te upetya mahÄ-rÄtre
tamasi pratyupasthite
urvaÅ›yÄ uraṇau jahrur
nyastau rÄjani jÄyayÄ
te - they, the Gandharvas; upetya - coming there; mahÄ-rÄtre - in the dead of night; tamasi - when the darkness; pratyupasthite - appeared; urvaÅ›yÄ - by Urvaśī; uraṇau - two lambs; jahruḥ - stole; nyastau - given in charge; rÄjani - unto the King; jÄyayÄ - by his wife, Urvaśī.
“The dead of night†refers to midnight. The mahÄ-niÅ›Ä is described in this smá¹›ti-mantra: mahÄ-niÅ›Ä dve ghaá¹ike rÄtrer madhyama-yÄmayoḥ, “Twelve o’clock midnight is called the dead of night.â€