Śarabhanga is a saint and anchorite mentioned in Book III (Aranya Kanda) of Ramayana

Ramayana

The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...

. He is visited by Rama during his journey through the Dandaka forest. Lord Indra

Indra

' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...

 appears at his hermitage prior to Rama's visit. Śarabhanga's last wish was to put his eyes on Rama before leaving the mortal world. After seeing Rama

Rama

Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...

, having performed the necessary rites, the holy man carries out a self-immolation by throwing his old body to the funeral pyre, and passes on to the heavenly Brahma

Brahma

Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...

's sphere. Before starting the rites, he asks Rama to watch him doing that.