मां केशवो गदया प्रातरव्याद्
गोविन्द आसङ्गवमात्तवेणुः ।
नारायणः प्राह्ण उदात्तशक्ति
र्मध्यन्दिने विष्णुररीन्द्रपाणिः ॥१०॥

mÄá¹ keÅ›avo gadayÄ prÄtar avyÄd
govinda Äsaá¹…gavam Ätta-veṇuḥ
nÄrÄyaṇaḥ prÄhṇa udÄtta-Å›aktir
madhyan-dine viṣṇur arÄ«ndra-pÄṇiḥ

 mÄm - me; keÅ›avaḥ - Lord KeÅ›ava; gadayÄ - by His club; prÄtaḥ - in the morning hours; avyÄt - may He protect; govindaḥ - Lord Govinda; Äsaá¹…gavam - during the second part of the day; Ätta-veṇuḥ - holding His flute; nÄrÄyaṇaḥ - Lord NÄrÄyaṇa with four hands; prÄhṇaḥ - during the third part of the day; udÄtta-Å›aktiḥ - controlling different types of potencies; madhyam-dine - during the fourth part of the day; viṣṇuḥ - Lord Viṣṇu; arÄ«ndra-pÄṇiḥ - bearing the disc in His hand to kill the enemies.


Text

May Lord KeÅ›ava 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 NÄrÄyaṇa, 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 ghaá¹­ikÄs (twenty-four minutes), instead of twelve hours. Generally, each day and each night is divided into six parts consisting of five ghaá¹­ikÄs. In each of these six portions of the day and night, the Lord may be addressed for protection according to different names. Lord KeÅ›ava, the proprietor of the holy place of MathurÄ, is the Lord of the first portion of the day, and Govinda, the Lord of Vá¹›ndÄvana, is the master of the second portion.