SHABARI

    Most of the Indians or Hindu have heard the story of Shabari. How she offered Lord Ram the berries that she had tasted to make sur that they were sweet etc. is well known story. But I want to tell you the story or part of the story that many may not know. Shabari was a queen in her previous life .She had all the so called things that give us physical pleasures. But she was not interested in it and she was devoted to the worshiping of the God. So she could not enjoy the pleasures that most of us work through out our life and get unhappy when we can not get them an envoy those who have it. She ended her life with hope that she will be born in such a position that she can worship God. With her karmas she was born as a princes in a Bhilha community and as expected she had all the physical pleasures  and had more freedom to worship the God. So she used to go to Rhushi called Matang. In spite of this she still was a princes  and so as expected her marriage was fixed. She was not much interested or concerned. But on the day before the wedding, she heard the sound of sheep as they were slaughtered for the dinner next day. She asked her mother as what was happening  and the mother told her that for the celebration of the wedding they were killed to prepare the dinner. She could not take it and she told her that she did not want it and she wanted to go to Matang the Rhushi that she had gone before  and threated that if this was not done the great Rhushi  would put a great curse .So the father and the mother - the king and queen agreed and she decided to go there . She ran away on the same night. 

    In the hermitage or the ashram, she continued to worship God . Then when she heard that Lord Ram was going to come to the ashram, she decided to offer him berries . These were collected by herself  and washed. But then she got worried that if all of them were sweet or not as some of them may be sour. So she tasted each one  and made sure that only sweet berries were offered. Certainly ordinary person would not like to eat berries that were tasted by someone else. But Ram knew the devotion and the thought behind and the real desire to do offer only good ones. So he ate them .

(What I wanted to tell is that Law of Karma works  and with her good actions  and desires , she was reborn as princes  and could see , meet great saint )