was a girl from a tribal village !
But... she was a seeker of knowledge, and wanted to know the meaning of Dharma. After days of traveling, she met Sage Matanga at the foot of the Mountain Rishyamukha, and accepted him as guru, serving him with devotion.
When her guru Matanga was about to die, Shabari - now an elderly lady - stated that after serving him throughout her life, she now sought to reach for herself the same 'abode of peace' which Matanga reached.
Thereupon, the sage said that by the virtue of her seva, Lord Rama would give her darshana, and asked her to wait for his arrival. Saying thus, the sage sitting in lotus posture attained mahasamadhi. As per her guru's words, Shabari waited for the arrival of Rama.
Everyday, Shabari would go out of her ashram, with the help of a walking stick, and pluck berry fruits for Lord Rama. She would pluck a fruit, first taste it, and if it was sweet, she would put it in her basket and discard the bitter ones. She wanted to give the good and sweet fruits to Rama.
The thought never came to her that she should not taste it, before it was offered to a deity. Thus collecting a few fruits, Shabari went back to the ashram, and eagerly anticipated Lord Rama's arrival.
Shabari is commonly used as a metaphor...
for an endless wait for God.
~bron~
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