Gita-mala develops systematically, beginning with “Yamuna-bhavavali”, a series of mellow yet directly ecstatic potent songs based on the primary devotional mood of eternal servitude and submission to the LordThen “karpanya-panjika” injects a very heavy booster shot of topmost divine seva to Sri Sri Radha and Krishna, accompanied by very intense pleading prayers borne of pure spiritual humility.Then “Soka-satana” bestows the merciful benediction of the Most Merciful incarnation and yuga-avatara, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Whose ecstatic lila depicted therein is especially meant to dispel all the sufferings of the kali-yuga victims. Without such mercy from Lord Caitanya, one cannot fully appreciate or enter into the final goal of confidential personal service to Radha and Krsna which was described in the previous chapter.Then “Rupanuga-bhajana-darpana” presents the complete detailed science of the transcendental rasa-tattva that permeates Krsna’s eternal divine pastimes, as it is understood by those who strictly follow Srila Rupa Gosvami. It is based on Rupa Gosvamis’s Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu and Ujjvala-nılamanı. Although very technical at times, a sincere study of it will crack open a whole new world of understanding of Srila Prabhupada’s most exquisite, transcendentally delightful presentation of The Nectar of Devotion. Rupanuga-bhajana-darpana contains, in a nutshell, all the necessary details of the science of devotion beginning from the preliminary thirsty greed for rasa all the way up to the highest peaks of mahabhava which saturate the Lord’s eternal daily asta-kaliya pastimes.Then the final chapter called “Siddhi-lalasa presents the final moods of the topmost swan-like devotees. After a thorough study of all the details of the Then the final chapter called “Siddhi-lalasa” presents the final moods of the topmost swan-like devotees. After a thorough study of all the details of the science of rasa, the crystal-clear hearts of the pure devotees then issue forth such pure desires for eternal service to Srimati Radharani in their transcendental siddha-deha, or spiritual body, such as those desires expressed in this chapter of Siddhi-lalasa, the last word in ultimate ecstatic beatitude.So, from the very beginning to the very end, Gita-mala forcibly captures one with all it’s delightful charms and pulls one’s eyes open to witness an ecstatic preview of our final goal in Goloka Vrndavana, which definitely changes the life of the reader for the better. The Sincere follower can imbibe such permanent convictions that he will finally be finished with petty material attachments and sense gratification for good, and he will only increase his daily appreciation of the wonderful gifts that Srila Prabhupada has so kindly given to us. It was Prabhupada’s expressed desire that more songs and books of the Vaisnava padavali be presented in English, “…so that my disciples and others in the Western countries may take advantage of this chanting and thus advance in Krsna consciousness more and more…”
First Chapter
In this first chapter of Gita-mala, Thakura Bhaktivinoda has composed all the songs based on Sanskrit verses from the book “Strota-ratna”, which was written by Yamunacarya, a previous acarya coming in the line of the Sri sampradaya. The original Stotra-ratna contains 62 slokas, and Bhaktivinoda Thakura has selected 27 of the most important ones and expanded them into Bengali verses.These 27 songs specifically show the function of the subordinate ecstasies of neutrality and servitude as being inseparably interwoven and contained in the superior ecstasy of conjugal love expressed by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
Song 8
Text 1
barane tadit bása tárábali kamala mañjari nama säde bära barsa bayasa satata swinanda-sukhada-dhamabarane in color, tadit lightning, båsa kamala mañjari Kamala manjarı, nama garments, tárábali a host of stars. name, såde and a half, bára -twelve barsa – years, bayasa age, satata eternally, swänanda- sukhada-dhama-the abode of Svananda-sukhada.
My color will be lightning, my garments a host of stars, my name Kamala-manjari, my age eternally twelve and a half years, my home Svananda-sukhada.
Text 2
śrī karpūra-sebälalitāra ganarädhä jutheswari hanamameswari-nathaámára parana dhanasri-nanda-nandanasri karpura camphor, seba service, lalitara of Lalita, gana group, rådha -Rädhä, jutheswari- thequeen of the group, hana-15: mama of me, iswari – of the queen natha – the master, sri-nanda-nandana – Nanda’s son, amara of me, parána of the life, dhana the treasure.
My service will be preparing camphor, I will be among Lalita’s followers. The queen of my group will be Rådha. My queen’s master will be Nanda’s son. He will be the treasure of my life.
Text 3
prabhṛtira samajugala sebaya āśāśrī rūpa mañjarī abaśya se-rūpa sebā pabo amiparākāstha su-biśwāsaśrī rūpa mañjarī – Śrī Rupa-manjari, prabhrtira – beginning; sama – like; jugala -of the divine couple; sebaya – service; āśā – desire; abaśya – inevitable; serūpa – like that, seba – service; pabah – I will attain; ami – I, parākāstha – greatest, su-biśwāsa faith.
I yearn to serve the divine couple as Sri Rūpa-mañjarī and the other mañjaris do. With great faith I will serve Them in that way.
Text 4
kabe bä e dāsī samsiddhi labhiberädhä-kunde bäsa kori’rädhä-krsna-sebasatata koribepūrba smrti parihori’kabe – when?; bā – or; e – this; dāsī – maidservant; samsiddhi – perfection; labhibe will attain; rādhā-kunde at Radha-kunda; bāsa – residence; kori’ – doing; rādhā-krsna-seba – service at Rādhā-kunda, satata – always; koribe – will do; pūrba previous smrti – memory; parihori’ – leaving.
When will this maidservant attain this perfection? When, residing at Rādhā-kunda, and forgetting my previous lives, will I serve Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Krsna eternally
Song 9
Text 1
carana-sebanebrsabhānu-sută-hoibo je palya-dāsī śri-rādhāra sukha rohibo ami prayāsīsatata sādhanebrsabhānu – of King Vrsabhānu; sută – of thedaughters; carana feet; sebane in service; hoibah willbe; je which; pálya to be protected; dāsī maidservant; śrī-rādhāra ofśrī Rādha,sukha – happiness, satata – always, sādhane inspiritual activities; rohibah – will stay, ami – I. prayāsī endeavoring.
I will always serve Śrī Rādhā’s feet. I will be a gopi always protected by Her. I will always try to please Her.
Text2
śrī-rādhāra sukhe jänibo manete ami rādhā-pada charói’ kabhu na hoibo kāmikrsnera je sukhaśrī-krsna-sangameśrī-rādhāra – of Śrī Rādhā; sukhe – the happiness; krsnera – of Lord Krsna; je which sukha – happiness; janibah – I will know, manete in the heart, ami – I; rādhā-pada – Śrī Rādhā’s feet; charói’ – abandoning; śrī-krsna-sangame – in Śrī Krsna’s association; kabhu ever, nã not, hoibah – will be;kāmi – desiring.
In my heart I will know that Lord Krsna’s finds His pleasure in Śrī Rādhā’s pleasure. Therefore I will never desire to leave Śrī Rādhā’s feet and stay alone with Lord Krsna
Text 3
sakhi-gana mamaparama-suhrtjugala-premera gurutad-anuga ho’yesebibo rādhāracarana-kalapa-tarusakhi-gana the sakhis, mama of me; parama- suhrt the best well-wishers; jugala – of the divine couple, premera of love; guru the guru, tad-anuga -thefollower of them ho’ye will be, sebibah – I will serve, rådhára ofSri Radha carana of the feet, kalapa-taru the kalpavrksa tree.
Sri Radha’s friends will be my well-wishers, teaching me of the divine couple’s spiritual love. Following them. I will serve the kalpa-viksa tree of Sri Radha’s feet.
Text 4
rādhā-pakha charói’ je bhabe se bhabe thake je-jana se-jana pakha-pāti sadhāâmi to’ rādhikā-kabhu nahi heri tä’kerādhā – of Rādhā; pakha – the party chārói’ – leaving, je- jana se-jana – whoever; je – who, bhabe nature; se that; bhabe nature, thake – is; ami – I; to’ rādhikā -of Śrī Rādhā; pakha-pati – in the party, sadā – always, kabhu – ever; nāhi – not; heri – I see, ta’ke – stay.I will always stay with Śrī Rādhā. Never will I leave Her and stay among her rivals, whoever they are.
Song 10
Text 1
śrī-krsna-biraherādhikāra dāsaami to’ sahite närijugala-milana-sukhera käranajibana chādite päriśrī-krsna – from Śrī Krsna, birahe in separation; rādhikāra – of Śrī Rādhā, daśā condition of life;āmi I; to indeed; sahite to tolerate; näri am not able; jugala – the divine couple; milana – meeting, sukhera – happiness, kārana – cause; jibana – life; châdite to renounce pāri – I am able.I have no power to bear Śrī Rādhā’s condition separated from Lord Krsna. For the happy reunion of the divine couple I am prepared to give up my life.
Text 2
radhika-caranakhaneke praloya hoyatyajiyā āmāra śata-bära mari rādhikāra tare se duhkha āmāra soyaradhika – of Radha, carana – the feet, tyajıyä – leaving, amara of me, khaneke -for a moment, praloya – devastation, hoya , radhikara – of Rädhä: tare – to rescue, sata-bara – a hundred times; mari – I will die, se that duhkha suffering, amära of me: soya bearing.
For a moment leaving Radha’s feet, I would be at once devastated. For Radha’s sake I will die a hundred times. I gladly accept that suffering
Text 3
e heno rādhāra carana-jugale paricarjā pā’bo kabe haha braja-jana kabe braja-bane lo’be more doyā kori’e – this; henah – like; rādhāra – of Rādhā; caranajugale at the two feet, paricarja – service, pa’bah – will attain;kabe – when?; haha – O! O!; braja – of Vraja; jana – people; more – to me, doya – mercy, kori’ – doing; kabe – when?, braja-bane in Vraja’s forest, lo’be will take.
When will I serve Radha’s feet? O people of Vraja, when will you be compassionate and take me to the forests of Vraja?
Text 4
bilása mañjari ananga mañjari sri rupa mañjari ára ämäke tuliya loho nija pade dcho’ more siddhi sárabılása mañjarī – Vilasa-manjarı, ananga mañjarī – Ananga-manjari, sri rūpa manjari – Sri Rupa-manjari, ára and amake me tuliyä – lifting. lohah – please take nija own pade at the feet, deho please give more to me. siddhi -perfection sára – best.
O Vilasa-mañjari! O Ananga-mañjari! O Śri Rūpa-mañjari! Please pick me up and place me at your feet. Please give me the best of perfections.
Thus ends Gita-mālā
Hari Gopinath Das 
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