Lord Krishna - Youth and Childhood

Nanda was the head of a community of cow-herders, and he settled in Vrindavana. The stories of Lord Krishna's childhood and youth tell how he became a cow herder, his mischievous pranks as Makhan Chor (butter thief), his foiling of attempts to take his life, and his role as a protector of the people of Vrindavana. Shri Krishna killed many Rakshasha's sent by Kansa (king of Mathura). Krishna lifted the Govardhana hill to protect villagers of village vrindavan  from the anger of Indra. Shri Krishna’s childhood reinforces the Hindu concept of lila, playing for fun and enjoyment and not for sport or gain. His interaction with the gopis at the rasa dance or Rasa-lila . Krishna played his flute and the gopis came immediately from whatever they were doing, to the banks of the Yamuna River, and joined him in singing and dancing. Even those who could not physically be there joined him through meditation.