Just as another person meditates upon Krsna at the brahma muhurta, so Krsna meditated also upon himself, beyond matter (tamasah param), the one supreme lord, the one who reveals himself (svayam jyotih). But it is also said that others such as Sankarsana, are also the lord. Yes, but there is no other avatara compared to him (ananyam). And moreover, even though Sankarsana and other portions of himself have eternal separate existence, Krsna is still complete (avyayam). The reason for his appearance is his mercy; by his direct presence which all men can see, he removes ignorance. From him appears the impersonal Brahman (brahma akhyam). Here are similar statements : madiyam mahimanam param brahmeti sabditam vetsyasy anugrhitam me , and brahmano hi pratisthaham. Brahma akhyam can also mean "He who is called Brahman" as in: Brahmakhyam brahma namakam and brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate. The lord’s excellence is described. From him come all sorts of happiness seen in the living entities (laksita bhava nirvrttim), through his energies which give knowledge and devotion, and which create and destroy the universe. For the devotees, Krsna gives happiness by his bestowal of prema. For the followers of dharma, he gives happiness by his careful observance of the rules of dharma, and for the sinful, he gives happiness by killing them and then giving them liberation.

Rātreś caturdaśo bhāgo muhūrto brāhma ucyate: the fourteen part of the night is called brāhma-muhūrta. To instruct the people and as a pleasant feature of his human pastimes he meditated and imitated various activities of humans. Becoming stable in mind by prāṇāyāma (prasann-karaṇaḥ), he mediated on the Supreme Lord (ātmānam) beyond prakṛti (tamasaḥ param). Verse 5 describes the Supreme Lord. “His energies which cause creation and destruction” refers to the jīvas. “Creation and destruction” include other actions as well. Or he meditated on his own form (ātmānam). His form was pure, beyond prakṛti. Śruti says tamasaḥ parastāt: the Lord is beyond prakṛti. (Mahā-nārāyaṇa Upaniṣad) His form is not a combination of elements: he is one (ekam). Śruti say ekam evādvtīyaṁ brahma: the Lord is one without a second. (Chāndogya Upaniṣad) Though he is one he has intrinsic energies: he manifests (jyotiḥ) variety by his own self (svayam). Śruti says ātma-prakāśam: the Lord is self manifesting. Therefore nothing else exists except him. Śruti says neha nānāsti kiṅcana: there is no other being at all. (Chāndogya Upaniṣad) na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate | parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jṣāna-bala-kriyā ca || He has no body and no senses. No one is equal to him or higher. His supreme power is manifold. His actions are naturally revealed with knowledge and strength. Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad His glancing at prakṛti is carried out through his energy. Thus, unlike prakṛti, he is devoid of change or decay (akṣayam). The Lord’s purity has been shown. He has no contamination at all. All contaminations are completely removed by his power (svasaṁsthayā). Variety in prakṛti is created just by his proximity. Śruti says ayam ātmā apahata-pāpmā: the Lord is free of contamination. (Chāndogya Upaniṣad) He is called Brahman because of his greater than all others by his intrinsic qualities. Śruti says na tasya kāryam: he has no material actions. (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad) But he is known by his actions. His svarūpa (bhāva) and bliss which is one with his svarūpa (nirvṛtim) are observable because of his śaktis. Unconscious prakṛti was considered faulty and his śaktis which create and destroy prakṛti are also faulty. But this is his external energy. Thus he is not affected by it. His other śakti, innate to his svarūpa, which gives life to the interior śakti, is referred to in this verse. His svarūpa of bliss is revealed by his internal śakti. Because he is the basis of all ātmās, he is the highest bliss and the highest form. Or there is another meaning. sa vai patiḥ syād akutobhayaḥ svayaṁ samantataḥ pāti bhayāturaṁ janam sa eka evetarathā mitho bhayaṁ naivātmalābhād adhi manyate param Since the Lord by nature has no fear, he protects all persons. He alone should be the husband. Otherwise there is mutual fear. The wise do not accept anything better than attaining you. SB 5.18.20 Since it is logical there is one Lord, he reveals himself. “But it is also said that Saṅkarṣaṇa is the Lord.” No expansion is different from him (ananyam). As a pastime he expands in the catur-vyūha but they are not different from him. Though he manifests these forms, he is not perishable or exhaustible like a lake (avayam). Therefore by being permanently situated in his extraordinary form (saṁsthayā), his form never decreases (nirasta-kalmaṣam). From him arises what is known as Brahman. madīyaṁ mahimānaṁ ca paraṁ brahmeti śabditam vetsyasy anugṛhītaṁ me sampraśnair vivṛtaṁ hṛdi By my mercy, you will realize my power known as the impersonal Brahman, which will be disclosed in your heart through questions and answers. SB 8.24.38 Viṣṇu Purāṇa says śubhāśrayasya cittasya sarva-gasya tathātmanaḥ: Viṣṇu is the shelter of all auspiciousness and the Brahman. And Gītā says brahmaṇo hi pratisṭḥāham: I am the basis of Brahman. (BG 14.27) The rest of the verse has the same meaning.

At the moment sacred to Brahmā, at the end of night before the sandhya, the Lord, appearing in the Madhu dynasty to institute dharma (mādhavaḥ), meditated. Rātreś caturdaśo bhāgo muhūrto brāhma ucyate: the fourteen part of the night is called brāhma-muhūrta. He followed proper conduct. All his senses were naturally peaceful (prasanna-karaṇaḥ). Or being steady minded by doing prāṇāyāma to teach the people, he meditated. He meditated on the supreme Lord, beyond matter (ātmānam tamasaḥ param). The Lord is described. He is distinguished from the jīva by causing creation and destruction through his śakti. Or the statement indicates the Lord’s exclusive nature as in the following. sa vai patiḥ syād akutobhayaḥ svayaṁ samantataḥ pāti bhayāturaṁ janam sa eka evetarathā mitho bhayaṁ naivātmalābhād adhi manyate param Since the Lord by nature has no fear, he protects all persons. He alone should be the husband. Otherwise there is mutual fear. The wise do not accept anything better than attaining you. SB 5.18.20 Thus he reveals himself (svayaṁ-jyotiḥ). As Paramātmā, since he reveals everything, nothing else reveals him. “But it is said that Saṅkarṣaṇa and others are also the Lords.” Nothing is different from him (ananyam). He alone exists in the form of caturvyūha as a pastime. These forms are not different from him. Moreover he is full of all śaktis (avyayam). By his śakti, Saṅkarṣaṇa and others have śakti. He is endowed with his own extraordinary (sva) form of the highest bliss (saṁsthayā). He continually destroys all sorrow of the devotees or destroys suffering continually by appearing directly (saṁsthayā) to the devotees (sva). He causes the fame (ākhyam) of Brahmā or of continuous consciousness (brahma). That Brahman arises from him alone, as rays arise from the sun. Or Brahmā arises from his navel. Or the Lord himself is called brahman, since he has eternal knowledge and bliss. Because of that, he destroys all suffering eternally. Moreover he is endowed with māyā and cit śaktis, belonging to him or dependent on him (sva), which cause creation, maintenance and destruction of the universe and the variety in Vaikuṇṭha. And from him arises the bliss of prema in ten bhāvas with symptoms (lakṣita). All of this distinguishes the Lord from the jiva. The terms are successively more excellent in nature.