Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.8.22
श्रीवत्सधामापररात्र ईश:
प्रत्यूष ईशोऽसिधरो जनार्दन: ।
दामोदरोऽव्यादनुसन्ध्यं प्रभाते
विश्वेश्वरो भगवान् कालमूर्ति: ॥ २२ ॥
śrīvatsa-dhāmāpara-rātra īśaḥ
[shreevatsa-dhaamaapara-raatra eeshah]
pratyūṣa īśo ’si-dharo janārdanaḥ
[pratyoosha eesho ’si-dharo janaardanah]
dāmodaro ’vyād anusandhyaṁ prabhāte
[daamodaro ’vyaad anusandhyam prabhaate]
viśveśvaro bhagavān kāla-mūrtiḥ
[vishveshvaro bhagavaan kaala-moortih]
Word-for-word
śrīvatsa-dhāmā
—
the Lord, on whose chest the mark of Śrīvatsa is resting
apara-rātre
—
in the fourth part of the night
īśaḥ
—
the Supreme Lord
pratyūṣe
—
in the end of the night
īśaḥ
—
the Supreme Lord
asi-dharaḥ
—
carrying a sword in the hand
janārdanaḥ
—
Lord Janārdana
dāmodaraḥ
—
Lord Dāmodara
avyāt
—
may He protect
anusandhyam
—
during each junction or twilight
prabhāte
—
in the early morning (the sixth part of the night)
viśva-īśvaraḥ
—
the Lord of the whole universe
bhagavān
—
the Supreme Personality of Godhead
kāla-mūrtiḥ
—
the personification of time.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrīvatsa-dhāmāpara-rātra īśaḥ
śrīvatsa-dhāmā
the Lord, on whose chest the mark of Śrīvatsa is resting
apara-rātre
in the fourth part of the night
īśaḥ
the Supreme Lord
pratyūṣa īśo ’si-dharo janārdanaḥ
pratyūṣe
in the end of the night
īśaḥ
the Supreme Lord
asi-dharaḥ
carrying a sword in the hand
janārdanaḥ
Lord Janārdana
dāmodaro ’vyād anusandhyaṁ prabhāte
dāmodaraḥ
Lord Dāmodara
viśveśvaro bhagavān kāla-mūrtiḥ
avyāt
may He protect
anusandhyam
during each junction or twilight
prabhāte
in the early morning (the sixth part of the night)
viśva-īśvaraḥ
the Lord of the whole universe
bhagavān
the Supreme Personality of Godhead
kāla-mūrtiḥ
the personification of time.
May the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who bears the Śrīvatsa on His chest, protect me after midnight until the sky becomes pinkish. May Lord Janārdana, who carries a sword in His hand, protect me at the end of night [during the last four ghaṭikās of night]. May Lord Dāmodara protect me in the early morning, and may Lord Viśveśvara protect me during the junctions of day and night.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
May the Supreme Lord, who bears the Śrīvatsa on his chest, protect me during apara-rātra. May Janārdana, who carries a sword in his hand, protect me at the end of night, pratyūṣa. May Dāmodara protect me at dawn, and may Lord Viśveśvara protect me during the junctions of day and night.
Śrīvatsa-dhāmā means the Lord has Śrīvatsa on his body. Apara-rātra lasts from niśītha to pratyuṣa [Note: This would be from the seventeenth to twenty-fifth ghaṭikā. Pratyuṣa would from the twenty-sixth to thirtieth ghaṭikā. This is assuming day and night are equal in time. ]. Pratyuṣa consist of four ghaṭikās at the end of night. Anusandhya means the junctures of day and night (sunrise and sunset).
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Padmanābha (the Śrīvatsa-bearer) guards from midnight to dawn; Janārdana with His sword at last night. Even the darkest hours have specific divine watchers.
Reflection Questions
- When I wake in the night, do I remember who is watching that hour?
- What would midnight prayer look like for me?
My note
Source: vedabase.io