Monthly Archives: November 2025

Sri Aparadha-shodhana (Verses for Requesting Forgiveness for One’s Offences)

Posted on by under Aparadha-shodhana

Sri Aparadha-shodhana
(Verses for Requesting Forgiveness for One’s Offences)

mantra-hinam kriya-hinam bhakti-hinam janardana
yat pujitam maya deva paripurnam tad astu me

O my Lord, O Janardana, whatever little puja or worship that has been performed by me, although it is without devotion, without proper mantras, and without the proper performance, please let that become complete.

yad-dattam bhakti-matrena patram puspam phalam jalam
aveditam nivedyan tu tad grihananukampaya

Whatever has been offered with devotion–the leaf, the flower, the water, the fruit, the food offering–please accept it out of Your causeless mercy.

vidhi-hinam mantra-hinam yat kiñcad upapaditam
kirya-mantra-vihinam va tat sarvam kshantum arhasi

Whatever has happened without the proper chanting of the mantra, or without following the proper procedure, kindly forgive all that.

ajñanad athava jñanad ashubham yan maya kritam
kshantum arhasi tat sarvam dasyenaiva grihana mam

sthitih seva gatir yatra smritish cinta stutir vacah
bhuyat sarvatmana vishno maidyam tvayi cestitam

Whatever inauspicious things I have done out of ignorance or unknowingly, please forgive that, and accept me as Your insignificant servant. Let my normal condition be service, let my movement be holy pilgrimage, let my thought be remembrance of You, let my words be glorification of You. O Vishnu, let my activities with my whole mind, body and soul, be engaged in You.

aparadha-sahasrani kriyante ‘har-nisham maya
daso ‘ham iti mam matva kshamasva madhusudana

Thousands of offenses are performed by me day and night. But thinking of me as Your servant, kindly forgive those, O Mashusudana.

pratijña tava govinda na me bhaktah pranashyati
iti samsmritya samsmritya pranan sandharayamy aham

O Govinda, Your promise is that Your devotee will never perish. By remembering this over and over again, I am able to retain my life-airs.

These Prayers can be found in the Deity Worship Manual Sri Krsna-Balarama Mandir

Forgetfulness of God

Posted on by under A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Maya
hogs

Back when I was a new aspiring devotee, and was hearing and learning the stories from the Srimad-Bhagavatam for the very first time, the story of King Indra cursed to take birth as a hog, was without a doubt one of my favorites. I first read it in the Raja-Vidya, then heard it repeated so many times in Srimad-Bhagavatam class’s, and it became more relishable with each hearing.

…At one time, Indra, the king of heaven, committed an offense at the feet of his spiritual master, and his spiritual master cursed him to take the birth of a hog. Thus the throne of the heavenly kingdom became empty as Indra went to earth to become a hog.

Seeing the situation, Brahma came to earth and addressed the hog: “My dear sir, you have become a hog on this planet earth. I have come to deliver you. Come with me at once.” But the hog replied:. “Oh I cannot go with you. I have so many responsibilities—my children, wife and this nice hog society.”

Even though Brahma promised to take him back to heaven, Indra, in the form of a hog, refused. This is called forgetfulness. Similarly, Lord Sri Krishna comes and says to us, “What are you doing in this material world? Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66].

Come to Me, and I’ll give you all protection.” But we say, “I don’t believe You Sir. I have more important business here.” This is the position of the conditioned soul—forgetfulness. This forgetfulness is quickly dissipated by following in the path of disciplic succession.

We become so attached to our so-called material enjoyment, but what is this enjoyment? Our situation is not always so good, and there is birth, death, disease, and old age, but still we are attached; this seems to be our situation.

Full Chapter from Raja-Vidya

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