काशी में वेदान्तके प्रकाण्ड पण्डित, सगुण उपासनाके विरोधी स्वामी प्रकाशानन्द सरस्वती रहते थे श्रीचैतन्यदेव जब पुरीमें प्रेमभक्तिका प्रवाह बहा रहे थे, तब उनपर कुछ नाराज होकर स्वामीजीने एक श्लोक लिखकर उनके पास भेजा
यत्रास्ते मणिकर्णिकामलसरः स्वर्दीर्घिका दीर्घिका
रत्नं तारकमक्षरं तनुभृते शम्भुः स्वयं यच्छति ।
तस्मिन्नद्भुतधामनि स्मररिपोर्निर्वाणमार्गे स्थिते
मूढोऽन्यत्र मरीचिकासु पशुवत् प्रत्याशया धावति ॥
‘जहाँ मणिकर्णिका है, अमल सरोवर आदि पुण्यतोया तलाई और तालाब हैं तथा जहाँ शम्भु स्वयं जीवोंको ‘तारक’ यह दुर्लभ अक्षर-रत्न प्रदान करते है, कामशत्रुके ऐसे मुक्तिपथस्वरूप अद्भुत स्थानका परित्याग करके मूर्ख-लोग ही पशुवत् प्रत्याशाकी मोहिनी मूर्तिपर विमुग्ध होकर मरीचिकाके लोभसे । इधर-उधर भटकते हैं।’श्लोक पढ़कर श्रीचैतन्यदेव मुसकराये और उत्तरमें निम्नलिखित श्लोक लिखकर भेज दिया-
घर्माम्भो मणिकर्णिका भगवतः पादाम्बु भागीरथी
काशीनां पतिरर्द्धमस्य भजते श्रीविश्वनाथः स्वयम् ।
एतस्यैव हि नाम शम्भुनगरे निस्तारकं तारकं तस्मात्
कृष्णपदाम्बुजं भज सखे श्रीपादनिर्वाणदम् ॥
‘जिनके पसीनेके जलसे मणिकर्णिकाकी उत्पत्ति हुई, जिनके चरणकमलोंका धोवन ही भागीरथी गङ्गा हैं, श्रीविश्वनाथ जिनका आधा अङ्ग बने हुए हैं और श्रीशम्भु जिनका तारक नाम देकर जीवोंका निस्तार करते रहते हैं, हे सखे! तुम उन्हीं मुक्तिदाता श्रीकृष्णके चरणकमलोंका भजन करो।’
इस श्लोकको पढ़कर प्रकाशानन्दजीके मनमें बड़ा परिवर्तन हो गया। इसके बाद श्रीचैतन्यदेव जब काशी पधारे, तब स्वामी प्रकाशानन्दजी दो महीने उनके सत्सङ्गमें रहकर श्रीकृष्ण भक्त बन गये।
Swami Prakashananda Saraswati, a great scholar of Vedanta and an opponent of virtuous worship, lived in Kashi. When Sri Chaitanyadeva was shedding the flow of love and devotion in Puri, Swamiji became angry with him and wrote a verse and sent it to him
There is a lake called Manikarnikamalasara which is long and long
Lord Śambhu himself gives the jewel, the star, the syllable, to the embodied soul.
In that wonderful abode the enemy of lust is on the path of Nirvana
A foolish person runs around like an animal in the hope of finding somewhere else.
‘Where there is Manikarnika, where there are holy waters like Amal Sarovar and where Shambhu himself bestows this rare letter-gemstone on living beings, fools abandon such a wonderful place as the path of liberation of the enemy of desire. Sri Caitanyadeva smiled after reading the verse and wrote the following verse in reply and sent it:
Gharmambho Manikarnika Bhagirathi is the water of the Lord’s feet
The lord of the Kāśīs, Śrī Viśvanātha, himself worships half of this.
This is the name of the savior and star in the city of Shambhu
O friend, worship the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, whose feet bestow liberation.
‘Whose sweat water gave rise to Manikarnika, whose washing of lotus feet is the Bhagirathi Ganga, Sri Vishwanath whose half-limb is formed and Sri Shambhu who continues to save living beings by giving him the name of Tarak, O friend! You should worship the lotus feet of the same liberator Krishna.
Reading this verse, Prakashanandaji had a big change in his mind. After this, when Sri Chaitanyadeva visited Kashi, Swami Prakashanandaji stayed in his satsang for two months and became a devotee of Sri Krishna.
