God's Abode

GOD’S ABODE.

There was a small village Pandurangapuram on the banks of the river Chandravathi. Once there lived a sweeper by name Chokkanatham; his wife Satyavathi was a pious lady. Chokkayya belonged to a low caste by birth. But he was a noble person and a great devotee of Lord Sri Krishna.

He got his yearly salary from the king for sweeping the temple premises and roads around the temple. Chokkayya, popularly called by the villagers, was docile and lived a devotee’s life; he woke up before sunrise, took bath in the river; prayed Sun-god at dawn. Then he came home, had his pooja (worship) to Lord Sri Krihna, take his breakfast and go to the temple premises to do his duties.

In spite of his great devotion to God, the priests never permitted Chokkayya to enter the inner temple and to have darshan (sight) of the main idol Lord Sri Krishna, because they believed allowing a low-caste person into the sanctum-sanctorum was a sin and the temple’s piety would be ruined. But Chokkayya had a great desire ti see the Lord’s main idol in the temple & prayed Sri Krishna to grant that boon; once Lord asked Chokkayya to follow the band of pilgrims from Chandrapuram and enter the temple an have darshan of the Lord’s idol. He followed Lord’s advice; but one of the priests recognized Chikkayya as the sweeper and shouted at him to go away; in the mean time, other priests also came running there; they drove Chokkayya out of the temple beating him wth lathis (thick sticks). He was wounded and bleeding all over his body; a complaint was lodged against him in the village-court (grama-pancnayat) against Chokkayya for his attempt to enter the inner temple.

He was sentenced to leave that village and shift to the other bank of the river and stay near the forest. Chokkayya built a hut there on the river bank at the boarder of the forest. There was no village there. (to be continued).