Shabari was the daughter of a tribal Bhil. Very simple to see, but very soft at heart. His father decided to marry them, but it was a custom of tribals that innocent animals were sacrificed before doing any good. To fulfill this practice, his father brought hundred sheep goats a day before Shabri's marriage. Shabari then asked the father - why did the father bring so many sheep and goats?
The father said - Shabri is a practice according to which all these sheep and goats will be sacrificed before starting the method of your marriage tomorrow morning. Saying this, his father leaves. Shabri feels very sad to hear about the practice and she sat all night near those sheep and goats and kept talking to them. He had only one idea in his mind how he could save these innocent animals. Only then does Shabri suddenly feel in her mind and she ran away from her house before dawn and went to the forest so that she could save those innocent animals. Shabari knew very well, that once she leaves the house in this way, she will never get a chance to come back home, yet Shabari thought of those innocents before herself.
Shabri got out of the house and reached a dense forest. When Shabari alone was wandering in the forest, she knocked in the ashram of many Guruvars for the purpose of education, but Shabari was of an inferior caste, so she was dismissed by everyone. Shabari wonderingly arrived at the ashram of Matang Rishi and expressed his desire to receive his education. Matang Rishi gladly gave Shabari a place in his Gurukul.
All other sages despised Matang Rishi but Matang Rishi gave Shabari a place in his ashram. Shabari readily adopted all the practices of the Gurukul and engaged in the service of his Guru day and night.
Shabri, along with taking education from the country, engaged in the work of cleaning the ashram, taking care of the cow house and milk, along with preparing food for all gurukul dwellers. Many years passed, Matang was very pleased with the Guru's devotion to the sage Shabri.
Matang Rishi's body was weakened, so he called Shabari to him one day and said - daughter, my body is now weak, so I want to leave my body here, but before that I want to bless you, say daughter. What do you want ?
Shabri says to the Matang Rishi's with tears in his eyes - Guruvar, you are my father, I am alive because of you, you should take me with you.
Then the sage Matang said - No daughter, you have to take care of this ashram after me. A Guru Parayana disciple like you will get the proper fruit of his deeds. One day Lord Rama will come here to meet you and on that day you will be saved and you will get salvation. Saying this, the sage Matang takes his body and takes samadhi.
From that day onwards, Shabari used to get up every morning in the garden, collect a lot of fruits, decorate her ashram with beautiful flowers because she did not know the exact day of Lord Rama's arrival, she only believed her Guru's words, so she Rose was spending time waiting for Shri Ram. She used to do the same thing every day.
One day Shabari went to take water in a pond near the ashram, while a sage nearby was absorbed in penance. When they saw Shabari burning, they called him untouchable and threw a stone at him and a drop of blood flowing from his injury turned all the water in the pond into blood.
Seeing this, the saint started shouting Shabri as bad and sinful. Shabari wept and went to her ashram. After his departure, the sage began to meditate again, he did many things, but he could not make the blood filled in the pond become water. In it Ganga, Yamuna water of all the holy rivers was poured but the blood did not turn into water.
Many years later, when Lord Rama came there in search of Sita, the people there called Lord Rama and urged him to change the water of this pond into water again with the touch of his feet.
Rama, hearing them, touches the blood of the pond by steps but nothing happens. Whatever the sages tell them to do, they all do, but the blood has not changed into water.
Then Rama asks the sage - O sage, tell me the history of this pond. Then the sage tells them the whole story of Shabri and the pond and says - O Lord, this water has been polluted due to the same Shudra Shabari.
Then Lord Ram said unhappily - O Guruvara, this blood is not of that goddess Shabari, of my heart, which you have injured by your words. Lord Rama urges the sage that I should meet Goddess Shabari. Shabari is then summoned. Shabari rushes on hearing Rama's name.
While saying 'Ram Mere Prabhu' when she reaches near the pond, the dust of her feet goes into the pond and all the blood of the pond turns into water.
Then Lord Ram says - See, Guruvar, I did everything at your request but this blood turned into water from the dust of the feet of the devotee Shabari.
Shabari, as soon as she sees Lord Rama, grabs her feet and brings her ashram with her. Shabari also decorates her ashram with flowers from morning like that day, and after tasting it from the garden, selects the sweetest plum for her Lord Rama.
She wholeheartedly welcomes her lord Rama and lovingly treats her with her plum. Lord Rama also picks him up with great love, then Lakshmana who was with him stops them and says - Brother these are plum. Then Rama says - Laxman these plums are not the sweetest, because they have love and they eat those beers with great love.
Matang Rishi's statement is true and Goddess Shabari attains salvation. And thus Lord Rama is called Rama of Shabri.
