Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.8.10

aṇubhyaś ca mahadbhyaś ca

śāstrebhyaḥ kuśalo naraḥ

sarvataḥ sāram ādadyāt

puṣpebhya iva ṣaṭpadaḥ

SYNONYMS

aṇubhyaḥ — from the smallest; ca — and; mahadbhyaḥ — from the greatest; ca — also; śāstrebhyaḥ — from religious scriptures; kuśalaḥ — intelligent; naraḥ — a man; sarvataḥ — from all; sāram — the essence; ādadyāt — should take; puṣpebhyaḥ — from the flowers; iva — like; ṣaṭpadaḥ — the honeybee.

TRANSLATION

Just as the honeybee takes nectar from all flowers, big and small, an intelligent human being should take the essence from all religious scriptures.

PURPORT

In human society the original knowledge is called Veda, and the essential part of veda, or knowledge, is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (15.15), vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ. From the honeybee, an intelligent human being should learn to take the essence, or nectar, of all knowledge. A honeybee does not waste its time trying to carry away an entire bush or garden, but rather takes the essential nectar. We may thus study the difference between the honeybee and the ass, who carries heavy loads. Education does not mean to become an intellectual ass carrying heavy loads of useless knowledge; rather, one should accept the essential knowledge that leads to an eternal life of bliss and understanding.

At the present time people generally have a sectarian concept of religion, and yet there is no scientific understanding of the Absolute Truth. Such complacent, dogmatic, sectarian religionists can certainly learn something from the example of the honeybee given in this verse.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari