The Devi Aparadha Kshamapana Stotram is a prayer of apology. The title means the hymn of asking pardon for offences (aparadha) against the Goddess. Its closing line in the source calls it a work composed by Shankaracharya, and it is traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya, although scholars debate which stotras are his.
Its tone is gentle and unusually honest. The speaker says that he does not know the mantras, the yantras or the mudras, that he has been lazy and poor and ignorant, and that he has neglected the proper offerings. And yet he is certain that a mother does not abandon her child. Verses 2, 3 and 4 end with the refrain that a bad son may sometimes be born, but there is never a bad mother.
This page gives all twelve verses in Devanagari with a simple transliteration and meaning. Readers who like the same mood of surrender will also enjoy the Bhavani Ashtakam. In temples the stotra is often recited at the end of a worship session, so that any mistakes in it are covered by the prayer.
The text, transliteration and meaning
Verses 1 to 9 are in a long metre, and verses 10 to 12 are shorter. Notice how the speaker never excuses himself but simply states his situation to the Mother.
Verse 1
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 mantram no yantram tadapi cha na jane stutimaho
Na chahvanam dhyanam tadapi cha na jane stutikathah
Na jane mudraste tadapi cha na jane vilapanam
Param jane matastvadanusaranam kleshaharanam
MeaningI know no mantra, no yantra, not even a hymn. I know no invocation or meditation, no tales of praise, no mudras of worship and not even how to weep before you. But this I know, Mother: following you takes away suffering.
Verse 2
विधेरज्ञानेन द्रविणविरहेणालसतया
विधेयाशक्यत्वात्तव चरणयोर्या च्युतिरभूत् ।
तदेतत् क्षन्तव्यं जननि सकलोद्धारिणि शिवे
कुपुत्रो जायेत क्वचिदपि कुमाता न भवति ॥
Vidherajnanena dravinavirahenalasataya
Vidheyashakyatvattava charanayorya chyutirabhut
Tadetat kshantavyam janani sakaloddharini shive
Kuputro jayeta kvachidapi kumata na bhavati
MeaningThrough not knowing the rule, through lack of wealth, through laziness and through my inability to do what was due, any lapse at your feet has occurred. Please forgive this, mother, saviour of all, Shiva. A bad son may be born somewhere, but there is never a bad mother.
Verse 3
पृथिव्यां पुत्रास्ते जननि बहवः सन्ति सरलाः
परं तेषां मध्ये विरलतरलोऽहं तव सुतः ।
मदीयोऽयं त्यागः समुचितमिदं नो तव शिवे
कुपुत्रो जायेत क्वचिदपि कुमाता न भवति ॥
Prithivyam putraste janani bahavah santi saralah
Param tesham madhye viralataralo'ham tava sutah
Madiyo'yam tyagah samuchitamidam no tava shive
Kuputro jayeta kvachidapi kumata na bhavati
MeaningThere are many simple sons of yours on earth, Mother, but among them I am a rare, wandering child of yours. It is not fitting that you abandon me, Shiva. A bad son may be born somewhere, but there is never a bad mother.
Verse 4
जगन्मातर्मातस्तव चरणसेवा न रचिता
न वा दत्तं देवि द्रविणमपि भूयस्तव मया ।
तथापि त्वं स्नेहं मयि निरुपमं यत्प्रकुरुषे
कुपुत्रो जायेत क्वचिदपि कुमाता न भवति ॥
Jaganmatarmatastava charanaseva na rachita
Na va dattam devi dravinamapi bhuyastava maya
Tathapi tvam sneham mayi nirupamam yatprakurushe
Kuputro jayeta kvachidapi kumata na bhavati
MeaningMother of the world, I have not served your feet, nor have I given you much wealth. Even so, you show me incomparable love. A bad son may be born somewhere, but there is never a bad mother.
Verse 5
परित्यक्ता देवा विविधविधसेवाकुलतया
मया पञ्चाशीतेरधिकमपनीते तु वयसि ।
इदानीं चेन्मातस्तव यदि कृपा नापि भविता
निरालम्बो लम्बोदरजननि कं यामि शरणम् ॥
Parityakta deva vividhavidhasevakulataya
Maya panchashiteradhikamapanite tu vayasi
Idanim chenmatastava yadi kripa napi bhavita
Niralambo lambodarajanani kam yami sharanam
MeaningEven someone of the lowest standing in society, as the text puts it, becomes an eloquent speaker with words sweet as honey, and a poor man wanders fearless for long with crores of gold, once the syllables of your mantra enter the ear, Aparna. That is its fruit. Who can know, mother, what is truly worth repeating in the rule of japa?
Verse 6
श्वपाको जल्पाको भवति मधुपाकोपमगिरा
निरातङ्को रङ्को विहरति चिरं कोटिकनकैः ।
तवापर्णे कर्णे विशति मनुवर्णे फलमिदं
जनः को जानीते जननि जपनीयं जपविधौ ॥
Shvapako jalpako bhavati madhupakopamagira
Niratanko ranko viharati chiram kotikanakaih
Tavaparne karne vishati manuvarne phalamidam
Janah ko janite janani japaniyam japavidhau
MeaningEven an outcaste becomes an eloquent speaker, with words sweet as honey, and a poor man wanders fearless for long with crores of gold, once the syllables of your mantra enter the ear, Aparna. That is its fruit. Who can know, mother, what is truly worth repeating in the rule of japa?
Verse 7
चिताभस्मालेपो गरलमशनं दिक्पटधरो
जटाधारी कण्ठे भुजगपतिहारी पशुपतिः ।
कपाली भूतेशो भजति जगदीशैकपदवीं
भवानि त्वत्पाणिग्रहणपरिपाटीफलमिदम् ॥
Chitabhasmalepo garalamashanam dikpatadharo
Jatadhari kanthe bhujagapatihari pashupatih
Kapali bhutesho bhajati jagadishaikapadavim
Bhavani tvatpanigrahanaparipatiphalamidam
MeaningThe Lord of beings, smeared with ash from the pyre, who eats poison, wears the sky for clothes, carries matted hair and a serpent king as his necklace, holds a skull and is lord of spirits, has attained the one seat of the Lord of the world. This, Bhavani, is the fruit of the custom of taking your hand in marriage.
Verse 8
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 mokshasyakanksha bhavavibhavavanchhapi cha na me
Na vijnanapeksha shashimukhi sukhechchhapi na punah
Atastvam samyache janani jananam yatu mama vai
Mridani rudrani shiva shiva bhavaniti japatah
MeaningI have no longing for liberation and no wish for worldly splendour. I do not need learning, and I do not even seek happiness, moon-faced one. So I ask you, Mother, that my life pass as I repeat the names Mridani, Rudrani, Shiva, Shiva, Bhavani.
Verse 9
नाराधितासि विधिना विविधोपचारैः
किं रुक्षचिन्तनपरैर्न कृतं वचोभिः ।
श्यामे त्वमेव यदि किञ्चन मय्यनाथे
धत्से कृपामुचितमम्ब परं तवैव ॥
Naradhitasi vidhina vividhopacharaih
Kim rukshachintanaparairna kritam vachobhih
Shyame tvameva yadi kinchana mayyanathe
Dhatse kripamuchitamamba param tavaiva
MeaningI have not worshipped you by the rule with many offerings, and what have my own harsh and distracted words not done? Dark Mother, if you show any kindness to me, helpless as I am, that is fitting, for it comes from you alone.
Verse 10
आपत्सु मग्नः स्मरणं त्वदीयं
करोमि दुर्गे करुणार्णवेशि ।
नैतच्छठत्वं मम भावयेथाः
क्षुधातृषार्ता जननीं स्मरन्ति ॥
Apatsu magnah smaranam tvadiyam
Karomi durge karunarnaveshi
Naitachchhathatvam mama bhavayethah
Kshudhatrisharta jananim smaranti
MeaningSunk in troubles, I remember you, Durga, queen and ocean of compassion. Please do not take this as my cunning: people tormented by hunger and thirst remember their mother.
Verse 11
जगदम्ब विचित्रमत्र किं
परिपूर्णा करुणास्ति चेन्मयि ।
अपराधपरम्परापरं
न हि माता समुपेक्षते सुतम् ॥
Jagadamba vichitramatra kim
Paripurna karunasti chenmayi
Aparadhaparamparaparam
Na hi mata samupekshate sutam
MeaningMother of the world, what is strange here if your compassion is fully with me? A mother does not ignore her son, though he has a long line of offences.
Verse 12
मत्समः पातकी नास्ति पापघ्नी त्वत्समा न हि ।
एवं ज्ञात्वा महादेवि यथायोग्यं तथा कुरु ॥
Matsamah pataki nasti papaghni tvatsama na hi
Evam jnatva mahadevi yathayogyam tatha kuru
MeaningNo sinner is equal to me, and no destroyer of sin is equal to you. Knowing this, great goddess, do as you see fit.
Text: Sanskrit Wikisource, page “देव्यपराधक्षमापनस्तोत्रम्”. Transliteration is simplified; meanings are our own. Verse numbers appear as labels above each verse.
When and how it is traditionally recited
Many devotees recite this stotra at the end of Devi worship, including the days of Sharad Navratri and Chaitra Navratri, as a way of asking pardon for any mistake in the offering. Dates for both festivals are on their own pages. It is also said at the close of reading a text such as the Durga Saptashati in some families, though practice varies.
There is no fixed number of repetitions. Some recite all twelve verses once, some read only verses 2 to 4, and some say only the last verse. A simple method is to light a lamp, sit quietly, read the stotra aloud with its meaning in mind, and then sit for a minute in silence. Customs differ by region, family and teacher.
What the tradition says it is for
The hymn teaches by its attitude. It presents worship not as a flawless performance but as an honest relationship: the child admits what he has failed to do, and rests on the Mother’s love. Tradition often gives this as a reason the stotra is placed at the end of formal worship, where it can gather up whatever was missed.
Verses 6 and 7 are a quieter, more philosophical turn. Verse 6 speaks of the power of the Mother’s mantra, and verse 7 praises Shiva’s wild, ascetic appearance as the result of his union with her. Verse 8 shows what the speaker wants: neither liberation nor pleasure, only to pass his days repeating her names.
The text asks for forgiveness and refuge, not for a list of results, and it does not make promises. If guilt, worry or hardship weighs on you, a prayer may steady the heart, but please also talk to a trusted person or professional, since it is not a substitute for medical, legal or financial advice.
Pronunciation notes
The key line to learn first is the refrain: kuputro jayeta kvachid api kumata na bhavati. Say ku-put-ro ja-ye-ta kva-chid a-pi ku-ma-ta na bha-va-ti, with kv said quickly as in quick. Bh is a breathy b, and ch is as in church.
In the opening verse, words like mantram, yantram and stutim end in a nasal hum, and the visarga in aho or devah is a light echo of the vowel. The sound jn in jane and ajnana is said as gy in many regions, so ajnana is heard as agyana; follow your family’s way. Reading slowly, a few verses at a time, is the kindest way to learn.
Related mantras and pages
- Bhavani Ashtakam: another prayer of surrender to the Mother
- Durga Chalisa: a Hindi devotional poem to Durga
- Devi Suktam: the Rigveda hymn spoken by the Goddess
- Annapurna Ashtakam: another Shankaracharya-attributed goddess hymn
- Sharad Navratri: the nine nights of goddess worship
- All mantras, stotras, chalisas and aartis
Frequently asked questions
↳ What does Devi Aparadha Kshamapana mean?
Devi means the Goddess, aparadha means offence or fault, and kshamapana means the act of asking forgiveness. The whole title means the hymn asking the Goddess to forgive one's faults.
↳ What is the famous line in this stotra?
It is the refrain of verses 2, 3 and 4: kuputro jayeta kvachid api kumata na bhavati. It means a bad son may be born somewhere, but there is never a bad mother.
↳ Who composed the Devi Aparadha Kshamapana Stotram?
The closing line in the source credits Shankaracharya, and the stotra is traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya. Scholars debate which stotras are his, so attributed is the safer word.
↳ When is this stotra recited?
Many devotees recite it at the end of Devi puja, during Navratri, or after reading a text of the Goddess. Some read it whenever they feel they have made a mistake in worship. Practice varies by family.
↳ Do I need to know Sanskrit to recite it?
No. Reading the transliteration slowly while keeping the meaning in mind is enough for many people, and the stotra itself says that you do not need to know the rules. If you can, learn the sounds from a teacher or a good recording.