Yes, the story of Rama eating the bitten fruits lovingly offered by Shabari is not there in Valmiki Ramayana, the original and authoritative text, though the Shabari episode is very much present. The tale is absent even in many other renowned later Rama-Katha texts like the Ramopakhyana of the Mahabharata, versions of the Rama story in the Puranas, the Tamil Kamba Ramayanam (12th century CE) etc.
Pointing this out has some importance, particularly when a popular Bollywood actor Sonu Sood inappropriately mentions the story in the context of a serious issue. The issue is regarding the act of spitting on the food meant for others, including food prepared for sale by some Muslims, claiming it as their religious practice. Such an act is highly condemnable and must be a punishable offence, as it is against the basic hygienic principles all over the civilized world. The actor advocating the acceptance of this abominable act in the name of humanity, equating it to the prevalent Ramayana story is nothing short of perversion, born of ignorance or half-baked understanding.
But then there is no need for Hindus to denigrate, ridicule or downplay the story, which has a certain sweetness and significance to it, as many Bhaktas and saints have owned it. This has to be said explicitly, because we find many a Hindus especially in social media, who are as much half-backed and ignorant like the actor, never having studied Ramayana or even one text of their religion properly suddenly waking up to this new knowledge about the story and expressing some kind of shock over having passed on the “wrong story” all this time. Some of the orthodox and well mannered people are at last “relieved” that Rama did not transgress the food manners. It is always the case of all-or-nothing thinking with most Hindus, as they tend to swing from one extreme to the other such issues, because they lack the background knowledge and the balanced outlook to understand such matters. Which underscores the real need for proper and systematic Hindu religious education during the formative years at all levels of the society.
This article explores the evolution of the Shabari story and the nuances associated with it.
In the Valmiki Ramayana (Aranya Kanda, Sarga 74), Shabari is mentioned as an accomplished ascetic (siddhā), a mendicant with austere vows (śramaṇīṃ saṃśitavratām), one doing penance (tāpasī) and a lady adored and accepted by siddhas (siddha-sammatā). When Rama and Lakshmana arrive at her Ashram, she offers them water to wash their feet and water to sip as per tradition (pādyam-ācamanīyaṃ ca sarvaṃ prādād-yathāvidhi). “O ascetic, hope you have overcome your obstacles to penance, you have controlled your anger and your desire for food. Is your austerity in progress? O sweet-tongued Shabari, have you achieved self-control? Has your mind attained peace? Have your services to the preceptor yielded results?”, Rama enquires her.
She replies: “On seeing you now, my penance has attained fulfilment, my services to my preceptors have borne fruit. O best of men, O highest of the gods, my birth has become fruitful today with your worship. O delight of the Raghus, your handsome look has sanctified me, O subduer of enemies, by your grace I will reach the imperishable worlds. The men I served have ascended heaven on aerial chariots of incomparable radiance the moment you touched Chitrakuta. Those great honourable sages who knew the ways of Dharma said: ‘Rama would visit this sacred hermitage along with Lakshmana. He would be your guest. Receive him with due honour. And you would attain the great, inexhaustible worlds when you see him.’ O best among men, I have collected and kept for your sake different kinds of forest food (vanyaṃ sañcitaṃ) grown on the bank of Pampa”.
Entreated by her in that manner, Rama speaks further to Shabari. Finally Shabari immolates herself in the sacred fire and ascends to higher worlds.
This is how it is narrated in a majestic, beautiful manner in the epic Valmiki Ramayana of 1800 BCE, going by the most-recent date among the multiple dates given by credible ancient Indian chronology researchers. It was a meeting between a highly spiritual, noble women ascetic and the princes of Ayodhya in exile. All the other popular notions associated with Shabari developed much later.
Forest dwellers like Shabari and the Nishada king Guha are described as respectable and cultured people by Valmiki, and Rama treats them on par, with due reverence. It has been pointed out by scholars that Valmiki Ramayana core text with its first six books (Kāṇḍa) does not contain any denigration of any class among the Four Varnas or any social group including the Vanaras, in line with the Vedas. This is because the epic was composed at a period immediately following the Vedic era, when the notions of Varna rigidity or prejudices against Shudras found in the later texts were totally absent. It is to be noted that the seventh book of the epic, Uttara Kanda, considered as a later addition by a large section of Ramayana scholars does contain these elements.
The notion of Sabari being a low-born and having inferior sense of her birth and gender is a much later development in the Rama-Katha evolution. It comes from Adhyatma Ramayana of the 14th century CE. There she says, “O immeasurable, I am dumbhead (mūḍhā), a woman, born in lower caste (hīna-jāti-samudbhavā). I don’t have eligibility to serve you directly”. Rama replies: “Being man or women, caste, status, none of these are the reasons by which one attains me. Bhakti is the only reason”. (AR 3.10). Ramacharitmanas of Tulsi Das (16th century CE) takes this to even more extremes, “of inferior caste I am, inert in intellect. Women are lower than lowliest of the lowliest, and I am even a lowlife among them” (adhama jāti maiṃ jaḍa-mati bhārī, adhama te adhama adhama ati nārī, tinha maha maiṃ mati-manda aghārī). Rama’s reply is on the same lines and in addition, he gives the teaching of nine-fold devotion (navadhā bhakti) to Shabari.
Just compare the big difference between this and Valmiki’s narration. Through this, one can get a glimpse of the social history of India and how the social status of forest dwelling tribes had undergone drastic changes. Depicting Shabari as low-born is reflective of these social changes. But it is notable as to how the authors of these later Kavyas put the emphasis on Bhakti transcending the caste and gender barriers, despite such depiction.
But even the above-mentioned texts do not mention that Sabari offered the bitten fruits. That finds its first mention in two 15th century texts [1] —
1) Jagmohan Ramayana of Balarama Dasa in Odiya language, in which Rama eats only the fruits bitten by Shabari and not others, recognizing the taste of her devotion
2) Ayppadi, a Tamil commentary of Jananyacharya to the celebrated Sri Vaishnava text Sri Vachana Bhushanam of Pillai Lokacharya .
After this point, this heart touching story becomes extremely popular and spreads all over Bharat. This is natural due to its great appeal for the devotees. Many devotional saint poets like Suradas and Thyagaraja have mentioned it in their poems.
We can speculate on the factors that led to the conception of such story. Perhaps the medieval society thought of forest dwellers as rough and tough people without refined culture and good manners, but still having innocence and blissful ignorance. This got reflected in Shabari offering bitten fruits. Then the idea that even crude and bad manners do not hinder the intensity and intimacy of pure devotion got reflected in Rama accepting the fruits with grace. This act of Rama helps to elucidate the divine quality called Saulabhya in which Bhagavan is ever ready to lower Himself to any level to accept the pure devotion of the devotee, not caring about faults and misgivings.
Apart from epitomizing pure Bhakti, this story of Shabari also serves as a powerful literary idiom in the Hindu narratives for social emancipation and campaigns against caste discrimination. Shabari has become an icon of forest dwelling (Vanavasi) tribal communities who is revered by the entire Hindu society. There are temples in her honor and large scale religious gatherings like Shabari Kumbh. This is the true relevance of the story, which must be recognized and respected.
Sri Ramajayam.
References:
[1] Rewritings of Ramayana, Vol 8 of The Ramayana of Valmiki (10 volumes), Dr. R Rangan, 2020, published by WEBOLIM, pp. 462–463.