Shabari's Berries

Deep in the forest, near the beautiful lake of Pampa, there once lived a woman named Shabari.

She came from a tribe of forest hunters. When she was young, she had left her home to live near the hermitage of a wise sage called Matanga. She swept the paths, carried water and gathered firewood for the sage and his pupils. She wanted nothing in return except to learn, and to live a good life.

The years passed. Shabari's hair turned white, and her back grew bent. Sage Matanga grew old too.

A promise

Before the sages of the hermitage left this world, they called Shabari to them.

"Shabari," they said, "you have served with a pure heart. One day, Rama himself will come to this place. Wait for him. When you have seen him, your life will be complete."

From that day on, Shabari waited.

Every single morning

Every morning, she got up before the sun. She swept the path to her little hut, so that Rama's feet would not touch a single thorn. She scattered fresh flowers along the way.

Every morning, she went into the forest and gathered the best fruits and berries she could find, in case today was the day.

Every evening, when Rama had not come, she was not disappointed. "Perhaps tomorrow," she said, and smiled.

Days became months. Months became years. Still she swept, and gathered, and waited, and never once gave up hope.

The day he came

Then, one day, two young men came walking along the path through the forest. They were dressed simply, like hermits, with bows on their shoulders. One was dark, with kind eyes, and the other walked beside him like a shadow.

It was Rama, with his brother Lakshmana. They were searching for Rama's wife, Sita, who had been carried away by the demon king Ravana.

Shabari knew him at once. Her old eyes filled with tears. She fell at his feet.

"You've come," she whispered. "After all these years, you've come to my door."

She washed their feet and gave them a place to sit. Then she brought out her basket of wild berries, the ber fruit that grows in the forest.

The tasted berries

Here, the people who tell this story add something that has made it famous all over India.

Shabari wanted Rama to have only the sweetest berries. So, before she gave him each one, she took a tiny bite to taste it. If it was sour, she threw it away. If it was sweet, she gave it to Rama.

Lakshmana was shocked. To offer someone food that you have already tasted was thought very improper, and certainly not fit for a prince.

But Rama smiled and ate every berry, one after another, with great joy.

"Lakshmana," he said, "I have eaten many fine feasts in palaces. But I have never tasted anything as sweet as these. Every one of them was chosen with love."

Shabari's gift

Shabari had no gold, no silk and no fine food to offer. She had only a basket of wild berries, an open heart and years of faithful waiting. And to Rama, that was the finest gift of all.

Before they left, Shabari told the brothers to go to the hill of Rishyamukha, where they would find Sugriva, a king of the vanaras, who would help them find Sita. It was the advice that set them on the right road.

Then, her wish fulfilled, the old woman's long wait was over, and she peacefully left this world.

About this story

Shabari's story comes from the Aranya Kanda, the third book of the Ramayana. In Valmiki's telling, Shabari offers Rama fruits she has gathered from the forest. The beloved detail of the tasted berries comes from later devotional retellings, sung and told across India for centuries. This version is a shortened, simplified retelling.