Here's a summary of sage Shri Jai Ram Das' article on
Shabri. It's not an exact Hindi to English translation of sentences, merely a
sum-up of the main points of that article. I think Shri Jai Ram Dasji must have
written this 80-90 years ago.
Shabri is the very embodiment of bhakti. Her unflinching devotion
in the lotus feet of Shri Ram & complete trust in the speech of her guru is
something no one can describe in words. Her guru, sage Matang, told her while
departing from his ashram that one day, Shri Bhagwan will come to this ashram. She
was so sure about this divine prognostication made by her guru that from that
day onwards, day after day, year after year, she waited for Shri Ram to arrive.
From the day her guru told her about Shri Ram's arrival sometime in future,
Shabri would spend everyday preparing sage Matang's ashram for the arrival of
Shri Ram. She would pick up flowers & make a flower bed, pick up fruits
from trees and would taste each one to them, and then choose the sweetest to
give to Shri Ram. And when the day would wear off, there was no disappointment.
She would get up again the next day and repeat the entire routine again, and
she kept doing it everyday for years!! No wonder, Lord himself travelled bare feet
to her ashram to meet her.
Shabri was already completely aware of all Vedantic
concepts, and her yogic powers were so evolved that she kept her old human body
with her till the arrival of Shri Ram & left for His abode only after
seeing Him. Yet, like a humble bhakt, she asks Shri Ram about the nine stages
of bhakti (devotion). Shri Ram had already explained the nine parts of bhakti,
and much else, to everyone while staying at Panchvati, using Shri Lakshman as a
representative of everyone (just as He would do much later as Shri Krishna
using Arjun as a representative of everyone on that occasion). So when Shabri
asks him, he describes bhakti in such a way that it seems He is recounting the
life journey of Shabri, His perfect bhakt. Everything Shabri has already done
in her life, Shri Ram describes as part of bhakti, thus establishing that
Shabri's bhakti is of the supreme category. Not content with just that,
after all that description; Shri Ram says to Shabri, "you're blessed with
unflinching devotion of all nine types. The fruit which is inaccessible to even
great yogis is within your easy reach."
When this is what Shri Ram has said about Shabri, can anyone
say anything more about this great bhakt?
comment:
p_commentcount