The Contest Begins

Draupadi, who looked as beautiful as an apsara, stood next to her brother, Dhrishtadyumna. Everyone's gaze was fixed on her. 

Then the contest began. Dhrishtadyumna invited the participants one by one to try their hand at the task. The atmosphere in the stadium was tense. Each archer felt he would succeed but had to return to his seat disappointed. 

Duryodhana and Dushasana were not even able to string the bow.

It was then Karna's turn. His golden armor and earrings glistened as he made his way to the pan of oil. He easily strung the bow and nocked an arrow. Just as he was taking aim, a prince raised an objection: "How can a charioteer's son take part in a swayamvara meant for princes?"

When Draupadi heard this, she said to her brother, "I will not marry the son of a charioteer."

Karna felt insulted. He angrily put the bow down and returned to his seat. Then Shishupala, Shalya, and Jarasandha attempted the challenge but failed. One by one, all the renowned warriors present tried their luck but were unsuccessful. Drupada and Dhrishtadyumna began to wonder whether the task assigned was too difficult for any archer to accomplish. But Drupada also felt that Arjuna would have succeeded had he been there.

Then, Arjuna stood up. The Brahmins were amused that one among them was going to attempt a task that had defeated all the Kshatriyas. "Stop him before he embarrasses all of us," said one Brahmin.

But some sages thought differently. "Look at his physical stature and self-confidence," they said. "He seems more focused than the warriors here. Let us see how he fares."