Shiva Mahimna Stotra

Pushpadanta, the chief of the gandharvas, had the habit of stealing flowers for the worship of Shiva from the garden of King Vahu.

They hatched a plan to place flowers sacred to Shiva (bilva leaves in other accounts) in several locations of the garden, hoping that the intruder would tread upon them in the dark and be cursed by the deity to lose his ability and foil his crime.

Caught and arrested, the gandharva sang the Shiva Mahimna Stotra to the angered king when he was brought to him in repentance.

[3] In a variation of this legend, pleased with the recitation of the hymn, Shiva absolved the gandharva of his crime and restored his powers.

The first stanza of the hymn extols the greatness of Shiva:[4] mahimnaḥ pāraṁ te paramaviduṣo yadyasadṛśīstutir brahmādīnām api tadavasan nāstvayi giraḥathāvācyaḥ sarvaḥ svam atiparimāṇāv adhigṛṇanmamāpy eṣa stotre hara nirapavādaḥ parikaraḥO Shiva, remover of all types of miseries, what wonder is there, if the prayer to you, chanted by one who is ignorant about your greatness, is worthless!