GOD’S ABODE.

GOD’S ABODE.

There was a small village Pandurangapurm 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 Bhagavan (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 Bhagavan (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 Bhagavan (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 to see the Bhagavan (Lord)’s main idol in the temple & prayed Sri Krishna to grant that boon; once Bhagavan (Lord) asked Chokkayya to follow the band of pilgrims from Chandrapuram and enter the temple an have darshan of the Bhagavan (Lord)’s idol. He followed Bhagavan (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 with 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.

Chikkayya built a hut there on the river bank at the boarder of the forest. There was no village there.

Bhagavan (Lord) Sri Krishna once came to his hut; he pacified Chokkayya and his wife; he prmised that would visit them often and be with them. They were very happy and prayed the Bhagavan (Lord) with ecstatic devotion. Chokkayya resumed his normal life of sweeping the village roads crossing the river in the morning; and returned to his hut in the evening crossing then river; he made a small crude boat with wood in the forest for crossing the river. Once Bhagavan (Lord) Sri Krishna told Chokkayya that He would visit his hut on Vaikuntha Ekadasi, pious festival noon, and would have dinner in his house. That day, Chokkayya finished his road-cleaning duties early and returned to his hut by boat in the noon. Some villagers saw this; they felt curiosity and followed him secretly; they crossed the river in a regular ferry-boat; they hid behind the trees in the forest and listened the talk in the hut. They over-heard Chokkayya and his

wife talking and praising Sri Krishna as if conversing with Sri Krishna and serving him many delicious food items. They felt Chokkayya is a cheat. They thought they could get him greater punishment, if they complained against him to the king. Two person hastened to the king and reported many bad things to him to prove Chikkayya was cheating people; he talked as if was conversing with the Bhagavan (Lord) Sri Krishna directly; also today he is playing a drama of offering noon dinner to Bhagavan (Lord) himself. The king was annoyed; he sent some armed soldiers to arrest Chikkayya and bring him to royal court. When the soldiers and villagers arrived, they shouted Chokkayya to come out

of the hut; then he was serving curd to Bhagavan (Lord). When he heard loud shouts he was perplexed and his hand shivered and some curd spilled over the yellow silk garment of Bhagavan (Lord). Both wife and husband came out to see what those shouts were. Immediately the soldiers tied Chikkayya’s hands with ropes and led him to the royal court; his wife ran after him; they left Bhagavan (Lord) Sri Krishna behind in the hut.

They had no time to take leave of Him or to clean the garment Sri Krishna wore.

The king then ordered Chokkayya to be tied to a bullock cart and drag him on stony hills till he bleeded to death. Satyavathi explained what happened in the hut; nobody believed her. When all was ready and the bullocks were provoked to run; they did not run; the cart also did not move. All were

surprised; nobody know what happened. Only Satyavathi saw a surprise; Bhagavan (Lord) Sri Krishna sat on the cart and held the ropes tight so that the bullocks do not move. She praised the Bhagavan (Lord) with folded hands. Then an old Brahmin in the gathering told the king to go to the temple of Sri Krishna and find out the truth. The king and his followers and the soldiers with Chokkayya tied by hands with ropes and his wife all went to the temple. Chokkayya and his wife and the soldiers stayed out while the king and his followers went in.

The priests welcome the king with temple-honours; the king ad the darshan of the main idol of Sri Krishna; then words came from the idol; “Oh! King! Chokkayya is a true devotee; what all he and his wife told was true; when he was beaten and chased out of the temple for trying to enter and have darshan, I left the temple and stayed with him in his hut. It was true, I had my noon-dinner in his home. You see the spilled curd still on my garment. I love my devotees; his caste, birth and such others do not count at all. I always stay in the heart of my true devotee.” The king and all others there saw the curd-stain on the garment tied to the idol of Deity. All were surprised and awed at these words of Bhagavan (Lord), coming from the idol. Chokkayya was set free; the king honoured him and his wife.

Then Chokkayya and his wife lived happily for many years, totally dedicating their lives in the service of Bhagavan (Lord) Sri Krishna. At the end they merged into Bhagavan (Lord) Sri Krishna & attained Kaivalyam (union with God). The caste system was originally started in India with a social purpose, based on the professions. The aim was to ensure smooth running of social life in the country. All professions were then treated equally with equal respect; the professions were passed on in the families, generation to generation. But slowly evil practices percolated into the caste system; some were treated well; some were ill-treated; untouchability is the worst of the evils. Even now this cruel practice is not totally eradicated. A person is to be deemed respectable by his nature, behaviour & character but not by his / her birth or caste or social status. Then only the society progresses and human welfare is achieved. Compiler : Prof. Komaragiri Venkata Ramana Rao. Ph.D., (Retired Professor; Andhra University College of Engineering); Astrologer-Scienitst. Durham. NC; U.S.A.: (Tatayya = Grand-father). My e-mail address : pandit@jyothishi.com---------- I dedicate all these stories in the blog to Sri Parama Paalakas (Supreme Rulers of this entire Universe): Bhagavan Sri Siddhi Vinayaka, Sri Lakshmi Narayana and Sri Gouri Sankara and Sri Saraswathi and Bhagavan Sri Venkateswara !