350 Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

of all things; even impure things could be purified simply by touching the
water of the Ganges. This superexcellent power of the Ganges water was
due to its having emanated from the toe of Lord Visnu. But when Lord
Krsna, the Supreme Visnu, appeared in the family of the Yadu dynasty,
He traveled personally throughout the kingdom of the Yadus, and by His
intimate association with the. Yadu dynasty, the whole family not only
became very famous but also became more effective in purifying others
than the water of the Ganges.

The next excellence of Lord Krsna’s appearance was that although
apparently He gave protection to the devotees and annihilated the demons,
both the devotees and the demons achieved the same result. Lord Krsna is
the bestower of five kinds of liberation, of which sdyujya-mukti, or the
liberation of becoming one with the Supreme, was given to the demons like
Kamsa, whereas the gopis were given the chance to associate with Him
personally. The gopis kept their individuality to enjoy the company of
Lord Krsna, but Kamsa was accepted into His impersonal brahmajyoti.
In other words, both the demons and the gopis were spiritually liberated,
but because the demons were enemies and the gopis were friends, the
demons were killed and the gopis were protected.

The third excellence of Lord Krsna’s appearance was that the goddess of
fortune, who is worshiped by demigods like Lord Brahma, Indra and
Candra, remained always engaged in the service of the Lord, even though
the Lord gave more preference to the gopis. Laksmiji, the goddess of
fortune, tried her best to be on an equal level with the gopis, but she was
not successful. Nevertheless, she remained faithful to Krsna, although
generally she does not remain at one place even if worshiped by demigods
like Lord Brahma.

The fourth excellence of Lord Krsna’s appearance concerns the glories
of His name. It is stated in the Vedic literature that by chanting the
different names of Lord Visnu a thousand times, one may be bestowed
with the same benefits as by thrice chanting the holy name of Lord Rama.
And by chanting the holy name of Lord Krsna only once, one receives the
same benefit. In other words, of all the holy names of the Supreme Per-
sonality of Godhead, including Visnu and Rama, the holy name of Krsna
is the most powerful. The Vedic literature therefore specifically stresses
the chanting of the holy name of Krsna: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna
Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Lord
Caitanya introduced this chanting of the holy name of Krsna in this age,
thus making liberation more easily obtainable than in other ages. In
other words, Lord Krsna is more excellent than His other incarnations,
