O Rama, upon the summit of that mountain lies a wonder: if a man of good conduct sleeps there, when he awakens, he finds before him all the wealth he saw in his dreams. Yet, should a person of wicked ways and evil deeds dare ascend, the Rakshasas who dwell there seize him as he sleeps and strike him down. From that mountain echoes the great cry of young elephants at play in Lake Pampa—these are the elephants belonging to the ascetics of Matanga’s hermitage. The mighty elephants, their bodies marked by streams of blood, gather together and move separately, swift and dark as rain clouds. After drinking the pure, clear, fragrant, and cool waters, they are fully satisfied. Content, these forest-dwellers roam the woods, mingling with bears and tigers, whose soft blue fur gleams in the forest light. As you behold the antelopes, wild boars, and fearless deer that dwell there, your sorrow will vanish, Rama. That mountain is also adorned by a great cave—its entrance covered with rocks and difficult to find. At its eastern mouth lies a splendid pool of cold water, delightful and filled with many roots and fruits, surrounded by a profusion of trees. It is in this place that the righteous Sugriva dwells with his band of monkeys. At times, the mighty Kabandha himself stands upon the summit, instructing both Rama and Lakshmana. Once, wreathed in garlands and shining like the sun, Kabandha appeared in the sky before the two brothers, who beheld him with awe. As he stood nearby, Rama and Lakshmana respectfully bade him, “Go forth, proceed!” Kabandha replied, “Go, so that your purpose may be accomplished,” and, pleased by their words, he departed. Having regained his true and radiant form, Kabandha appeared once more in the sky before Rama, urging him, “Make friendship!” Thus unfolds the seventy-fourth chapter of the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, in the Aranya Kanda. After Kabandha had shown them the path through the forest near Lake Pampa, Rama and Lakshmana, the noble sons of Dasharatha, set out westward. As they journeyed, they beheld many mountains adorned with honey, flowers, and fruit-bearing trees, searching for Sugriva. They made camp upon a mountain slope and approached the western shore of Lake Pampa. Upon reaching the western bank of the beautiful lake, they saw the delightful hermitage of Shabari. The hermitage, surrounded by many trees and exceedingly lovely, drew their gaze, and they approached the ascetic Shabari. Seeing them, Shabari, accomplished in austerity, rose, joined her palms in reverence, and touched the feet of Rama and wise Lakshmana. She offered water for washing their feet and for sipping, in accordance with proper custom. Rama then addressed the devoted ascetic, established in righteousness: “Are obstacles overcome for you? Is your austerity increasing? Is your anger restrained, and your food regulated, O possessor of ascetic wealth? Are your vows maintained? Is your mind at peace? Has your service to your teachers borne fruit, O gentle speaker?” Questioned thus, Shabari, honored among the accomplished and steadfast in her old age, replied to Rama, “Today, by seeing you, I have attained the fruit of my austerities; today my birth is fulfilled and my teachers are well-honored. My practiced austerity is now fruitful, and I shall attain heaven as well, for you, Rama, best of men and god among men, have been worshipped here. By your gracious glance, O gentle one, I am purified; by your favor, subduer of foes, I shall reach the eternal worlds. When you arrived at Chitrakuta in radiant chariots, from there I ascended to heaven, having served you. My teachers, knowers of righteousness and highly fortunate, once told me: ‘Rama will come to your supremely holy hermitage. Welcome him as a guest, together with Saumitri; and having seen him, you will attain the highest, eternal worlds.’ Thus addressed by the great sages, O best of men, I have gathered various forest offerings for your sake.” Rama, recognizing her wisdom and devotion, asked Shabari—who had long been excluded from society—about the true power of those great souls who had come from the lineage of Danu, for she knew it well. “I have heard of it, but I wish to see it directly, if you permit,” he said. At Rama’s request, Shabari showed them the great forest. “Behold,” she said, “dense as a rain cloud, teeming with beasts and birds. This is the forest of Matanga, renowned as such, O delight of the Raghus. Here, my noble-minded teachers of great splendor performed sacrifices, building a sacred altar and worshipping with mantras. This is the altar facing east, where my honored teachers, with hands trembling from exertion, offered flowers as tribute. By the power of their austerity, O best of the Raghus, even now the altar shines with incomparable brilliance, illuminating all directions.” She continued, “Unable to go further, exhausted by fasting and weariness, they mentally summoned the seven seas, which gathered here—behold them. After their ritual baths, they placed their bark garments on these trees; even now, O delight of the Raghus, they have not dried out in this place.” Thus, Shabari revealed to Rama and Lakshmana the sanctity and wonders of the hermitage and the forest, fulfilling her teachers’ words and attaining the fruits of her lifelong devotion.