Sri Shivaparadha Kshamapana Stotra
Do you remember this fierce scene from the 2005 animated Hanuman film, when Ravana prays to Shiva as he prepares for battle?
Did you ever wonder what’s the meaning of the stotra he’s shown reciting? Here’s the tea, so get ready for a dose of nostalgia!
This is the verse of the Śivāparādha-Kṣamāpaṇa Stotram (शिवापराधक्षमापनस्तोत्रम्) and it goes…
करचरणकृतं वाक्कायजं कर्मजं वा
श्रवणनयनजं वा मानसं वापराधम् ।
विहितमविहितं वा सर्वमेतत्क्षमस्व
जय जय करुणाब्धे श्रीमहादेव शम्भो ॥
It means,
“O Mahādeva Śambhu! O Ocean of Compassion!
Please forgive all my offenses - whether committed
by hands or feet, through speech or body,
by actions, by listening or seeing,
by thoughts of the mind,
whether they were done knowingly or unknowingly,
whether prescribed or prohibited.
Victory to You, O Compassionate One!”
It is most commonly credited to Sri Adishankaracharya, who, despite being a proponent of jnyana yoga, is showing deep bhakti bhaav for Shiva, by asking for forgiveness in humility & reverence for all crimes or offences committed.
The stotra stands for the surrendering of the Self-Ego & sense of doership, accepting the flawed, sinful nature of one’s senses, and seeking mercy & shelter in the Ultimate Divine Protector.
So it’s unlikely that Ravana recited it, given his real character, because there’s no mention of him doing it anywhere in Valmiki’s Ramayana or even any Puranic texts … the movie makers just used it for dramatic effect.
That said, Ravana was a devout Shiv Bhakta, had many encounters with him, and so he is said to have composed another Śiva Tāṇḍava Stotram praising his fiery power & glory.
Either way, the stotra in the movie always gives me goosebumps!