Introduction
Shabari is an elderly woman ascetic who lived in the forest near Lake Pampa, a disciple of the sage Matanga. She is known for her devotion to Rama.
This article primarily follows the Valmiki Ramayana. Where a well-known detail comes from a later retelling or tradition, the article identifies it.
Meeting Rama
After the death of Kabandha, Rama and Lakshmana went to Matanga's hermitage and were welcomed by Shabari. She had waited for years for their arrival, as she had been promised by her teachers. She showed them the hermitage, offered them fruits and roots, and then gave up her body in the sacred fire and went to heaven.
Directions to Pampa
Kabandha had already told Rama to seek out Sugriva. Shabari told Rama and Lakshmana how to reach Lake Pampa, near where Sugriva was living.
In later tradition
The most popular version of the story, in which Shabari tastes each berry to make sure it is sweet before offering it to Rama, comes from later devotional works and is not in Valmiki.