It is well known that when young Lord Krishna grew up, he danced with all the gopis or cow-herds in his village, and each one felt that he danced with her alone. Even when he was a baby, though, the gopis adored him, as this story shows.

It happened once that the gopis agreed amongst themselves that they would prepare a special meal for Krishna, and so one day they spent hours cooking and preparing dishes, and each gopi, as she worked, imagined the happiness of Baby Krishna when he tasted what she was making. Finally, when everything was ready, they packed the food in little vessels and carried it to the house of Nandra and Yashoda, Krishna’s foster parents.

When they arrived, though, they saw that the family had just finished eating, and Yashoda was washing the hands of Krishna, who sat before her on the table, full and happy. Seeing that the gopis had brought food, Yashoda was concerned that they would be disappointed that all their hard work was in vain, but to her surprise the gopis instead began to dance and sing in happiness. To see Baby Krishna full and smiling was enough – their hours in the kitchen were forgotten, and they celebrated.