Gauḍīya Gīti-guccha Prefaces
Re-Introduction to the Third Edition
One can attain the Supreme Lord through hearing, chanting, and remembering His holy name, form, qualities, and pastimes; specifically in this age of Kali, the scriptures have provided the system of śrī nāma-saṅkīrtana to attain all perfection. Śrīman Mahāprabhu, the deliverer of the age of Kali, has bestowed unlimited auspiciousness upon the living entities by inaugurating śrī nāma-kīrtana as the best of the 64 limbs of devotional service. For this reason, His associates, the supremely liberated transcendental mahājanas, desiring to deliver the living entities, took up the vow to compose and propagate padāvalī (devotional songs) in exceedingly sweet meter, which acts as a rejuvenating elixir for the heart and ears. Beginning from the time of Śrī Gaurasundara, Śrīla Narottama, Śrīnivāsa, Śyāmānanda Prabhu, and subsequently many Vaiṣṇava song-writers established the specialty of this śrī nāma-saṅkīrtana.
The truths and philosophical conclusions (siddhānta) of the Vedas, Vedānta, Gītā, and Bhāgavatam have been described in such lucid language in Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura's Prārthanā and Prema-bhakti-candrikā that they are of special help to travelers on the path of devotion. In the songs of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura as well, the essence and secrets of all scriptures have been revealed, and by refuting the false philosophies of the wicked workers, mundane empiricists, pseudo-yogīs, āula-bāula sahajiyās, māyāvādīs, and false logicians, he has given them the golden opportunity to be attracted to the path of devotion. His anticipation for the living entities of the world is the proof of his boundless compassion. Such specialty and sweetness are present in the exemplary lives of the Vaiṣṇava mahājanas. The verses and compositions of transcendental poets and littérateurs are equally suitable for everyone, whether householder or renunciate.
Divided into two volumes, Śrī Gauḍīya Gīti-guccha (the devotional songs of the Vaiṣṇava mahājanas) made its appearance as the "First Edition" on the past 2nd of Caitra, 1363 (Eng. 16.3.57) and 20th of Bhādra, 1365 (Eng. 6.9.58). Thereafter, on the past 5th of Pauṣa, 1374 (Eng. 21.12.67), its "Second Edition" was republished in a revised and expanded form. Both of the aforementioned editions were edited by the intimate associate most dear to Jagad-guru Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda, my most revered master at whose lotus feet I offer my obeisances, Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Aṣṭottara-śata-śrī Śrīmad Bhaktiprajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Prabhubara, simultaneously arranging for the supreme spiritual welfare of the faithful public who are fond of poetic songs and thirsty for bhajana, and increasing the bliss of the highly qualified perfected great souls.
All the specially necessary songs from books like Śaraṇāgati, Gītāvalī, Kalyāṇa-kalpataru, Gītamālā, and Sādhaka-kaṇṭhamālā, compiled by Śrīla Sarasvatī Prabhupāda and authored by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, found a place in those two editions (each edition divided into two volumes). In them, topics were discussed sequentially, such as śrī guru-tattva, śrī vaiṣṇava-tattva, pañca-tattva, śrī rādhā-govinda-tattva, śrī nāma-kīrtana, ārati-kīrtana, śrī nagara-kīrtana, Śrī Nāmāṣṭaka with poetic translation, Śrī Śikṣāṣṭaka, Śrī Upadeśāmṛta, Śrī Manaḥ-śikṣā, the six limbs of śaraṇāgati, Yāmuna-bhāvāvalī, śrī ṣaḍ-gosvāmi-śocaka, śoka-śātana, bāula-saṅgīta refuting the bāula philosophy, the glories of observing the vow of śrī hari-vāsara, consideration of offenses to the holy name, the holy abode, and service, and the methodology of śrī nāma-bhajana. Apart from this, devotional songs composed in Bengali and Sanskrit by mahājanas headed by my worshipable deity Śrīla Keśava Gosvāmī, Śrīla Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura, Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, Śrīla Vṛndāvanadāsa Ṭhākura, Śrīla Locanadāsa Ṭhākura, Śrīla Rūpa-Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrīla Caṇḍīdāsa, Vidyāpati, Rāmānanda Rāya, and Prabodhānanda Sarasvatīpāda were also inserted therein.
The specialty of the present third edition is that in it, as an appendix to śrī guru-vandana, Sanskrit songs, prayers, and hymns like 'Śrīla Keśavācāryāṣṭakam' by Tridaṇḍisvāmī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Trivikrama Mahārāja, 'Śrī Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭakam' by Śrīla Śrīnivāsācārya, 'Śrī Nityānandāṣṭakam' by Śrī Vṛndāvanadāsa Ṭhākura, 'Śrī Caitanyāṣṭakam' and 'Śrī Rādhikāṣṭakam' by Śrīmad Rūpa Gosvāmī, the poetic translation of the verse smerāṁ bhaṅgī-traya-paricitāṁ (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.287) as "bandhu-saṅge yadi tava raṅga parihāsa," 'Śrī Jagannāthāṣṭakam' emanating from the lotus mouth of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, and 'Jaya Jaya Prāṇa-sakhe' by Śrīla Prabodhānanda Sarasvatīpāda have been added. Furthermore, songs like the Bengali poetic glorification of Śrīla Prabhupāda "Jaya re jaya re jaya," Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's poetic translation of Śrī Rādhāṣṭaka "Baraja-vipine yamunā-kūle," "Dekhite dekhite bhuliba vā kabe," Śrīla Gaura-kiśora Bābājī Mahārāja's kīrtana in separation from Śrīmat Dāsa Gosvāmī "Kothāya go premamayi rādhe rādhe," and Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura's "Rādhā-kṛṣṇa prāṇa mora yugala-kiśora," "Karaṅga kaupīna lañā," and "Kabe kṛṣṇa-dhana pāba" have increased its volume and beauty.
In the previous two editions, 27 songs of Yāmuna-bhāvāvalī (desiring the spiritual practice of śānta and dāsya devotion) were given. Because it is published as an appendix in the final section of Śaraṇāgati, it has not been printed here this time. Furthermore, the consideration of offenses to the holy name, the holy abode, and service having been given in the books Arcana-paddhati and Śrī Hari-nāma-cintāmaṇi, they have not been printed here. Although some songs of the previous editions have been excluded in the present edition to avoid redundancy, the glory of the book has multiplied manifold due to the addition of newly essential songs, prayers, and hymns. As 10 popular Hindi śrī nāma-kīrtanas have been added to this, there is no doubt that it will be of special convenience to those fond of performing kīrtana of Hindi padāvalīs.
Although the name of this insignificant soul is announced as the editor of the present edition, in reality, I am especially grateful to my godbrother, Tridaṇḍisvāmī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja, as he took responsibility from the very beginning for various constructive tasks such as its revision, expansion, and compilation. * * * Iti—
Śrī Nityānanda-trayodaśī
An aspirant to be the servant of the servants of Śrī Guru and the Vaiṣṇavas,
28 Mādhava, 486 Śrī Gaurābda;
Śrī Bhaktivedānta Vāmana
3 Phālguna, 1379 San
(Eng. 21.12.1967)
Humble Introduction to the Fourth Edition
By repeatedly discussing and cultivating the holy name, form, qualities, and pastimes of Śrī Hari, one attains His direct service. The emperor of all scriptures, the paramount book Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says: "kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet"—the one great quality of the age of Kali, which is a mine of all faults, is that by the very influence of kṛṣṇa-nāma-saṅkīrtana, human beings in this age become liberated and attain the Supreme Person, the Supreme Lord. But such is the influence of Kali—even a dying, distressed, bedridden person with weakened senses attains the supreme destination, freed from all bondage of karma, by uttering His auspicious holy name with a faltering voice; yet the living entities of Kali, their minds distorted by atheists, do not want to worship the lotus feet of the supreme guru of the universe, Bhagavān Śrī Hari, whose lotus feet are worshiped by Brahmā and the lords of the three worlds.
"Harati hṛdaya-granthiṁ vāsanā-rūpam iti hariḥ—He who removes the knot of desires in the heart is Hari." When Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the indwelling Supersoul and Supreme Person of all pastimes, is situated in the hearts of men, He removes all faults arising from discrepancies in ingredients, time, and place, and destroys the knot in the heart in the form of all their internal desires and cravings. By hearing and chanting His holy name, the auspicious and inauspicious—piety and sin—of many, many births are destroyed. Therefore, the Vaiṣṇava mahājanas have sung: "puṇya se sukhera dhāma, tāra nā laio nāma, pāpa-puṇya dui-i parihari—Piety is an abode of happiness, do not take its name; abandon both sin and piety."
The contamination of the heart is not removed by rules and regulations (yama and niyama), and purification of the heart is impossible [by them]. Therefore, the continuous practice of śrī nāma is necessary in every respect; then, remaining careful in His meditation even at the time of death, the attainment of the supreme destination is inevitable. For dying human beings, the worship of the Supreme Lord Mukunda is the only duty; and by that alone, the Supreme Lord, the shelter of all and the indwelling monitor of all beings, bestows His own nature upon them.
For a person burning in the forest fire of threefold miseries such as ādhyātmika (miseries caused by one's own body and mind) and desiring to cross the insurmountable ocean of material existence, there is no shelter other than relishing the mellows of the holy names and pastimes of the Supreme Person. By the prescription of bhakti-yoga in the form of constant meditation on the Lord, nāma-saṅkīrtana, and deep contemplation, obstacles such as inauspicious desires, pride, and arrogance are gradually destroyed. A person desiring pure devotion to the Supreme Lord should constantly and daily hear and perform the singing of the glorious pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, which inherently destroy all obstacles, just as the saintly mahājanas constantly sing.
The results obtained in Satya-yuga by meditating on Viṣṇu, in Tretā-yuga by performing sacrifices to Him, and in Dvāpara-yuga by worshiping Him are all attained in Kali-yuga solely from śrī hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana. Becoming attached by the influence of singing the highly auspicious births, activities, and holy names of the most beloved Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, which are glorified throughout the three worlds, the devotees wander everywhere on earth, detached and undisturbed. In this age of Kali, all types of human goals of all ages are attained solely through the nāma-kīrtana of Śrī Hari. For the living entities wandering in this material world, there is nothing more supremely beneficial than nāma-saṅkīrtana; because by it alone supreme peace is attained and the miseries of material existence are dispelled.
Those who do not hear the topics of the names and pastimes of the unborn Supreme Lord invite inauspiciousness and become māyāvādīs. They become illusioned by considering the transcendental names and pastimes of Śrī Hari through mundane and illusory perspectives. The fortunate and pious people, by the influence of saintly association, understand the secret of the birth pastimes of the unborn Lord and attain the supreme auspiciousness. Abandoning the path of argument and taking shelter of the path of descending Vedic revelation (āmnāya-śrauta-patha), they sing the holy name. By this alone, the unalloyed devotion of the living entity awakens and all perfections are achieved. Bereft of non-dual knowledge, the living entity invites pure monism (kevalādvaita-vāda), and by highly esteeming the philosophy of material monism (jaḍādvaita)—which is devoid of internal, similar, and dissimilar differences—he invites mundane dualistic thought. The foremost among Vaiṣṇavas, Śrī Madhvamuni, the ācārya of the Brahmā-sampradāya, did not accept such unfavorable philosophies. Acknowledging the eternal, spiritual pastimes such as the birth of the unborn Lord, he propagated the philosophy of pure dualism (śuddhādvaita-vāda).
Even fallen, stumbling, sorrowful, and helpless persons become freed from all sins if they utter the holy name in a loud voice. The distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and the knowledgeable—becoming pious, they engage in the worship of the Lord. The scriptures state: "haraye namaḥ ity uccair mucyate sarva-pātakāt"—by loudly chanting "haraye namaḥ," all sins are destroyed. Due to deep absorption in sin in the conditioned state, we have to remain fallen, deviated, distressed, afflicted, and dependent. Therefore, out of boundless compassion for the conditioned souls, the Supreme Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself, in the courtyard of Śrīvāsa (at Kholabhāṅgāra ḍāṅgā), instructed the giving up of mundane enjoyment through the loud saṅkīrtana of mahājana-padāvalīs like "haraye namaḥ." Later, gurus and ācāryas headed by Ṭhākura Narottama, Śrīnivāsācārya, and Śyāmānanda Prabhu blessed the conditioned souls of Kali by preaching Prema-bhakti-candrikā, Prārthanā, and other padāvalīs and śrī nāma-saṅkīrtana throughout India in melodies, rhythms, and tempos like 'Reṇeṭī', 'Garāṇahāṭī', and 'Manohara-sāhī'. The poetic songs of the transcendental poet and littérateur Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura have created a massive stir in the world.
Being initiated into the mantra "kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ" and preaching the message of Śrī Gaurasundara everywhere in the world is the special instruction of the Gauḍīya Gosvāmīs and the predecessor gurus of the sampradāya following Śrī Caitanya. In various places in the scriptures, it is also stated: "yad āpnoti tad āpnoti kalau saṅkīrtya keśavam", "gītāni nāmāni tad-arthakāni gāyan vilajjaḥ", "yatra saṅkīrtanenaiva sarva-svārtho 'bhilabhyate", "kāṁścin mamānudhyānena nāma-saṅkīrtanādibhiḥ", "nāma-saṅkīrtanaṁ yasya sarva-pāpa-praṇāśanam," and so on. In the age of Kali, all the results of other ages will occur solely by the kīrtana of the holy name—this is the purport of all scriptures. Regarding the difference and distinction between kīrtana and saṅkīrtana, the scriptures say: "oṣṭha-spandana-mātreṇa kīrtanam" (kīrtana is merely the moving of the lips); and "bahubhir militvā yat kīrtanaṁ tad eva saṅkīrtanam" (that kīrtana which is performed together by many is indeed saṅkīrtana). The instruction to perform kīrtana of the holy name, form, qualities, and pastimes of the Supreme Lord has been given in the scriptures, and "sarva-kṣaṇa bala ithe vidhi nāhi āra" (chant at every moment, there is no other rule in this)—this is also a special provision. Desiring one's own spiritual welfare according to one's qualification, performing bhajana and kīrtana is its practical realization or success. Anyone within the four varṇas and āśramas, if endowed with faith, is qualified for the practice of śrī nāma-saṅkīrtana. Iti—
Śrī Kṛṣṇa's Śāradīyā Rāsa-yātrā
An aspirant to be the servant of the servants of
Śrī Guru and the Vaiṣṇavas,
29 Padmanābha, 493 Śrī Gaurābda
Śrī Bhaktivedānta Vāmana
18 Āśvina, 1386 Baṅgābda
(Eng. 5.10.1979)
Short Introduction to the Fifth Edition
The 1st and 2nd volumes of the first edition of Śrī Gauḍīya Gīti-guccha were edited and published respectively on the past 30 Govinda, 471 Śrī Gaurābda; 2 Caitra, 1363 Baṅgābda; Eng. 17.3.1957, the Phālgunī-pūrṇimā appearance day of Śrī Gaura, and 8 Hṛṣīkeśa, 472 Śrī Gaurābda; 20 Bhādra, 1365 Baṅgābda; Eng. 6.9.1958, the lunar day of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Janmāṣṭamī, by my revered spiritual master who has entered eternal pastimes, Jagad-guru Oṁ Viṣṇupāda 108 Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktiprajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja. In both volumes, Śrīla Gurupādapadma wrote two separate prefaces entitled 'Nivedana'. The second edition of this book was also edited by him on the past 481 Śrī Gaurābda; Eng. 21.12.1967, on the disappearance day of Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Subsequently, the third and fourth editions were edited and published by the Managing Committee of Śrī Gauḍīya Vedānta Samiti (Regd.) respectively on the past 28 Mādhava, 486 Śrī Gaurābda; 3 Phālguna, 1379 Baṅgābda; Eng. 15.2.1973, Śrī Nityānanda-trayodaśī, and 29 Padmanābha, 493 Śrī Gaurābda; 18 Āśvina, 1386 Baṅgābda; Eng. 5.10.1979, the lunar day of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's Śāradīyā Rāsa-yātrā. In those two editions, the two prefaces entitled 'Prati-nivedana' and 'Namra-nivedana' written by the President-Ācārya of the Samiti were also published. In the intervening period of twelve years, the Gīti-guccha book was reprinted twice. Therefore, I have mentioned the present comparatively larger, revised, and expanded edition as the "Fifth Edition." To preach the message of Śrī Rūpa and Raghunātha is the specific order and directive of the sequence of our gurus, gosvāmīs, and ācāryas upon us. Only when that directive is followed, directly or indirectly, is our life successful and fulfilled.
Regarding the glories, greatness, and specialty of Śrī Gauḍīya Gīti-guccha, whatever my supremely worshipable Śrīla Gurupādapadma has informed us in the preface 'Nivedana' is sufficient and exemplary for us. We have no statements of our own; to practically realize the instructions and directives of Śrī Hari, Guru, and the Vaiṣṇavas with heart and soul is our supreme duty and responsibility. We shall make our lives successful by following that as the servants of the servants who partake of their remnants.
Whatever philosophical conclusions Śrīla Gurupādapadma has revealed regarding Gīti-guccha in direct and indirect ways (anvaya and vyatireka), if we can accept and reject even a little of that in our lives, it will be to our complete welfare. Whatever obstacles and impediments appear on the path of spiritual practice in the lives of male and female practitioners, they are easily removed by the potent instructions and directives of the saintly and virtuous persons, and we become capable of attaining true auspiciousness. The objects of the mundane world always lead us astray; they are at all times the antithesis of transcendental conceptions. Therefore, the divine messages emanating from the pens of the eternally perfected great souls, the transcendental poets and littérateurs, are auspicious for us at every moment.
The specialty of the present fifth edition of Gīti-guccha is that, at the end of the maṅgalācaraṇa, various praṇāma-mantras and various Sanskrit prayers and hymns according to the sequence of the guru-paramparā and based on the object of shelter (āśraya-viṣaya) have been printed in detail and in sequential order. Furthermore, fearing the expansion of the book's volume in the 2nd edition, while publishing it in one volume instead of two, all those songs of the 1st edition that could not be printed have also been fully accommodated herein. All the necessary songs of songbooks like Śrī Śaraṇāgati, Gītāvalī, Gītamālā, Kalyāṇa-kalpataru, and Sādhaka-kaṇṭhamālā have been completely collected and published in this unabridged edition.
In this Gīti-guccha book, principally only the songs approved by the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas following Śrī Svarūpa and Śrī Rūpa have been printed. Śrīla Gurupādapadma wrote in one place in his preface to the second edition: "It is a matter of great sorrow that many Hindi songs contrary to philosophical conclusions are current in society nowadays. Even if those are considered not contrary to conclusive truths, nevertheless, because they are 'avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇam' (emanating from the mouths of non-Vaiṣṇavas), they are not to be heard or chanted; everyone should perform kīrtana with this consideration."
Therefore, keeping the order and directive of Śrīla Gurupādapadma on our heads, we have published the kīrtanas in Hindi, Assamese, and Odia languages, which were published in the appendix of the previous editions, with minor changes. In the future, if a situation of re-evaluation or philosophical contradiction arises centering around them, we will take care to correct or exclude them in the subsequent edition.
Śrī Śrī Jagannāthadeva's Candana-yātrā—
Akṣaya-tṛtīyā lunar day, 17 Madhusūdana, An aspirant to be the servant of the servants of Śrī Guru and the Vaiṣṇavas,
510 Śrī Gaurābda, 7th Vaiśākha, Śrī Bhaktivedānta Vāmana
1403 Baṅgābda (Eng. 20.4.1996)
Submissive Introduction to the Sixth Edition
The various devotional songs composed by the Gauḍīya mahājanas—which are like a necklace for the community of Gauḍīya devotees, comparable to a great treasure—are the synthesis of all perfect philosophical conclusions churned from the entire ocean of scriptures. The truth of religion is truly hidden in the cave of the hearts of the mahājanas, therefore the path adopted by them is to be followed by all: "dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyāṁ, mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ." In the scriptures, the term mahājana primarily points to that foremost amongst the bhāgavatas whose heart is always bound to the lotus feet of Śrī Hari by the rope of love: "praṇaya-rasanayā dhṛtāṅghri-padmaḥ sa bhavati bhāgavata-pradhānaḥ uktaḥ." (Bhāg. 11.2.55). And those other authors of religious scriptures of the bhāgavata-dharma who are worshiped as mahājanas in ordinary human society are in reality bewildered by the divine illusory energy; they are not aware of the true purport of the scriptures: "prāyeṇa veda tad idaṁ na mahājano 'yaṁ, devyā vimohita-matir vata māyayālam." (Bhāg. 6.3.25). "Kṛṣṇera bhajana chāḍī ye śāstra bākhāne. se adhama kabhu śāstra-marma nāhi jāne." (Cai. Bhā.). In this context, the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself has told His friend Uddhava: 'Those who, abandoning the purport of the scriptures, have their minds distracted by the flowery words of the scriptures and become highly greedy, honoring them, never have any taste for My message, meaning My instructions (or messages concerning Me)—"evaṁ puṣpitayā vācā vyākṣipta-manasāṁ nṛṇām. mānināṁ cāti-lubdhānāṁ mad-vārtāpi na rocate." (Bhāg. 11.21.34). Therefore, the mundane personalist followers of the path of fruitive action (karma-kāṇḍīs), or the mundane impersonalist followers of the path of knowledge (jñāna-kāṇḍīs), and the followers of the eightfold yoga system (aṣṭāṅga-yogīs)—none of them are aware of the purport of the scriptures, thus they do not deserve the title of mahājana. Those who have transcended the fact that the topics of Śrī Hari and devotion to Śrī Hari are expressed everywhere in the beginning, middle, and end of all scriptures such as the Vedas, Rāmāyaṇa, Purāṇas, and Mahābhārata, and have known devotion to Śrī Hari to be the essence of all essences, and have bound Śrī Hari within their hearts by immaculate devotion inherent to the nature of the soul—they alone are truly worthy of the title mahājana. Among them, the Supreme Lord Himself exhibits His inability to fully describe the glories of the Gauḍīya mahājanas, the crest jewels of the entire community of mahājanas, whose sole wealth of the heart is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the combined form of Śrī Rādhā and Govinda, who is the incarnation for distributing His own devotional service, which is the ultimate goal.
The garland of songs emanating from the mouths of those mahājanas, marked with the glories of the Supreme Lord and acting as a rejuvenating elixir for the heart and ears, destroys the unlimited sins and seeds of sins of the living entities and sows the seed of the desire tree of divine love in their hearts. The topics of Brahman of the Upaniṣads are as lackluster as a firefly before the sun in the presence of that garland of songs: "śrutaṁ apy aupaniṣadaṁ dūre hari-kathāmṛtāt. yan na santi dravac-citta-kampāśru-pulakādayaḥ." The transcendental, personal Supreme Lord is endowed with His own name, form, qualities, associates, and pastimes. By discussing the Upaniṣads, one does not realize those eternal characteristics of the Supreme Truth, and thus there is no complete awakening of the constitutional religion of the soul. But in the nectar of the pastimes of the Lord's name, form, and qualities eternally experienced in the hearts of the mahājanas who have taken shelter of the path of faith and devotion—which eternally flows as the current of saṅkīrtana emanating from their lotus mouths—the complete awakening of the soul's constitutional religion of the living entity takes place. Śrī Gauḍīya Gīti-guccha is indeed the compilation of those unsurpassedly beneficial songs of those Gauḍīya mahājanas.
As the fifth edition of Śrī Gauḍīya Gīti-guccha has been exhausted, its sixth edition has been published in a somewhat expanded volume. To fulfill the desires of the readers, the two very famous prayers, 'Śrī Śrī Rādhā-kṛpā-kaṭākṣa-stotram' and 'Śrī Śrī Madhurāṣṭakam', have been added herein. In addition, the song of Gopakumāra described in Śrī Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta, the kīrtana 'Śrī Kṛṣṇa Gopāla Hare Mukunda', and the root of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's 'Yāmuna-bhāvāvalī'—the verses composed by Śrī Yāmunācārya—and so forth have also been added, by which there is no doubt the present edition has been adorned with a specialty.
Śrīla Prabhupāda's Appearance Day— An aspirant to be the servant of the servants of Śrī Guru and the Vaiṣṇavas,
5 Govinda, 516 Śrī Gaurābda, Śrī Bhaktivedānta Vāmana
8th Phālguna, 1409 Baṅgābda,
(Eng. 21.2.2003)
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