Durga Saptashati Kshama Prarthana: Aparadha Sahasrani, the Prayer for Forgiveness, with Meaning
The Kshama Prarthana is the prayer with which the Durga Saptashati ends. After 700 verses of battle and praise, the reader turns to the Goddess and says: I have done this badly; I do not even know how to invoke you or how to send you off; let it be complete anyway. It is eight verses long, begins aparadha sahasrani kriyante aharnisham maya, "thousands of offences are committed by me day and night", and is read after the thirteen chapters and the three Rahasyas, before the Siddha Kunjika Stotram.
The same eight verses close almost every Devi puja in North India, and verse 4, "one who after a hundred offences utters Jagadamba reaches a state the gods do not", is quoted on its own. The whole text with its meaning is given below; it is part of the complete Durga Saptashati path.
संक्षेप में: दुर्गा सप्तशती के अन्त में पढ़ी जाने वाली क्षमा-प्रार्थना, 'अपराधसहस्राणि क्रियन्तेऽहर्निशं मया', यहाँ आठों श्लोकों के संस्कृत पाठ और हिंदी अर्थ के साथ है। यह रहस्यों के बाद और सिद्ध कुञ्जिका से पहले, तथा हर देवी पूजा के समापन पर पढ़ी जाती है। इसमें भक्त कहता है कि वह आवाहन-विसर्जन नहीं जानता और बिना मंत्र-विधि की पूजा को पूर्ण मानने की प्रार्थना करता है। लेख में इसका महत्त्व, विधि और देव्यपराध क्षमापन से इसका अन्तर भी बताया गया है। पूरा लेख हिंदी में पढ़ें →
At a glance
- Text: Kshama Prarthana, eight verses, read at the end of the Durga Saptashati and of Devi puja
- Opening: Aparadha sahasrani kriyante aharnisham maya
- Deity: Parameshvari, the Goddess as Jagadamba
- When: After the 13 chapters and the Rahasyas, before the Siddha Kunjika Stotram; and after any puja
- Traditional fruit: Completion of a worship done with faults; the removal of the fear of having done it wrong
Kshama Prarthana (Devi Kshamapana Stotram): Sanskrit text with meaning
अपराधसहस्राणि क्रियन्तेऽहर्निशं मया ।
दासोऽयमिति मां मत्त्वा क्षमस्व परमेश्वरि ॥ १॥
Meaning: Thousands of offences are committed by me day and night. Regarding me as "this one is my servant", forgive them, O supreme Goddess.
आवाहनं न जानामि न जानामि विसर्जनम् ।
पूजां चैव न जानामि क्षम्यतां परमेश्वरि ॥ २॥
Meaning: I know neither invocation nor dismissal, and I do not know worship either. Forgive me, O supreme Goddess.
मन्त्रहीनं क्रियाहीनं भक्तिहीनं सुरेश्वरि ।
यत्पूजितं मया देवि परिपूर्णं तदस्तु मे ॥ ३॥
Meaning: O sovereign of the gods, whatever worship I have offered without the mantra, without the rite and without devotion, let it be complete for me, O Goddess.
अपराधशतं कृत्वा जगदम्बेति चोच्चरेत् ।
यां गतिं समवाप्नोति न तां ब्रह्मादयः सुराः ॥ ४॥
Meaning: One who, having committed a hundred offences, utters "Jagadamba" attains a state that not even Brahma and the gods attain.
सापराधोऽस्मि शरणं प्राप्तस्त्वां जगदम्बिके ।
इदानीमनुकम्प्योऽहं यथेच्छसि तथा कुरु ॥ ५॥
Meaning: I am an offender, and I have come to you for refuge, O Mother of the world. Now I am fit for your compassion; do as you wish.
अज्ञानाद्विस्मृतेर्भ्रान्त्या यन्न्यूनमधिकं कृतम् ।
तत्सर्वं क्षम्यतां देवि प्रसीद परमेश्वरि ॥ ६॥
Meaning: Whatever I have done too little or too much, through ignorance, forgetfulness or confusion, forgive it all, O Goddess; be gracious, O supreme Goddess.
कामेश्वरि जगन्मातः सच्चिदानन्दविग्रहे ।
गृहाणार्चामिमां प्रीत्या प्रसीद परमेश्वरि ॥ ७॥
Meaning: O Kameshvari, Mother of the world, embodiment of being, consciousness and bliss, accept this worship of mine with love; be gracious, O supreme Goddess.
गुह्यातिगुह्यगोप्त्री त्वं गृहाणास्मत्कृतं जपम् ।
सिद्धिर्भवतु मे देवि त्वप्रसादात्सुरेश्वरि ॥ ८॥
Meaning: You are the guardian of what is secret beyond secret; accept the japa done by me. May I attain fulfilment, O Goddess, by your grace, O sovereign of the gods.
Significance and benefits
The prayer answers the fear that stops many people from reading the Saptashati at all: that they will pronounce it wrongly or miss a step. Verse 3 asks that worship done without the correct mantra, rite or even devotion be counted complete, and verse 6 covers "too little or too much" done through ignorance or forgetfulness. The tradition therefore treats the Kshama Prarthana as what makes a paath whole, and never leaves it out.
Verse 4 is also the source of the belief that the name Jagadamba itself is a refuge: uttered once after a hundred offences, it brings what the gods cannot reach. Read with verse 5, "do as you wish", it is the Saptashati's teaching of surrender, the devotee no longer bargaining but placing the outcome in the Mother's hands.
How to recite (vidhi)
Read it seated, with folded hands, at the very end of the paath or puja, after the Rahasyas and before the Kunjika; many devotees also say it after any daily worship, however short. Sit facing east or north on a clean asana, light a lamp, and read from the printed text with clear pronunciation. The order of the full paath is on the complete Durga Saptashati path page.
Astrological relevance
In remedial practice the Kshama Prarthana is said after any graha-shanti paath, since a remedy done imperfectly is held to be completed by it. Nothing here replaces reading your own chart; it is the devotional side of the same picture. To see which dasha is running, start with a free kundli or talk to an astrologer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Kshama Prarthana of the Durga Saptashati?
An eight-verse prayer for forgiveness, beginning "aparadha sahasrani kriyante aharnisham maya", read at the end of the Saptashati after the Rahasyas and before the Siddha Kunjika Stotram, and at the close of Devi puja generally.
What does "avahanam na janami" mean?
It is verse 2: "I know neither invocation nor dismissal, and I do not know worship either. Forgive me, O supreme Goddess." Avahana is the invocation of the deity at the start of a puja and visarjana the farewell at its end.
Why is the Kshama Prarthana read after every paath?
Because verses 3 and 6 ask that worship done without the right mantra, rite or devotion, or with too little or too much through ignorance, be counted complete. Tradition holds that it is what makes an imperfect paath whole.
Is this the same as the Devyaparadha Kshamapana Stotram?
No. The Devyaparadha Kshamapana Stotram ("na mantram no yantram") is a longer hymn attributed to Shankaracharya. The Kshama Prarthana here is the eight-verse "aparadha sahasrani" prayer printed at the end of the Saptashati; the two are often read one after the other.
