Uddhava-Gita
TEXT 10
anubhyas ca mahadbhyas casastrebhyah kusalo narahsarvatah saram adadyat puspebhya iva satpadah
Just as a bee takes the nectar from all kinds of flowers, similarly, an intelligent person should take the essence of all the scriptures.
COMMENTARY
One should follow the example of the honeybee, accepting only the essence of life. An intelligent person should be prepared to take lessons from all religious scriptures, whether they be big or small, just as a honeybee collects honey from all kinds of flowers.
PURPORT
The symptom of an expert person is that he is able to extract the essence from both the small and large sources of knowledge. To collect the essence of the flowers is the act of an intelligent person, and not the taking away of the entire plant or bush. This is the lesson to be learned from the honeybee. An ass carries heavy loads but is ultimately cheated, whereas the honeybee, rather than carry the burden of a garden of flowers, simply collects the essential nectar from the flowers. By carefully noting the difference between the ass and the honeybee, an intelligent person should extract the essence from all scriptures that are favorable for the cultivation of devotional service. One should not be like an ass, carrying a heavy burden of useless knowledge. It is often seen that people deceive themselves by discussing useless topics, such as Sri Gaurasundara’s disappearance, and His traveling to Dvaraka.