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Bumblebee (Lectures, Conv and Letters)

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 2.20-25 -- Seattle, October 14, 1968:

Prabhupāda: Do you know how elephant is captured? Yes. A she-elephant is trained, goes to the male elephant, and it follows, and the male elephant is dropped into a, what is called, big pot, pit. Yes. Then he remains there for some time. Then he's shackled and he's taken away. In this way there are different examples of senses. The, what is called? That black, what is called, bhramara? English? That black big fly? (makes buzzing sound) Onnnhhh.

Madhudviṣa: Bumblebee?

Prabhupāda: It may be.

Revatīnandana: Horsefly.

Prabhupāda: It is entrapped by smelling lotus flower, within the lotus flower, and loses its life. So by different sense gratification, the different kinds of animals, they are losing their life. And we have got all our senses active. So where we are? These examples are for animal kingdom whose one sense is only active. But our all senses are active. Then what is our position? You see?

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 6.1.56-57 -- Bombay, August 14, 1975:

Because a brāhmaṇa has to make fire sacrifice every day. Guru, agni, and atithi. Atithi is a sannyāsīs. They are coming to a brāhmaṇa's house for one capātī. They don't want more. They are called mādhu-karī. Mādhu-karī means mādhu... Mādhu is collected by drops, not in lump. The, what is called, bees? Honey bees? What is called? No, honey, and bees, what is called? Mādhumakṣi? Bumblebees. Yes. So they collect a drop—from this flower, drop; that flower, drop; that flower, drop. In this way they make a big honeycomb. So a brāhmaṇas and kṣatriya, er, sannyāsīs, although they are meant for collecting, they do not collect heavy at a place. Little. Because they are collecting not for his sense gratification. He is collecting for satisfying Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 6.1.56-57 -- Bombay, August 14, 1975:

Sannyāsī, brahmacārī collects little, little, little from everywhere. That is called mādhukāri, exactly following the footsteps of mādhukāra, bumblebees.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 21, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: That, there are flies, ordinary flies. They are searching after sores, where is sore in your body. And there are bumblebees, they are searching after where is honey. Similarly, those who are rascals, they'll find out: "Oh, here is a fault. Here is a fault."

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- March 11, 1976, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: Kuṭicaka means he does not remain at home but goes outside home, outside the village area and makes a kuti, cottage, and lives there. But because he is not accustomed to beg, from his house some foodstuff is sent. Just like you are sending to that Sharma some food? This is kuṭicaka. But after some time, when he's little experienced, then he goes from door to door: "Give me a piece of bread." Madhukārī. Madhukāra. Madhukāra means the bee, honeybee. What is called?

Harikeśa: Bumblebee.

Prabhupāda: Bumblebee. He collects little honey here, little honey there, wherever.... And not one place so much honey. So this is called bahudaka.

Correspondence

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Citralekha -- Bombay 15 June, 1971:

Yes, the bumblebee is very much favored by Krishna and Radharani. Sometimes the bumblebee is taken as a messenger by Radharani and she rebukes the bumblebee because the bumblebee is blackish and Krishna is also blackish. Still, in spite of all rebuking, the bumblebee tried always to touch the Lotus Feet of Radharani. Therefore the bumblebee is to be offered our all reverence and respect. So please try to attract always the bumblebee by sufficiently decorating the Deity with flowers.

Letter to Tamala Krsna -- Mombassa, Kenya 16 September, 1971:

Our policy should be for maintenance to take from many persons. Big donations should go to the building and book funds. Our policy is "madhukari" or the profession of the bumblebee. The bumblebee does not eat all the honey in one flower. It goes from flower to flower and takes little. The purpose is that saintly persons, Vaisnavas, if they take something from many men, everyone is benefited.

Letter to Gurudasa -- Nairobi 5 October, 1971:

Regarding money matters I am very glad to know that you are not using book funds and building funds any more. It is very encouraging. The bumblebee project is very nice and I am so engladdened to note your encouraging writing "I will take responsibility to make sure this centre, Mayapur Project and all of ISKCON as a whole becomes purified, and it is my wish that you are relieved of any management burdens."

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Atreya Rsi -- Bombay 4 February, 1972:

The devotees of Krishna are the most exalted persons on this planet, better than kings, all of them, so we should always remember that and, like the bumblebee, always look for the nectar or the best qualities of a person. Not like the utopians, who are like the flies who always go to the open sores or find the faults in a person, and because they cannot find any utopia, or because they cannot find anyone without faults, they want to become void, merge, nothing—they think that is utopia, to become void of personality. So if there is sometimes slight disagreements between devotees, it is not due to impersonalism, but it is because they are persons, and such disagreements should not be taken very seriously.

Page Title:Bumblebee (Lectures, Conv and Letters)
Compiler:MadhuGopaldas, Mangalavati, Visnu Murti
Created:31 of Dec, 2010
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=3, Con=2, Let=4
No. of Quotes:9