"Ram eating fruit from sabre tree" refers to the episode of Lord Rama eating berries offered by Shabari, a devoted ascetic, during his exile. The fruit mentioned in this context is typically identified as 'ber' (Indian jujube). This oleograpah produced by Ravi Uday Press Based in Ghatcopper dated back to circa 1910-20
According to the legend:
Shabari, an elderly woman and a disciple of Sage Matanga, waited for many years for Lord Rama's arrival.
To ensure Rama would only receive sweet berries, she would taste each one before offering it to him.
Lord Rama, touched by her devotion, accepted and ate the tasted berries, signifying the importance of pure devotion over societal norms.
According to the scriptural account, even though hundreds of other yogis were waiting to receive Rama in their ashrams, Rama went only to Shabari's ashram because of her sincere devotion. On seeing Rama, Shabari became ecstatic and said, "There were so many exalted yogis waiting for your darshan, but you came to this unworthy devotee (...) This clearly shows that you will neither see whether a devotee lives in a palace or humble hut, whether he is erudite or ignorant (...) neither see caste nor color. You will only see the true bhakti . I do not have anything to offer other than my heart, but here are some berries. May it please you, my Lord." Shabari offered the fruits which she had meticulously collected. As Rama tasted them, Lakshmana raised the concern that Shabari had already tasted them and they were, therefore, unworthy of eating. To this, Ramaresponded that, of the many types of food he had tasted, "nothing could equal these berries, offered with such devotion. You taste them, then alone will you know. Whomsoever offers a fruit, leaf, flower or some water with love, I partake in it with great joy." Traditional writers use this narrative to indicate that in bhakti, faults are not seen by the deities.
Pleased with Shabari's devotion, Rama blesses her with his vision. Rama notices the donas, or bowls, of handmade leaves in which she had offered the fruits and is impressed by the hard work Shabari has gone through to make them and, hence, blesses the tree so that the leaves naturally grow in the shape of a bowl.Shabari also tells Rama to take help from Sugriva and where to find him. The Ramayana says that Shabari was a very bright and knowledgeable saint
