Category:Honeybee
Theme Analysis
The metaphor of the honeybee is central to understanding the consciousness of an essence-seeker in the Vaisnava tradition. Śrīla Prabhupāda uses this imagery to illustrate how a spiritually advanced person navigates the material world—not by being overwhelmed by its faults, but by extracting the "honey" of spiritual opportunity from every situation. While the common "fly-like" mentality is naturally drawn to the "sores" of material defects and others' shortcomings, "Honeybee Consciousness" represents a deliberate, disciplined focus on the Absolute Truth. This theme emphasizes that the nectar of devotion is found in the essence of knowledge, the virtues of others, and most supremely, at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa.
- Essence Principle: A learned person is like a bumblebee, gathering the essence of knowledge from all sources while ignoring the "straw" or "husk" of irrelevant information.
- Fly and Honeybee: This highlights a fundamental psychological shift: a devotee focuses on the "honey" of good qualities, whereas a non-devotee focuses on the "sores" of faults.
- Lotus Destination: The "bee-mind" finds its ultimate satisfaction only when fixed upon the Lord's lotus feet, which are the source of all transcendental honey.
- Lessons in Simplicity: The bee teaches the bahudaka (renunciant) to collect only as much as is needed for survival, preventing the "hoarding" mentality that leads to material entrapment.
- Transcendental Satisfaction: By bringing the mind into the "forest of lotus flowers" (devotional service), the mental speculators find the peace and sweetness that logic alone cannot provide.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Honeybee Consciousness - Art of Taking Essence.
Pages in category "Honeybee"
The following 38 pages are in this category, out of 38 total.
1
A
- A learned man takes the essence of knowledge from all places, just as a bumblebee collects honey from each and every flower
- After offering my obeisances unto all the devotees of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, who are like bumblebees collecting honey from His lotus feet, I shall try to describe those who are the most prominent
- All glories to Nrsimha-deva! All glories to Nrsimha-deva, who is the Lord of Prahlada Maharaja and, like a honeybee, is always engaged in beholding the lotuslike face of the goddess of fortune
- An uncommonly beautiful garland of flowers decorated His bosom, and because the flowers were extremely fragrant, a large group of bees, making their natural humming sounds, invaded them for honey
- Approaching the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the goddess of fortune placed upon His shoulders the garland of newly grown lotus flowers, which was surrounded by humming bumblebees searching for honey
- As bumblebees collect honey from many flowers, a little from each, so a sannyasi should beg from door to door but not accept very much food from any particular house; he should collect a little bit from every house. This is called the bahudaka stage
B
- Because of her jeweled earrings, shaped like sharks, because of her scattered hair, resembling bumblebees mad after the scent of her body, and because of the white rows of her teeth resembling swans Agnidhra compared Purvacitti's face to a beautiful lake
- Bees collect a little honey from each flower, but all these small quantities of honey accumulate to become a beehive
- Bees intoxicated by the honeylike fragrance of the tulasi flowers hum very sweetly around the garland, which thus becomes more and more beautiful. In this way, the Lord enjoys His very magnanimous pastimes
- Bumblebees became mad after the fragrance & sweetness of the atmosphere. Being pleased by the humming sound of the bees, Krsna would play His flute, & together the sounds became so sweet to hear that aquatic birds like cranes, swans & ducks were charmed
D
- Due to aroma of the parijata flower, the honeybees would begin their humming vibration, & the birds also would begin their sweet chirping sounds. All together it would sound like the singing of professional chanters engaged in offering prayers to Krsna
- Due to the aroma, the bees were also flying in the breeze, thinking that the aroma was honey. The gopis made a seat for Krsna by leveling the soft sand and placing cloths over it
H
- Haridasa Thakura made Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu sit down in front of him, and then he fixed his eyes, like two bumblebees, on the lotus face of the Lord
- He (Sri Krsna Caitanya) is so kind that He is distributing love of Krsna. Everyone should be attracted more and more to His lotus feet, as humming bees are attracted to a lotus flower
- He also wears around His neck a garland of attractive sylvan flowers, & a swarm of bees, intoxicated by its delicious fragrance, hums about the garland. He is further superbly adorned with a pearl necklace, a crown & pairs of armlets, bracelets & anklets
- He was perspiring, liquor dripped from his mouth & his vision was overwhelmed by intoxication. He was being served by bumblebees who drank honey & from a distance he could smell the dust of the lotus flowers, which was carried from the lake by the breeze
- His chest had brushed against their breasts, crushing His flower garland and coloring it with red kunkuma powder. Attracted by the fragrance of that garland, humming bumblebees followed Krsna like celestial beings of Gandharvaloka
I
- If all the mental speculators bring the bees of their minds into this forest of lotus flowers and jubilantly enjoy ecstatic love of Krsna day and night, their mental speculation will be completely transcendentally satisfied
- If one tastes the nectar of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta with faith and love, I become like a bumblebee tasting the honey of transcendental love from his lotus feet
L
- Laksmi, the dust of whose feet is worn on the head by others, waits upon You, as appointed, for she is anxious to secure a place in the abode of the king of bees who hovers on the fresh wreath of tulasi leaves offered at Your feet by some blessed devotee
- Lalita said: "The borders of Krsna's eyes roam from side to side, and His eyebrows move slowly like bumblebees on His lotuslike face
- Let my consciousness, which is like a honeybee, take shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has just now appeared as Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu to teach the ancient system of devotional service to Himself
- Like a honeybee, the Apsara (Purvacitti) smelled the beautiful and attractive flowers
- Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's many bona fide devotees never leave the lotus feet of the Lord to become imitation Mahaprabhus but all cling to His lotus feet like bees that never leave a honey-soaked lotus flower
O
- O Maitreya, O friend of the distressed, the glories of the Supreme Lord can alone do good for people all over the world. Therefore, just as bees collect honey from flowers, kindly describe the essence of all topics - the topics of the Lord
- O my (Rupa Gosvami) Lord Krsna, I beg to offer my prayers unto You. My mind is like the bee, and it is after some honey. Kindly, therefore, give my bee-mind a place at Your lotus feet, which are the resources for all transcendental honey
T
- The bee and the python are two excellent spiritual masters who give us exemplary instructions regarding how to be satisfied by collecting only a little and how to stay in one place and not move
- The difference between a devotee & a nondevotee is this, just like the bee & the fly: the bee always is attracted by the honey & flies go to the open sores. So the devotee is only attracted by the good qualities in other people & does not see their faults
- Trees and creepers are also different types of living beings. When bumblebees come upon trees and creepers to collect honey, certainly such plants become very happy