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All of us want to be independent, but our life in this world is one of

interdependence. The only one who is totally independent is God.
Interdependence has many aspects and one of them is give and take. None
can claim to always be only a giver or a taker. ‘I want to give and give and
shall never stretch my hand to take.’ Is it ever possible?
Think!
Suppose someone decides, I shall only breathe out and never breathe
in…Try! No harm in trying. The fact remains that we have to breathe in and
breathe out also. The trees and plants also breathe in and breathe out. The
mechanism is such that the give and take of each other is helping! Isn’t it?
Whether we like it or not, accept it or not, we have been only more of a
recipient. How much we are receiving constantly from this world and nature!
Space, air, fire, water, food – are we not taking?
Our existence in the mother’s womb is one of only taking! A child is born and
grows under the care of the parents. The point is, whatever we may say about
being independent and being only a giver and not a taker, it is not possible!!
Of course, once we become conscious, we may try to produce more than we
consume and give more than we receive.
I would like to point out that while giving or doing something for someone,
the right attitude to have is one of utmost humility. No arrogance or any
feeling of superiority or favour should creep in. The truly humble say, I shall

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be obliged and grateful if you accept this. If the person or institution accepts,
they feel very happy. Suppose we have the arrogance of obliging or giving, the
other person may say, please keep it with you, I do not need. Where is the joy
in receiving for the person if it comes with so much obligation?
Namrata, amanita are the expressions in Sanskrit language to denote this
humility while giving. On the other hand, we should also know how to
receive. The important attitude while receiving is one of gratitude. Children
are taught to say thank you when someone gifts a chocolate to the child.
Humility and gratitude are two most important virtues.
The giving of a person with an attitude of arrogance is neither accepted nor
does it bless the person. While accepting, if there is no gratitude, it does not
bless either. We should be grateful, krtagya for the littlest of things anyone has
done for us. Not recognising this fact is a sin, an offence.
In Sanskrit language, we have two words rādha राध (आराधना) or ārādhanā
which means to worship. अपराध aparādha means to commit a sin or offence.
Not having the right attitude of humility and gratitude is an offence/sin.
When we do not recognise the one who is worthy of reverence, respect and
worship – a great person, ideal or the Lord – is one kind of offence. Another
aspect of this offence is when we extraordinarily respect a not so worthy
person just for some worldly gain. We need not insult the person, but to give
undue respect for non-existent virtues is an offence too.

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The world always praises the one with a lot of wealth – yasyāsti vittaṃ sa
naraḥ kulīnaḥ य�ा�� �व�ं स नरः कु लीनः - He may be a person of great family
lineage, but may be a smuggler. What kulīnaḥ then? He is a great scholar,
learned person – स प��तः गुण�ः श्रुतवान् - a man of virtues. स एव व�ा स दशर्नीयः – he
is a celebrity orator! You must meet! All said and done, सव� गुणाः का�नं आश्रय��
– all these gunas being praised means gold to the one who is praising such a
person. He needs that gold from him and is therefore praising him!
In one of his songs, Surdas ji condemns himself -
ह�रजन छांिड़ हरी-�वमुखन क� �नसिदन करत गुलामी
O Lord, I have committed many wrongs – ignoring the devotees of the Lord, I
go on serving those who don’t have any values…
Please note that Surdas ji was not like that. He was a great saint! The more the
mind becomes pure, the more the person becomes aware of not entertaining
even in thought this kind of tendency to respect something which is
undeserving and completely ignore that which is most worshipful. This
amounts to double offence. No humility and no gratitude!
What did you do for me? There are many people who question even their
parents and teachers. They forget who taught them the alphabet…
Another point now –
How much time do we give to our deha body and how much to our deva who
is आ�देव atmadeva, because of whom everything is working (including the
body). Deva is forgotten and for deha so much care is given… When you have

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to go out for a party, how much time is spent in preparation? Of course, there
is no time for puja or japa, because he/she is busy decorating the body all the
time.
There is no time for seva, either. No time for jnāna, bhakti, satsanga, worship
and so much time is spent for all other things. This is aparādha – sin.
We commit all these mistakes because of ignorance, which is one aspect. But
the greater aparādha is to not even feel that we did wrong. There are many
vices or avagunas that we have.
The great saint Samartha Ramdas Swami said that among all the vices, the
biggest vice is to consider our avaguna or vice as a great virtue!
1. Non-awareness of our mistakes
2. Not admitting our mistakes,
3. No regret and
4. Not even a feeling of what prāyaścitta or atonement I can do for it
---- are all big sins.
Our shastras do admit that people may commit mistakes, but if one does not
feel that one has done something wrong and there is no kind of repentance to
do something to mitigate it, then it amounts to offence compounded.
Sometimes, I also feel that the mother and father have done so much – I wish
I could go back in time and do something for them. I feel I did not do enough
seva. I lived with Gurudev also, did not realise His greatness fully – we did
something, but we feel we could have done much more!

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When we can feel this for the parents, for the society, for the whole nature, for
all the great saints and sages – then what to speak of the Lord!
When a person realises this, his/her heart melts and repents! ‘O Lord, I took
everything for granted, as though it was my right. I forgot that I had duties to
perform too. I forgot that I have to do some seva also.’ This bhāvanā or
attitude is necessary.
What is past is past, but now first thing is to beg pardon. Apologise, seek
forgiveness from the Lord. The Lord is already forgiving, that’s why our life is
possible. If He were to keep accounts and give us a bang for each mistake, we
would be receiving only bangs continuously! The Lord is kind.
When a person feels this repentance, it purifies the person! This bodha,
awareness of what kind of life I have lived, I should have done this or that and
the resolve to not forget hereafter is what saves us.
First an aparādha is committed. Then there is repentence or
paścātāpa (paścāt = afterwards, tāpa = remorse). Awareness is followed by
repentance leading us on to kshamāyāchanā or a prayer for forgiveness
(kshamā = forgiveness, yāchanā = petition)
1. Awareness
2. Repentance
3. Prayer of forgiveness
4. Atonement

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After repentance, the next step is प्राय��� prāyaścitta or atonement. After
realising the mistake, the feeling that I must do some kind of penance to
neutralise the effect of misdeed is atonement. Prāyaścitta has two aspects.
Prāyaḥ means penance for what is done, citta (memory) means I shall not
repeat this kind of mistake again. (प्रायः + �च� = प्राय���)
Our human mind is not very easy, it might not commit the same mistake, but
it commits new mistakes!
So, what is the remedy? Be aware. Do not have any kind of pressure or
tension, but have an understanding.
This is a short introduction to the beautiful prayer of seeking forgiveness from
the Lord, written by Bhagavan Adi Shankaracharya.
It is called śrī śiva aparādha kṣamāpana stotram (श्री �शव अपराध �मापन �ोत्रम् )
This is a prayerful hymn seeking forgiveness of the Lord.
Our param pujya Gurudev wrote a short and powerful commentary for this
stotram and the simple and poignant title he gave it is “Forgive Me”- O Lord,
please forgive me!
Shiva, the Lord of the Universe, that Jagadīśvara Bhagavan we have to
recognise and seek forgiveness! (जगत् + ई�र = जगदी�र)
When we don’t recognise our own parents, noble people and nature, we have
the audacity to ask, where is God, to Whom we owe our existence itself!!

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We owe to the Lord all our faculties, abilities and potential and we have
forgotten Him! Even after being reminded, we don’t accept so easily!
Here is the heart of a devotee seeking forgiveness. Bhagavan Shankaracharya,
the greatest exponent of advaita vedānta jnāna, pours his heart out in
devotion-filled submission to the Lord.
If a person does not have this kind of devotion in his heart and relies only on
the reasoning of the intellect, it will be a lopsided development. We should
seek bhakti, devotion to the Lord.
Remember, the awareness of our mistakes, repentance for it and the desire for
neutralising it, is already something that will purify the mind. The Lord’s
blessings are always there! Just as the sun is of the nature of light, God is of
the nature of only compassion and grace.
What is the difference between man and God?
God gives and forgives, and man gets and forgets.

After receiving everything, man asks God, what did you do? Such is the kind
of arrogance we have. When we read this hymn by Bhagavan
Shankaracharya, it gives us a beautiful thought of how to even express our
feelings. Sometimes we don’t even know what aparādha we have committed.
The greatest aparādha we did is to forget the Lord in the crowd of our
preoccupation with the body, pleasures, relations, activities, enjoyments, and
achievements. We have forgotten the One because of whom all these were
possible. That is what this prayer teaches us.

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The first few shlokas seek forgiveness of the Lord and in the following ones
Bhagavan Shankaracharya is addressing our mind, guiding us on to what is to
be done next!

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