bhaja-govindamshankaracharyatimeimpermanence

Dina Yaminyau Sayam Pratah

दिनयामिन्यौ सायं प्रातः

🕉️ hindu·📿 11× repetitions·🕐 At dawn or dusk, watching the turning of the day; or in evening reflection·📜 Bhaja Govindam (Moha Mudgara), verse on the play of Time

Also known as: dina yaminyau sayam pratah · dinam yaminyau sayam pratah · kalah kridati gachchhatyayuh · asha vayuh · bhaja govindam dina yaminyau

📜 Complete Lyrics 📖 Word-by-Word Meaning ✨ Benefits & How to Chant ⬇️ PDF Download

Read in your language / script

हिन्दी / देवनागरीతెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ English සිංහල 𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

✦ Meaning

In this evocative verse of Bhaja Govindam, Adi Shankaracharya pictures the ceaseless turning of day and night and the seasons as the play of Time, which silently carries our life away. Though everything passes and the end draws ever nearer, the relentless 'wind of desire' (asha-vayu) refuses to loosen its grip on the human heart. It is a poetic call to recognize impermanence and free oneself from endless craving.

Origin & Story

Bhaja Govindam (Moha Mudgara), verse on the play of Time · Adi Shankaracharya · 8th century CE (circa 788-820)

This verse belongs to Adi Shankaracharya's Bhaja Govindam, the hymn composed in Varanasi to awaken the worldly soul. Amid its teachings on impermanence, this shloka paints Time as a player who sports through the cycles of day, night, and the seasons, all the while carrying our life away. Shankaracharya's insight is that despite this constant reminder of mortality, the 'wind of desire' continues to drive the human heart — and only by releasing that craving can one find rest.

✦ As told in scripture

Sages cite this verse to explain why the years feel ever swifter and yet desire never tires: it is the nature of Time to play on and of craving to persist. Those who deeply absorb it are said to gain a serene detachment, watching the seasons turn without being swept away by them.

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The Mantra

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दिनयामिन्यौ सायं प्रातः शिशिरवसन्तौ पुनरायातः । कालः क्रीडति गच्छत्यायुः तदपि न मुञ्चत्याशावायुः ॥

Dinayaminyau sayam pratah shishiravasantau punarayatah Kalah kridati gachchhatyayuh tadapi na munchatyashavayuh

Meaning:Day and night, dusk and dawn, winter and spring come round again and again; Time sports on and life ebbs away — yet even then the gale of desire never lets go.

Word-by-Word Meaning

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दिनयामिन्यौ🔊Dina-yaminyauDay and night

सायं प्रातः🔊Sayam pratahEvening and morning, dusk and dawn

शिशिरवसन्तौ🔊Shishira-vasantauWinter and spring (the seasons)

पुनरायातः🔊Punar-ayatahCome again and again, return repeatedly

कालः🔊KalahTime

क्रीडति🔊KridatiPlays, sports, frolics

गच्छति🔊GachchhatiGoes away, passes, slips by

आयुः🔊AyuhLife, lifespan

तदपि🔊TadapiEven then, yet, still

न मुञ्चति🔊Na munchatiDoes not let go, does not release

आशावायुः🔊Asha-vayuhThe wind/gale of desire and hope

Benefits of Chanting Dina Yaminyau Sayam Pratah

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Awakens vivid awareness of the swift, ceaseless passing of Time

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Exposes the relentless 'wind of desire' that binds the heart

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Inspires detachment from endless craving and hope for worldly things

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Encourages making good use of life before it ebbs away

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A poetic meditation on impermanence from Adi Shankaracharya

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Calms restlessness by revealing the futility of clinging

How to Chant Dina Yaminyau Sayam Pratah

Repetitions11times

Best TimeAt dawn or dusk, watching the turning of the day; or in evening reflection

Recite this verse while contemplating the natural cycles named in it — day and night, the seasons — and feel how Time quietly carries life along. Let the image of the 'asha-vayu' (gale of desire) prompt honest reflection on your own cravings. Used as a daily contemplation, it gently loosens attachment and renews the resolve to seek the eternal.

Frequently Asked Questions

It means 'Day and night, evening and morning' — naming the endless cycles of time, along with the seasons of winter and spring, which return again and again while our lifespan quietly passes away.

'Asha-vayu' means 'the wind (or gale) of desire and hope.' Shankaracharya observes that even as Time carries life away, this restless wind of craving never loosens its hold on the human heart — and freeing oneself from it is the path to peace.

It teaches the impermanence of life and the relentlessness of desire. Time plays on and our years slip by, yet we keep clinging to hopes and cravings. The verse urges us to wake up, recognize this, and turn toward what is eternal.

It is from Bhaja Govindam (Moha Mudgara) by Adi Shankaracharya, composed in the 8th century CE — one of the hymn's most poetic reflections on time and desire.