Text 5
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
aho amī deva-varāmarārcitaṁ
pādāmbujaṁ te sumanaḥ-phalārhaṇam
namanty upādāya śikhābhir ātmanas
tamo-’pahatyai taru-janma yat-kṛtam
śrī-bhagavān uvāca — Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa said; aho — oh; amī — these; deva-vara — O best of Lords (Śrī Balarāma); amara — by the immortal demigods; arcitam — worshiped; pāda-ambujam — to the lotus feet; te — of You; sumanaḥ — of flowers; phala — and fruits; arhaṇam — offerings; namanti — they are bowing down; upādāya — presenting; śikhābhiḥ — with their heads; ātmanaḥ — their own; tamaḥ — darkness of ignorance; apahatyai — for the purpose of eliminating; taru-janma — their birth as trees; yat — by which ignorance; kṛtam — created.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O greatest of Lords, just see how these trees are bowing their heads at Your lotus feet, which are worshipable by the immortal demigods. The trees are offering You their fruits and flowers to eradicate the dark ignorance that has caused their birth as trees.
The trees of Vṛndāvana were thinking that because of past offenses they had now taken birth as trees and, being immovable, could not accompany Lord Kṛṣṇa in His wanderings throughout the Vṛndāvana area. In fact, all the creatures of Vṛndāvana, including the trees and cows, were great souls who could personally associate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But because of ecstatic sentiments of separation, the trees considered themselves in ignorance and thus tried to purify themselves by bowing down at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Lord Kṛṣṇa understanding their mentality, simultaneously glanced at them with affection and praised their devotional service before His older brother, Balarāma.