Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.22.6
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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ūṣasi
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at dawn
Locative of uṣas. Brahma-muhūrta is the traditional time for sādhana. The gopīs do not begin their day with kitchen or grooming — they begin it with Kṛṣṇa's name and the path toward Him.
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anyonya-ābaddha-bāhavaḥ
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holding their hands, one with another
Compound: anyonya (mutual) + ābaddha (bound) + bāhavaḥ (arms). Gauḍīya sādhana is sāṅgika — done with sādhu-saṅga. The gopīs' linked arms are the prototype of saṅkīrtana: bhakti binds devotee to devotee even as it binds all to Kṛṣṇa.
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kṛṣṇam
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in glorification of Kṛṣṇa
Accusative of Kṛṣṇa. They are supposedly worshipping Kātyāyanī — but the song that flies from their mouths is His name. The cetas chooses the object; the throat reveals the cetas.
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uccaiḥ
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loudly
Adverb: aloud. Mahāprabhu's nāma-saṅkīrtana movement takes this dawn-song as its very pattern — the holy name is not whispered but proclaimed. Loud kīrtana sanctifies the air for all beings in earshot.
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jaguḥ
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they sang
Perfect of √gai (to sing). Kīrtana — the yuga-dharma for Kali-yuga and the dominant practice of the Gauḍīya school. The gopīs' daily kīrtana is the proto-saṅkīrtana of Vraja.
This verse is a continuation of the thought of verse two describing how the gopis went to bath in the waters of the Yamuna. They called each other by name (svaih gotraih). "O Dhanya, where are you? Why are you late?"
Out of prema Śukadeva forgot, but now he remembers to describe the preliminaries to their vow, filled with great anurāga. They rose at dawn, by calling each others’ names. Or they rose at dawn with their associates. They shared their love of Kṛṣṇa, and thus they held hands. Absorbed in him they sang his name loudly, since they were fixed on that alone, as if that word gave them consciousness. Daily they went to take bath. Though this was difficult, they did it daily, showing that they were fixed on him. This is the special nature of anurāga. This is described throughout the chapter.
Not only did they think of Kṛṣṇa but they were absorbed in kīrtana, the best feature of worship. Or having described the ingredients of worship, some of them performed this vow. By his mercy, Śukadeva describes to Parīkṣit the major part of the vow. They rose before sunrise, at dawn, since the Yamunā was far away, calling each other by their names (gotraiḥ). They held each other’s arms firmly (ābaddhāḥ) since they could stumble on the path in the dark or for fear of falling down from fainting in prema from doing kīrtana or because they had affection for each other. Because of affection they could perform the vow with conviction. They sang loudly to bring everyone together or because they became absorbed in singing. The daily bath is again described to show its excellence.
- Whose name could I call into a small daily practice with me?
- Where am I practicing alone what would deepen in chorus?
A group of friends walking to a temple at dawn, hands linked, singing the deity's names so loudly that the village wakes — the song itself is the vrata, the walk is the procession, and the river ahead is only the destination because He plays beside it.
My note
Source: vedabase.io