Forgive Oh Lord of the Universe ...

The sloka which is quoted below is an outpouring of a Jeevanmukta. Here we have the essence of the advaitic thought.

This golden sloka is no longer recognized as lines from Maharsi Vedavyasa, Sri Shankaracharya or Sri Appayya Dikshita, .... even though it is attributed to them by some.

Having travelled all over Bharata thrice, having authored several stotras and having installed several murtis, it is illogical to think that Sri Sankara would proclaim that whatever he had done were all wrong. Neither I could find this sloka in any of Sri Dikshita's stotra works nor in any of the published Puranas.

The translations given below are found in the internet. These are almost true to the original without misrepresenting the core message. So, I feel no further attempt is needed. (Sandhya Anand)

रूपं रूपविवर्जितस्य भवतो ध्यानेन यत् कल्पितम्

स्तुत्यानिर्वचनीयताखिलगुरो दूरीकृता यन्मया ।

व्यापित्वञ्च निराकृतं भगवतो यत् तीर्थयात्रादिना

क्षन्तव्यं जगदीश तद्विकलतादोषत्रयं मत् कृतम् ॥

rūpaṁ rūpa-vivarjitasya bhavato

   dhyānena yat kalpitaṁ

stutyānirvacanīyatākhila-guro

   dūrīkṛtā yan mayā

vyāpitvaṁ ca nirākṛtaṁ bhagavato

   yat tīrtha-yātrādinā

kṣantavyaṁ jagadīśa tad-vikalatā-

   doṣa-trayaṁ mat-kṛtam.

अर्थात्, हे भगवान, तुम अरूप हो और मैंने अपने ध्यान में तुम्हें रूप दे दिया । हे अखिल जगत के गुरु, तुम अवर्णनीय हो, पर अपनी स्तुतियों में मैंने इस सत्य का उल्लंघन कर दिया है । तीर्थयात्रा करके मैंने तुम्हारी सर्वव्यापिता से इंकार किया । हे जगदीश, मेरे इन तीन दोषों को क्षमा करना ।

"Oh Lord, while meditating I have attributed forms to the formless Thee. Oh teacher, I have as it were described Thee, the indescribable, in my hymns, I have assumed you, the omnipresent, as if confined only to holy places that I have visited. Oh Lord forgive these three acts of audacity of mine."

"I have helplessly committed three offences, for which I pray forgiveness. (1) In meditation, I imagined that you have a form, when you have no form. (2) Oh spiritual master of the worlds, even though you are beyond the power of words to describe, I have ignored this limitation when praising you. And (3) When I go on pilgrimage to you few places, calling them holy. Thus, I deny that you are all-pervading. Please excuse me - O Lord."

(Kind Courtesy: Sreya Path (Hindi), Veda Nidhih (2012)