who have no protector, Mother, that is only worthy of you.
आपत्सु मग्नः स्मरणं त्वदीयं करोमि दुर्गे करुणार्णवेशि । नैतच्छठत्वं मम भावयेथाः क्षुधातृषार्ता जननीं स्मरन्ति ॥
āpatsu magnaḥ smaraṇaṃ tvadīyaṃ karomi durge karuṇārṇaveśi । naitacchaṭhatvaṃ mama bhāvayethāḥ kṣudhātṛṣārtā jananīṃ smaranti ॥
हे करुणा-सागर की स्वामिनी दुर्गा, विपत्ति में डूबने पर ही मैं आपका स्मरण करता हूँ। इसे मेरी धूर्तता मत समझना: भूखे-प्यासे बच्चे ही माँ को याद करते हैं।
Durga, queen of the ocean of compassion, it is when I am sunk in trouble that I remember you. Do not think this deceit on my part: children remember their mother when they are hungry and thirsty.
जगदम्ब विचित्रमत्र किं परिपूर्णा करुणास्ति चेन्मयि । अपराधपरम्परापरं न हि माता समुपेक्षते सुतम् ॥
jagadamba vicitramatra kiṃ paripūrṇā karuṇāsti cenmayi । aparādhaparamparāparaṃ na hi mātā samupekṣate sutam ॥
हे जगदंबा, इसमें आश्चर्य क्या कि मुझ पर आपकी पूरी करुणा है? अपराधों की लंबी परंपरा वाले पुत्र की भी माँ उपेक्षा नहीं करती।
Mother of the world, what wonder is there if your compassion for me is complete? A mother does not abandon her son, however long the line of his faults.
मत्समः पातकी नास्ति पापघ्नी त्वत्समा न हि । एवं ज्ञात्वा महादेवि यथायोग्यं तथा कुरु ॥
matsamaḥ pātakī nāsti pāpaghnī tvatsamā na hi । evaṃ jñātvā mahādevi yathāyogyaṃ tathā kuru ॥
मेरे समान कोई पापी नहीं, और आपके समान कोई पाप-नाशिनी नहीं। यह जानकर, हे महादेवी, जैसा उचित हो वैसा करें।
There is no sinner like me, and no destroyer of sin like you. Knowing this, great goddess, do as you see fit.
About this text
The Devi Aparadh Kshamapan Stotram, "the hymn asking the Goddess to forgive our faults", is traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya. The devotee admits knowing no mantra, yantra, praise or ritual, having neglected her worship and given her nothing, and having served other gods all their life; yet they ask for her love as a child asks its mother. Its refrain, "a bad son may be born somewhere, but never a bad mother", is one of the best-known lines in Hindu devotion. It is commonly recited at the end of a puja or a Durga Saptashati path to ask forgiveness for any mistake made in it.
How it is recited
It is recited at the end of a puja or a Durga Saptashati path, especially during Navratri, to ask forgiveness for any mistakes. Customs vary.
When it is recited
More for Durga
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Sources & checks
- Editions compared
- Devi Aparadh Kshamapan Stotram, vedadhara.com (2026), collated 2026-10-13, sha256 bba21407c4df
- Devi Aparadh Kshamapan Stotram, karmkandvidhi.in (2026), collated 2026-10-13, sha256 bf3b87a9c05b
- Devi Aparadh Kshamapan Stotram, anandakandakripa.com (2026), collated 2026-10-13, sha256 ce263f787053
- Devi Aparadh Kshamapan Stotram, prabhubhakti.net (2026), collated 2026-10-13, sha256 16d2991ea9dc
- Devi Aparadh Kshamapan Stotram, shlokam.org (2026), collated 2026-10-13, sha256 a706fca1ea64
- Text checked
- Compared line by line across 5 independent sources; every line confirmed by at least 3 (SanatanVani editorial process)
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- : Published. Text compared line by line across independent sources (see the editorial policy).