Rama was the redeemer of the fallen - Patitapavana. He redeemed and gave salvation to three characters in the Ramayana. They are Shabari, Guha and Jatayu. Shabari was a helpless and hapless old woman with no one to look after her. Her preceptor told her about Lord Rama. She was yearning for the arrival of Raamachandhra whom she considered to be her saviour. She was deeply absorbed in the contemplation of Rama’s name at all times and in all places. One day sage Mathanga said to her, ‘O, Shabari, Lord Narayana has descended on the earth in the form of Rama. He is living in the garb of an ascetic. He will be soon arriving here. But I will not be alive at the time of his arrival. He is an embodiment of immaculate purity. Greet him and honour him with devotion’.

From that day, Shabari started preparing herself for the arrival of Shri Rama. Since she thought that Rama might ask her to give him something to eat, she would gather all sorts of fruits, and to satisfy herself that the fruits were sweet, she would taste them first and keep only the sweetest ones for her Lord. That was how Shabari transformed herself into a Sattvika devotee. Rama responded to her inmost prayers and Shabari in the end merged herself in Rama.

Guha, the forest chief, was another to be redeemed by Rama. Though he was a friend of Rama, his life as a forester was filled with wrongful acts; nevertheless, he never gave up contemplation of Lord Rama’s name. Among the fallen, he belonged to the Rajasika category because of his worldly life.

The third Patita to be redeemed by Rama was Jatayu. He yearned to serve Rama and was eagerly waiting for the arrival of Rama from the day Rama entered the forest, as an ascetic. A great opportunity to serve Rama’s cause presented itself to him. When he sighted Ravana carrying away Sita he fought to the bitter end to rescue Sita from Ravana. When he fell mortally wounded and succumbed to the injuries, Lord Rama performed the last rites for Jatayu, a service denied to his father Dasharatha. (SSS Vol.25, pp. 184-185)