Dan Lila

One of the types of divine play (lila)
between the god Krishna and his devotees (bhakta). In this lila, the adolescent
Krishna intercepts the gopis, his cowherding female friends, who are on their
way to the city of Mathura to sell their
butter and curds. Krishna refuses to let
them pass until they give him some as a
gift (dana). The story of this lila is often
presented in religiously oriented theatrical presentations, which are themselves
known as lilas (“plays”), since their function is to reveal the work of the divine.
This lila is but one instance in a long history of butter thievery. For further information see John Stratton Hawley,
Krishna: The Butter Thief, 1983.