Friend of Krishna When the best of the Vasus, of the name Drona, along with his wife Dhara were ordered to increase progeny by Lord Brahma they took benediction from Brahma that in the future — when they would take birth again within the universe-the Supreme Lord Krishna in His most attractive feature of childhood would absorb their whole attention. Their dealings with Krishna would be so attractive that simply by hearing Krishna's childhood activities with them anyone can very easily cross over the nescience of birth and death. Lord Brahma agreed to give them the benediction, and as a result the same Drona appeared as Nanda Maharaj in Vrindavan, and the same Dhara appeared as Mother Yasoda, the wife of Nanda Maharaj.

In this way, Nanda Maharaj and his wife, Mother Yasoda, developed their unalloyed devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, having gotten Him as their son. And all the gopis and cowherdsmen who were associates of Krishna naturally developed their own different feelings of love for Krishna. 

Lord Krishna appeared as a child, the son of Vasudeva and Devaki, and was transferred to the home of Nanda and Yasoda so as to escape being killed by Devaki's brother, the demon Kamsa.

Nanda Maharaj was a Vaishya king, or landholder, and his main business was cow protection. It is understood that he had 900,000 cows, and Krishna and Balaram used to take charge of them, along with Krishna’s many cowherd boy friends.