Shabari’s devotion

Shabari is an ideal devotee in many ways, both to the lord and to her gurus. Upon serving great sages, she is instructed by them to stay on in the forest and serve Lord Ram when he eventually passes that way. The sages then ascend to the realm of immortality, promising Shabari that she will join them once her duty is complete. Shabari waits thirteen long years before the sages’ prophecy can come true. When the blessed day arrives, on which she sees Sri Ram and Lakshman approaching, her joy knows no bounds. She greets the brothers with every form of honour and hospitality known to her.Shabari has already attained perfection through her intense tapas and yoga. Lord Ram asks her about her experiences; whether she has mastery over the senses, if she has conquered hunger and anger and indeed, whether her service to her preceptors has borne fruit. He further enquires if she has observed her religious vows and derived satisfaction as a result, and whether she manages to rid herself of pains born of desire. Such a person alone can be said to be one of perfection. Shabari replies, it is only after meeting the lord at that moment, her devotion has come to fruition. Although Shabari had achieved spiritual perfection and revelled in the bliss of the Supreme, she describes her meeting with Sri Ram as her moment of ultimate fulfilment, telling him that her penance is now complete and her spirits have been purified on meeting the lord.She offers the Lord the produce of the land that she has gathered with absolute love. On Sri Ram’s request, she shows the brothers around the Matanga forest, where her preceptors had performed rituals, offered sacrificial oblations and flowers which still seem to be fresh as Sri Ram gazes on them. She drops her body at the feet of Ram and attains Moksha.Despite achieving perfection, Shabari remains humble, loving and totally devoted to Sri Ram. Contrast this with Ravan, who, upon gaining the powers associated with spiritual practices, develops a strong ego that takes him away from the lord and eventually to his downfall. Shabari’s story, therefore, provides us with a shining example of the feeling that a seeker must have.

Shabari’s devotion

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