Long ago, in a quiet village, there lived a young woman
named Shabari, the daughter of a hunter. She wasn’t born into
privilege or beauty, but her heart shone with a rare, divine purity.
On the morning of her wedding, she saw thousands of goats
and sheep tied up — ready to be sacrificed as part of the ritual. Her tender
heart trembled. “How can I celebrate
while these innocent lives are lost?” she thought.
Before dawn broke, she fled to avoid the wedding and save those goats, sheep
from getting scarified.
She wandered from one sage to another, begging to be
taught the secret of true wisdom — Brahma Jnana. But each teacher
turned her away. “You are of low
birth,” they said. “You
are unfit.”
Only Sage Matanga, a true seer, looked beyond her appearance and
saw the gold in her soul. He welcomed her with compassion into his ashram. The
other sages mocked him — “He has accepted an
outcaste!”
But Sage Matanga smiled and said, “She
has come seeking the Highest. How can I refuse her?”
Under his care, Shabari bloomed — humble, silent,
devoted. She swept the ashram, tended the cows, fetched water, and served every
visitor with folded hands. Her only joy was seva —
service born of love.
Years passed. When Sage Matanga grew old, he called her
close. “My child,” he said softly, “I will soon leave this body. Is there anything you wish?”
Tears
filled her eyes. Shabari pleaded, “Gurudev,
take me with you. I cannot live without you.”
But
the sage smiled. “Not yet. The Lord
Himself — Sri Rama — will come here one day. Wait for Him.
After His darshan, you will reach me again - until then stay alive,”
So Shabari waited.
Every morning, she would gather fresh berries, clean her hut, and decorate it
with flowers — whispering, “Maybe today my
Lord will come.”
Days turned into months, months into years. Her hair turned grey, her back bent, but her hope never faded.
One day, a rishi at the nearby Pampa Sarovar saw
her drawing water. Disgusted by her caste, he hurled a stone at her. It struck
her leg, and a drop of blood fell into the
lake — turning the entire lake red like blood!
The horrified sages tried every mantra, every ritual, but nothing could cleanse
it. They even brought water from Ganga, it was of no use, they brought Yamuna
water, it didn’t work. The water remained Red.
Desperate, they prayed to Lord Rama, who was then wandering through the forest with Lakshmana.
When Rama arrived, He walked into the red waters — but
the lake remained blood. He took a sip, even washed His mouth, yet nothing
changed.
Puzzled, He asked, “How did this happen?”
The
rishis told Him the story of Shabari — the outcaste woman whose blood had “polluted”
the lake.
The moment Rama heard her name, His eyes softened, and
His voice trembled —
“Oh rishis… that was not her blood. That was my
own. Her pain is mine. Her devotion flows in my veins.”
He asked them to bring her at once. One of them went
to Shabari and said, "Lord Rama has
come and he is requesting you".
Shabari came running — limping, trembling, tears streaming down her face — the
soil from her feet fell into the water as she was running hastily. Instantly,
the water turned crystal clear again!
Everyone was surprised and were asking themselves "What happened? what happened?".
The rishis stood speechless. Rama smiled, “You see? The dust of a pure devotee has done what even my touch
could not.”
Shabari prayed to Lord Rama "now, please come
to my hut Lord, I have decorated it with flowers for you, I have brought sweet
berries for you. Please come my Lord".
He gently took Shabari’s hands and said, “Come, Mother. Take me to your home.”
Her heart overflowed with joy. She led Rama and Lakshmana to her simple
hut, adorned with flowers and love.
Offering Him a bowl of berries she had
picked that morning, she said, “"Lord
I have selected only the sweet berries for you, I tasted every berry to make
sure I have only brought the sweetest berries, please take it my Lord".
When Rama was about to take a berry Lakshman said, "Brother these are half eaten!".
But Rama smiled and took one. “Brother,” He said as He tasted it, “no fruit in this world is as sweet as this.”
Then He turned to Shabari, “Whoever offers Me a fruit, a leaf, or even water — if it is
offered with love — I accept it with joy.”
Shabari then humbly suggested, “My Lord, seek out Sugreeva — the king of the Vanaras. He will aid you in your quest to find Sita.”
She added softly, “My revered guru had foretold this moment. He told me that Sugreeva would be the key to your mission — and that I would live to witness your divine purpose on earth.”
LORD RAMA Rama explained to Shabari the Navadha Bhakti — the nine paths of devotion that lead one closer to God. He told her that even sincerely following one of these paths can earn His deepest grace.
The nine forms are:
-
Satsang: Keeping company with the righteous and the devoted.
-
Listening to divine stories: Finding joy in hearing the Lord’s leelas.
-
Serving the Guru: Offering humble service to one’s spiritual teacher.
-
Singing His glories: Praising the Lord with a pure heart.
-
Chanting His name: Repeating His name with unwavering faith.
-
Self-control and righteous living: Living with discipline and dharma.
-
Seeing the divine in all: Recognizing God in every being.
-
Contentment and non-criticism: Staying content and avoiding fault-finding.
-
Total surrender: Offering oneself completely at the Lord’s feet.
Rama blessed her, “Ask
what you wish.”
With
folded hands, Shabari said, “My only wish, my
Lord, is to love You forever — nothing else.”
Rama’s eyes glistened. He
raised His hand in blessing.
Moments later, as her Lord stood before her, Shabari’s soul left her body —
merging into eternal peace, her Guru’s promise fulfilled.
It is not what we do
or offer to the Lord, how big or small things and projects we do. What matter
is with how much devotion we offer it to Lord Rama! The Lord values bhava (feeling)
over bhoga (offering)
Shabari’s Cave is near Pampa Sarovar in Hampi is the place where Shabari lived and perform her Tapasya (austerities). There is actual spot where Lord Ramacandra and Laxmana came and sat and partook Ber (berries) picked by her.
Humble Pranams,
Srikanth Matrubai
Srikanth Matrubai Author of the Amazon Best Seller DON'T RETIRE RICH
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