Vedic Katha
A poor forest woman, Shabari, waited a lifetime to serve Rama and offered him berries she had tasted first to be sure they were sweet.
Deep in the forest lived Shabari, an old woman of a tribal community and a devotee of Rama. Her guru, the sage Matanga, had told her before he passed on that one day Rama would come, and she should wait to…
At last, searching for the abducted Sita, Rama and Lakshmana came to Shabari's humble hut. Overwhelmed, she washed their feet and brought out the ber (jujube berries) she had saved.
By strict custom, food already tasted is impure and must never be offered to a guest, still less to the Lord. Lakshmana hesitated.
Shabari's berries are a cornerstone of Hindu devotional thought. The story says plainly that God looks not at the ritual correctness of an offering, nor at the giver's birth or status, but only at the love…
The story says plainly that God looks not at the ritual correctness of an offering, nor at the giver's birth or status, but only at the love behind it, the path of devotion is open to everyone.
Vedic Katha
The complete story, its characters and sources, on Vedic Katha.