Shabari is beside herself with joy at the arrival of Shri Ram at her ashram. She had been preparing for his arrival for long. She swept the whole ashram, decorated the place with flowers, kept the choicest of fruits ready for him. However, when he did arrive she was very diffident about serving him as she considered herself as the lowest of low born, an uneducated, tribal woman.
She was old, and considered herself unpresentable, poor and had lived in the forest since her birth. She also understood that Ramji was the Lord himself and in the human form of a prince to boot. When Shabari expresses herself as the most undeserving “dull witted” person to serve such an exalted guest, Ramji reassures her with compassion and love.
Ramji addresses Shabari as “bhamini” (a glowing beauty). This was a term with which he also addressed the beautiful Sitaji. With no stretch of imagination can one think that he was addressing her physical beauty. It was her noble thoughts, her selfless service and love that created that aura of a beauteous woman that he referred to.
He further goes on to say that among all the people who gain importance, power, wealth and social standing because of their high birth or acquisitions, he only values one relationship; that of simple love and devotion, which she has in abundance.
Ramji then goes on to list those qualities because of which people are vainly proud, and imagine that all can be gained in the world with those. Sure that they gain huge material benefits in the world but all those are short lived and subject to constant change and therefore “Dukha Swaroop”, inflictors of pain and sorrow.
Ramji lists ten of these which men run after seeking fulfilment and happiness.
Prarthna Saran, President Chinmaya Mission Delhi.