Stones and bones are the evidence of history yet language is also a prominent witness just as Eskimos have 50 names for 'snow' informing us how snow was central to their lives and within the language of Sanskrit we find it possesses more than 70 names for the 'Bee' indicating, through the medium of language, the importance within Vedic culture of the humble 'Bee'.

 

'Madhumaksika' is the most common name from the language of Sanskrit which describes the 'Bee' a name whose meaning is the honey ( madhu ) fly ( maksika ) and we also have the name of 'madhukara' whose meaning is one who makes ( kara ) honey ( madhu ).

 

'Madana' is a name for the 'Bee' which is formed out of 'mad' a root from the language of Sanskrit whose meaning is 'intoxicating' hence 'madana' also means 'spring' it means 'musk' it means 'clove' it means the 'god of love' all expressions of 'intoxication' and it also means the 'Bee' a vital component of mother nature who is constantly intoxicated with the nectar of plants.

 

 

Upon the cave walls of ancient India we find drawings over 15,000 years old showing natives harvesting honey and within the language of ancient India it shows how knowledge of the bees and honey has existed for thousands of years where the queen bee is known as 'Madhurajan' the honeycomb is known as 'Madhukosa' the wax is known as 'Madhuja' and the cells of the beehive are 'Madhunadi' all expressed within a language which is thousands of years old.

 

'Priyaka' is a name for the 'bee' a word from the language of Sanskrit whose meaning is one who is intoxicated by love ( priya ) as it journeys from flower to flower drinking the nectar and we also have 'satpada' a name for the 'bee' and a name whose meaning is that which possesses six ( sat ) feet ( pada ).

 

'Sukandin' is a name for the 'bee' and one whose meaning is that which has beautiful ( su ) joints ( kanda ) and we also have 'dhvanamodin' a name from the language of Sanskrit whose meaning is one who delights ( modin ) by its sound ( dhvana ).

 

 

Vedic scriptures which are over 6000 years old describe how the gods are related to bees as in Visnu who is the bee upon the lotus flower representing the symbol of life, as in Kamadeva whose bow is composed of a string of bees and as in the Asvinis whose horse whips are known as 'madhukasa' and whose chariot is known as 'madhuvahana' which are both related to honey ( madhu ).

 

Sanskrit develops 'madhu' from 'ma' a root whose meaning is 'limit' and 'measure' which becomes 'mad' meaning to 'intoxicate' which becomes 'madhu' meaning 'honey' and this can be seen throughout the languages as 'med' whose meaning is 'honey' which then produces 'mead' an intoxicating drink which is made from fermented honey.

 

Within the lands of Russia we find the common surname 'Medvedev' meaning 'bear' and this name is also related to the Sanskrit 'mad' and 'madhu' as we find that the real meaning of 'Medvedev' is one who has the knowledge ( ved ) of honey ( med ) which of course is the bear as within thick and dark forests it was the bear who knew where the honey was.

 

 

'Bees' were seen as possessing a higher taste, lovers of nectar as they constantly pursued the beauty of nature, lived upon the most subtlest and refined of diets, sought out the most captivating fragrances, basked in the beautiful sunshine and expressed a pleasing and musical hum.

 

'Rasapus' is a name for the 'Bee' and one which is described within the language of Sanskrit as one who thrives ( pus ) upon nectar ( rasa ) and we also have 'nilabha' a name for the Bee whose meaning is one whose appearance ( bha ) is blue ( nila ) just like the famous blue banded bee of Australia as seen above.

 

'Renuvasa' is a name for the 'Bee' and one which is described within the language of Sanskrit as one who dwells ( vasa ) within pollen ( renu ) and we also have the name of 'Padmabandhu' whose meaning is one who is the friend ( bandhu ) of the lotus ( padma ).

 

Vedic lore describes honey as 'the supreme essence of plants' the 'life sap of the sun' and eating it was like 'absorbing the essence of the vedas' and the entire lifespan of the humble Bee is said to produce a mere portion of a teaspoon of honey, hence they are recognised throughout the Vedas for their service and sacrifice.

 

'Divauka' is a name for the 'Bee' and a name from the language of Sanskrit whose meaning is sky ( diva ) dweller ( aukas ) and we also have 'Madhuleha' a name from the language of Sanskrit whose meaning is one who drinks ( leha ) honey ( madhu ).

 

'Pushpandhaya' is a name for the 'Bee' and a name from the language of Sanskrit whose meaning is one who drinks ( dhaya ) from the flower ( puspa ) and we also have 'Gunjakrt' a name for the Bee whose meaning is one who makes ( krt ) a humming ( gunja ) sound.

 

 

Ancients are said to have domesticated and tamed the bees as they sought to produce the land of milk and honey and one of the large black bees known within Sanskrit as the 'Brahmara' whose meaning is from 'brahm' meaning the 'wanderer' was said to carry small pieces of paper glued to its chest containing a message which it would then take back to its hive and to whom the message was intended.

 

'Madhunetr' is a name for the 'Bee' and a name from the language of Sanskrit whose meaning is one who leads ( netr ) one to the honey ( madhu ) and we also have 'Brahmaraka' a name for the Bee whose meaning is one who wanders ( brahma ) around.

 

'Kalalapa' is a name for the 'Bee' and a name from the language of Sanskrit whose meaning is one who possesses melodious ( kala ) speech ( alapa ) and we also have 'Madhudra' whose meaning is one who runs ( dra ) after honey ( madhu ).

 

 

Ancients may have also used bees as a weapon as history documents how the vandalising armies of Aurangzeb were routed by the legendary 'Dorsata' a ferocious bee which would attack in swarms and documentation also shows how an infantry of British colonialists were forced to abandon their cannons, guns, horses, clothing, treasure, and jump into the Ganges, horses and men went mad and limbs were broken as the army sought shelter from the ferocious bees.

 

Within the ancient Vedas we also hear of 'Bhramari' a name for the 'Bee' whose meaning is 'like a bee' and also the name for the goddess of the bees and in particular the goddess of the black bees who would attack the Asuras with swarms of black bees.

The history of modern bee keeping is said to have been introduced to India within the 19th century yet evidence of harvesting honey within India goes back at least 15,000 years according to the cave walls of India and this is supported within the ancient scriptures such as the Rig Veda which goes back in time at least 3,000 years according to academics, hence, bees, honey and bee keeping is yet another science practiced thousands of years ago within Vedic India, along with many other sciences which are mentioned within sastra.