Prabodhananda Sarasvati


Prabodhananda Sarasvati- one of the legendary Gaudiya Vaishnava and hitaharivamsa tradition sannyasis.
Telugu Brahmin from Srirangam of Sri Sampradaya tradition, converted to the path of devotion to Radha Krishna by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. When Chaitanya traveled through South India in 1509–10, he stayed at the house of Venkata Bhatta, the father of Gopala Bhatta, priest of Srirangam. Venkata and his two brothers, Gopala's uncles Trimalla and Prabodhananda Sarasvati "were converted from their Sri Vaishnava faith in Lakshmi-Narayana as supreme to one in Radha Krishna" as Svayam bhagavan. The dialog of this conversion is recorded in 16 c. Chaitanya Charitamrita biography by Krishna dasa Kaviraja.
Sometime after his conversion, Prabodhananda composed a text in praise of the Sacred land of Krishna's birth, Sri Vrindavana. The text is entitled 'Sri Vrndavana Mahimamrta'. The Hindi version of Shri Vrindavan Mahimarita has been published by Shri Harinam Press, Vrindavan. The book explains the glories of Shri Vrindavan Dham and the account of the life of Shri Prabodhananda Sarasvatipada. Bhumipati Dasa has published a translated edition through Ras Bihari Lal & Sons, in India, 2002. In Bhumipati's translation, he has collected various textual sources that reference Prabodhananda, and thus describes his person.