Day and each night is divided into six parts consisting of five ghaṭikās

[KALKI]

māḿ keśavo gadayā prātar avyād

govinda āsańgavam ātta-veṇuḥ

nārāyaṇaḥ prāhṇa udātta-śaktir

madhyan-dine viṣṇur arīndra-pāṇiḥ

- Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 6.8.20

SYNONYMS

mām — me;

keśavaḥ — Lord Keśava;

gadayā — by His club;

prātaḥ — in the morning hours;

avyāt — may He protect;

govindaḥ — Lord Govinda;

āsańgavam — during the second part of the day;

ātta-veṇuḥ — holding His flute;

nārāyaṇaḥ — Lord Nārāyaṇa with four hands;

prāhṇaḥ — during the third part of the day;

udātta-śaktiḥ — controlling different types of potencies;

madhyam-dine — during the fourth part of the day;

viṣṇuḥ — Lord Viṣṇu;

arīndra-pāṇiḥ — bearing the disc in His hand to kill the enemies.


TRANSLATION

May Lord Keśava protect me with His club in the first portion of the day, and may Govinda, who is always engaged in playing His flute, protect me in the second portion of the day. May Lord Nārāyaṇa, who is equipped with all potencies, protect me in the third part of the day, and may Lord Viṣṇu, who carries a disc to kill His enemies, protect me in the fourth part of the day.

PURPORT

According to Vedic astronomical calculations, day and night are each divided into thirty ghaṭikās (twenty-four minutes), instead of twelve hours. Generally, each day and each night is divided into six parts consisting of five ghaṭikās. In each of these six portions of the day and night, the Lord may be addressed for protection according to different names. Lord Keśava, the proprietor of the holy place of Mathurā, is the Lord of the first portion of the day, and Govinda, the Lord of Vṛndāvana. is the master of the second portion.