अपराधसहस्राणि क्रियन्तेऽहर्निशं मया ।
दासोऽयमिति मां मत्वा क्षमस्व परमेश्वरि ॥१॥
आवाहनं न जानामि न जानामि विसर्जनम् ।
पूजां चैव न जानामि क्षम्यतां परमेश्वरि ॥२॥
मन्त्रहीनं क्रियाहीनं भक्तिहीनं सुरेश्वरि ।
यत्पूजितं मया देवि परिपूर्णं तदस्तु मे ॥३॥
अपराधशतं कृत्वा जगदम्बेति चोच्चरेत् ।
यां गतिं समवाप्नोति न तां ब्रह्मादयः सुराः ॥४॥
सापराधोऽस्मि शरणं प्राप्तस्त्वां जगदम्बिके ।
इदानीमनुकम्प्योऽहं यथेच्छसि तथा कुरु ॥५॥
अज्ञानाद्विस्मृतेर्भ्रान्त्या यन्न्यूनमधिकं कृतम् ।
तत्सर्वं क्षम्यतां देवि प्रसीद परमेश्वरि ॥६॥
कामेश्वरि जगन्मातः सच्चिदानन्दविग्रहे ।
गृहाणार्चामिमां प्रीत्या प्रसीद परमेश्वरि ॥७॥
गुह्यातिगुह्यगोप्त्री त्वं गृहाणास्मत्कृतं जपम् ।
सिद्धिर्भवतु मे देवि त्वत्प्रसादात्सुरेश्वरि ॥८॥
aparādhasahasrāṇi kriyante'harniśaṃ mayā |
dāso'yamiti māṃ matvā kṣamasva parameśvari ||1||
āvāhanaṃ na jānāmi na jānāmi visarjanam |
pūjāṃ caiva na jānāmi kṣamyatāṃ parameśvari ||2||
mantrahīnaṃ kriyāhīnaṃ bhaktihīnaṃ sureśvari |
yatpūjitaṃ mayā devi paripūrṇaṃ tadastu me ||3||
aparādhaśataṃ kṛtvā jagadambeti coccaret |
yāṃ gatiṃ samavāpnoti na tāṃ brahmādayaḥ surāḥ ||4||
sāparādho'smi śaraṇaṃ prāptastvāṃ jagadambike |
idānīmanukampyo'haṃ yathecchasi tathā kuru ||5||
ajñānādvismṛterbhrāntyā yannyūnamadhikaṃ kṛtam |
tatsarvaṃ kṣamyatāṃ devi prasīda parameśvari ||6||
kāmeśvari jaganmātaḥ saccidānandavigrahe |
gṛhāṇārcāmimāṃ prītyā prasīda parameśvari ||7||
guhyātiguhyagoptrī tvaṃ gṛhāṇāsmatkṛtaṃ japam |
siddhirbhavatu me devi tvatprasādātsureśvari ||8||
Meaning
1. Day and night I commit thousands of faults. Thinking "this is my servant", forgive me, O Supreme Goddess.
2. I do not know how to invite you, nor how to bid you farewell; I do not even know how to worship. Forgive me, O Supreme Goddess.
3. Whatever worship I have offered, O Devi, queen of the devas, lacking in mantra, lacking in rite, lacking in devotion, let it be made complete for me.
4. One who has committed a hundred faults and then cries out "Jagadamba!" reaches a state that even Brahma and the devas do not reach.
5. Full of faults, I have come to you for refuge, O Mother of the world. Now I deserve your compassion; do as you will.
6. Whatever I have done too little or too much, out of ignorance, forgetfulness or confusion, forgive it all, O Devi; be gracious, O Supreme Goddess.
7. O Kameshvari, Mother of the world, whose form is being, consciousness and bliss, accept this worship with love; be gracious, O Supreme Goddess.
8. You guard the most secret of secrets; accept the japa I have done. May I gain fulfilment, O Devi, queen of the devas, through your grace.
About this bhajan
When the Durga Saptashati path ends, after the last chapter and the closing hymns, the reader folds his hands and says these eight verses. They ask nothing grand. I did not know how to call you, I did not know how to send you off, whatever I left out or added, forgive it. The second verse, "avahanam na janami", is said at the close of almost every puja in the land, to any deity. The fourth carries the whole hope of the bhakta: a child with a hundred faults who calls out "Mother" is taken in.
Kṣamāprārthanā appended to the Durgā Saptaśatī, verses 1–8, Sanskrit Wikisource क्षमाप्रार्थना