Shri Ram is the one who is always there at the call and behest of his devotees. The strength of his devotees lies in his benevolence to them, and their faith was immense in him, Ramayan is a reflection of such innumerable bonds of devotion wherein Shri Ram always stood for his devotees and with his compassionate nature always resurrected the faith his devotees had in him.
Shri Ram and Bharat – The adorable brother and the silent devotee, Bharat was the heart of Shri Ram. Bharat suffered for the greed of Kaikeyi when the people of Ayodhya initially refused to believe him as innocent in the part of sending Shri Ram to exile. But, Shri Ram dismissed everybody’s suspicions with total belief in Bharat’s devotion. Shri Ram insists on Bharat being King in his absence which only proves the trust he had in Bharat. Keeping his brother’s trust strong, Bharat takes up a life of a hermit and puts all his devotion in the wait for Shri Ram’s comeback for which Shri Ram raises his glory by calling him the greatest of the four brothers.
Shri Ram and Hanuman – Hanuman’s devotion was unmatched for Shri Ram and so was Shri Ram’s affection on Hanuman. With faith in Shri Ram, Hanuman takes the greatest leap over the Ocean, moves a mountain and becomes one of the very reason of Shri Ram’ s success in battle. Shri Ram blesses Hanuman with his eternal devotion and gives him the permanent position of the foremost devotee of him. Their bond is given a beautiful connection with Shri Ram and Mata Sita permanently adorning Hanuman’s chest as the priceless gems of devotion ever obtained.
Shri Ram and Mata Shabari – To keep up the faith of a devotee who is nothing more than a tribal woman to the world, Shri Ram walks miles together in dense forests and reaches the abode of Mata
Shabari. He gives a beautiful finish to the relentless wait of the pious woman by eating the berries tasted by her and giving her a place equal to that of his very own mother Kaushalya. Shri Ram defends her faith without considering any inequalities of the society. He simply proves that a simple berry given with affection is valuable to him than any other riches of the world.
Shri Ram and Vibhishan – Vibhishan was the brother who requested nothing but the devotion of Bhagwan Vishnu forever as a boon from Brahma ji. His wish comes true when his wait of having a darshan of Shri Ram, in spite of being the enemy’s brother is fulfilled. Shri Ram gives a new meaningto trust, friendship and protection by offering refuge to the enemy’s brother, thus proving that Dharma does not take sides and is equal for all. He puts his life at stake to keep up the word of making Vibhishan the King of Lanka and takes the blow of Ravan’s weapon. Vibhishan’s untainted devotion is a beautiful example proving that surrendering to the Almighty’s feet is the greatest devotion one can offer to the Almighty.
Be it the wait of Bharat for fourteen years, the wait of Hanuman to serve his swami unending years, the wait of Mata Shabari to offer simple hospitality or the wait of Vibhishan to fulfil his devotion, by reaching out to them, Shri Ram proved that he is always there for his devotees and gave them a place to be cherished by all for their pure devotion and faith in him.