Text 243
tumi ta’ īśvara, muñi — kṣudra jīva chāra
eka-grāsa mādhukarī karaha aṅgīkāra
tumi — You; ta’ — certainly; īśvara — the Supreme Personality of Godhead; muñi — I; kṣudra jīva — insignificant living being; chāra — worthless; eka-grāsa — one small quantity; mādhu-karī — as collected by the bees; karaha — please do; aṅgīkāra — accept.
“You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whereas I am a most insignificant living being. Therefore please accept a little quantity of food from my house.”
A sannyāsī is expected to collect a little food from each and every householder. That is to say, he should take whatever he requires to eat. This system is called mādhukarī. The word mādhukarī comes from the word madhukara and means “honey-collecting bees.” Bees collect a little honey from each flower, but all these small quantities of honey accumulate to become a beehive. Sannyāsīs should collect a little from each and every householder and should eat simply what is necessary to maintain the body. Being a sannyāsī, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu could collect a little food from the house of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, and this was the Bhaṭṭācārya’s request. Compared to the food eaten by the Lord on other occasions, the Bhaṭṭācārya’s feast was not even a morsel. This is what the Bhaṭṭācārya is pointing out to the Lord.