Early History of the Vaishnava Faith and Movement in Bengal, from Sanskrit and Bengali Sources c7.s4.29

c7.s4.29

¹ The proposed identification of Prabodhānanda with Prakāśānanda (of which one hears for the first time in the spurious Advaita-prakāśa, see above p. 100, note 1), whom Caitanya met at Benares, is still more unfounded and unjustifiable. There is also no evidence for the statement (Jadunath Sarkar, Caitanya's Life and Teachings, 2nd ed., Calcutta 1922; misled by Dinesh Chandra Sen and others) that Caitanya changed the name of Prakāśānanda into Prabodhānanda; and nothing is said anywhere of a change of names. Caitanya is alleged to have met Prabodhānanda in Southern India long before he came across the scoffing unbeliever of Benares. Apart from the dubiousness of the fact of conversion of Prakāśānanda itself, we do not know if and when Prabodhānanda was actually converted by Caitanya.