When Krishna came to this world  5000 years ago , He was accompanied by His associates, those who are eternally present with Him during His eternally manifest blissful Vrndavana pastimes . An unfolding takes place even within this material realm of the sweetness of those  spiritual relationships , and the  spiritual dimension decends .

Some of those particular personalities are Nitya siddha devotees ( eternally liberated ) and some well developed Sadhana siddha devotees . ( aspiring for liberation) As such, some of the gopies were stopped from joining the Rasa dance by their  relatives,  this was  because of  their needing  very slight and further purification , although they were extremely advanced Sadhana siddha devotees .(well practiced).
When Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu came 500 years ago  He is also accompanied by both types of devotees , eternally liberated and learning to be so . This  Sankirtana lila instigated by Mahāprabhu is still taking place today .Those  Sadhana siddha devotees are increasing day by day , and each of them are gradually developing an understanding of Tattva as well as developing pure Bhakti in love ,  along with understandings of spiritual Rasa in all their forms .
Srila Visvanatha Cakravati Thakur says our actions dedicated to Krishna and our knowledge of Krishna are like the two sides of a  trancendental sandwich , with  love or pure Bhakti  at its  centre .
Bhakti or love is essential , and gaining knowledge or by doing work alone won’t necessarily command love to appear. It’s independent of karma and jnana, ( knowledge aquiring) , it  is bestowed and is causelessly bestowed by the representatives  of Bhakti Devi or the Supreme Goddess of Fortune.
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