By 
Shabri's story in the Ramayana is an inspiring tale of devotion, perseverance, and compassion towards all living beings.
Characters in the story:
Shabari: Shabari is a devotee of Lord Rama who offered him berries tasted by her in the epic Ramayana.
Lord Ram: Lord Rama is one of the most revered deities in Hinduism and is the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu. He is known for his virtues of righteousness, courage, and devotion, and is considered a symbol of ideal human behavior and the victory of good over evil.
Lakshmana: Lakshmana is a prominent character in the Hindu epic Ramayana, where he is depicted as the younger brother of Lord Rama and a loyal companion in his journey to rescue his wife Sita from the demon king Ravana.
In the heart of a forest, a young woman named Shabari lived with her hunter father. Although she wasn’t considered to be beautiful, her heart was pure and filled with kindness. One day, she witnessed her father’s plan to sacrifice thousands of innocent animals and couldn’t bear to see it happen. So, she ran away early in the morning to avoid the killing.
Determined to find true wisdom or Brahma Jnana, Shabari went to various teachers, but all of them rejected her because of her low caste status. However, Sage Matanga saw the purity in her heart and accepted her as his disciple, even though other rishis and yogis condemned him for taking an outcaste as his student.
Sage Matanga instructed Shabari to stay in his ashram and serve, and she diligently took care of daily tasks like tending to cows and doing other chores. Although other rishis in the forest rejected her Guru, she lived peacefully in his ashram.
As Sage Matanga grew older, he called Shabari and told her he was leaving his body soon. She prayed to Lord Rama to take her with him to the highest abode, and he promised that one day, Lord Rama would come to see her. Shabari waited eagerly for Rama’s arrival and went to the forest every day to collect berries to offer to him.
Years went by, and Shabari grew old, but her devotion remained strong. One day, while she was collecting water from a beautiful lake called Pampasar, a rishi threw a stone at her, causing her leg to bleed, and a drop of her blood fell into the lake, turning it red. The rishis who used the lake for their sacred rites panicked and tried various methods to purify it, but nothing worked.
They eventually found Lord Rama wandering in the forest and asked for his help. Rama walked into the lake and tried various methods, but nothing changed. One of the rishis revealed that a sage had once lived there with an outcaste disciple named Shabari, and when the rishi threw a stone at her, causing her blood to fall into the lake, it turned red. Rama revealed that the blood was from his own heart and requested to meet Shabari.
Shabari was overjoyed to hear that Rama had come to see her and ran to meet him, but the rishis tried to stop her. However, as she ran, the dust from her feet fell into the water, and it miraculously turned back into water again. Rama followed her to her ashram. Shabari presented the bowl of berries to him. As he was about to take one, his brother Lakshman noticed that they were half-eaten and expressed his displeasure. However, Lord Rama saw the love and effort that Shabari had put into selecting the sweetest berries and was pleased.
He took a fruit and ate it, saying, “Brother, these berries are so sweet. I have never tasted berries as sweet as Shabari’s berries. Whomsoever offers a fruit, a leaf, a flower, or water with love, I take it with great joy.” Lord Rama’s words of appreciation for Shabari’s offering filled her heart with joy and strengthened her devotion to him. Rama was pleased and blessed her, and she achieved the spiritual world and the eternal abode of Sri Rama.
Shabari’s devotion and her pure heart were what made her special, and her story continues to be celebrated and remembered as an example of true devotion. People visit her ashram to pay their respects and learn from her teachings. They understand that one can achieve spiritual enlightenment and purity by being devoted to the Lord and serving others with a pure heart.
