Complete · Confession · ~5 min · ~5 min chant
Shivaparadha Kshamapana Stotram
शिवापराधक्षमापणस्तोत्रम्
Śivāparādhakṣamāpaṇastotram
Eight confessional verses asking Shiva to forgive failures of worship, conduct, and remembrance across every stage of life.
8 verses · About 5 min · Lord Shiva
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Shivaparadha Kshamapana Stotram (also called Shivaparadha Bhanjana) is a moving confession attributed to Shankaracharya. Each of its eight verses reviews another season of human weakness, from birth through old age and ritual neglect, and ends with the refrain begging Mahadeva Shambho to forgive every offence.
At a glance
- Deity
- Lord Shiva
- Verses
- 8 verses
- Chant time
- About 5 minutes (Confession · ~5 min)
- Attribution
- Traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya
- Sanskrit source
- sanskritdocuments.org · All sources
Verse overview
- 1
Impurity and pain precede every conscious act of devotion, yet the Lord is asked to forgive what karma began before the 'I' knew itself; grace meets the soul…
- 2
Childhood's helpless pain and forgetfulness of the Lord expose the gap between suffering and remembrance; forgiveness is sought not for malice but for the…
- 3
Youth's serpents of sense and the elephant of pride crowd out Shiva-thought because the mind mistakes sweet comfort for fulfillment; the prayer admits that…
- 4
When body and mind fail yet meditation on the Lord stays absent, the waste of a life becomes visible; the plea for pardon at life's end confesses that delusion…
- 5
Neglected water, leaves, flowers, and incense name the gap between intended worship and performed duty; forgiveness is asked because ritual slips reveal a…
- 6
The unbathed linga and unoffered feast confess that outward honor to the symbol was withheld; in Advaita the form points to formless being, and pardon is…
- 7
Confusion of rites and failure to carry hearing into steady meditation name the central fault of the seeker who knows the path but does not walk it; Shiva is…
- 8
Knowing Shiva's name yet withholding charity, fire-offering, and austerity exposes devotion that stops at thought; the final plea asks the Lord to forgive the…
All verses
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Common questions
- When do people recite Shivaparadha Kshamapana Stotram?
- Shaiva hymns are often chanted on Pradosham, during Shravan, and on Maha Shivaratri, as well as in short daily practice. This edition is labeled for practice as "Confession · ~5 min" and takes about 5 minutes to chant.
- What is the opening focus of Shivaparadha Kshamapana Stotram?
- Impurity and pain precede every conscious act of devotion, yet the Lord is asked to forgive what karma began before the 'I' knew itself; grace meets the soul not after purity is achieved but at the honest confession of an unchosen beginning. Read verse 1 in Study mode for the full editorial note beside the Sanskrit.
- Which hymns pair well with Shivaparadha Kshamapana Stotram?
- On this site, related reading includes Shiva Manasa Puja Stotram, and Vedasara Shiva Stotram. Open those hubs for their own Sanskrit, English meaning, and study notes.