Drupad realised that he would soon fall prey to attacks by Drona and his army
To protect himself from enemy attacks, he desired a son who could kill Drona.
Drupad organised a Yagya and invited sages to offer prayers and grant him a son.
When the Yagya was over, everybody saw a young boy emerge from the sacred fire.
This was the son that Drupad had prayed for. Drupad's son rose from the fire with beautiful garlands
on his neck and a sword in his hand.
While everybody was celebrating the birth
of Drupad's son, they saw another figure emerge
from the fire.
This time the figure was that of a girl. From the sacrificial fire, Drupad was blessed with a daughter.
Drupad named his son Dhrishtadyumna and named his daughter Draupadi.
It was soon after Draupadi's birth that the
sages predicted that the daughter of Drupad
will be the cause of the destruction of many Kshatriyas.
Years passed and Draupadi grew up to be a young woman whose beauty was unrivalled
When the time came for her to be wed, Drupad organised a grand Swayamvar and invited brave and
noble men from across the land.
In Panchaal, everybody was preparing for Draupadi's swayamvar with great excitement.
News of the swayamvar had spread all across the country.
Princes and Brahmins alike were preparing for the contest to win Draupadi
Upon hearing the news, the Pandavas decided to attend the swayamvar and win the hand of the beautiful princess of Panchaal.
Draupadi's swayamvar was attended by all the Princes of nearby kingdoms including Duryodhan and the other Kauravas.
The Pandavas too attended the swayamvar disguised as brahmins.
At the swayamvar, a mighty bow was placed in the middle of the hall.
After all the suitors took their seat, Drupad announced the challenge.
To win the hand of Draupadi in marriage, one had to watch the reflection of a revolving fish in a bowl of oil and shoot an arrow to
penetrate the fish's eye.
Of all the talented prince's who rose to string the bow, none could even lift the bow as it
was too heavy for them.
One by one, hey all abandoned the quest and returned to their seats humiliated.
Even Duryodhan failed to string the bow.
When Arjun rose to string the bow, no one
expected him to do anythig spectacular.
What chance did a Brahmin have where so many Kshatriya had failed.
To everyone's surprise, Arjun not only lifted the bow, he actually fulfilled Drupad's challenge.
He hit the eye of the fish effortlessly and a stunned silence overtook the court.
The Swayamvar of Draupadi was more than just a ceremony.
It was a turning point in the Mahabharata
A point in time where paths of destiny converged and seeds of future devastation were sown.
Among the kings who attended the Swayamvar was Karna, the king of Anga and friend of the Kaurava prince Duryodhana
Though he was handsome to look at and skilled in the use of arms, the taint of being a charioteer's son never left him.
When the King of Anga proceeded to the centre of the hall to try his hand at the challenge presented by Drupad,
it was Draupadi who spoke.
And the words she spoke were harsh.
She said that a soot-putra had no business being in
the presence of kings
She said that regardless of his skills and his kingship, he would never be worthy of the hand of a princess.
Thus insulted, Karna returned to his seat.
If Draupadi could have seen the fires of humiliation
that burned in his eyes, she would have shivered.
She would have seen war and desolation that awaited this land in the future.
But there were others at the Swayamvar who were not there to marry Draupadi.
Krishna was present in the Paanchaal
court with his elder brother Balram.
Though he was unmatched as a warrior and was the most beautiful man in the gathering, he did
he did not try to lift the bow, or string it, or
aim at the eye of the fish.
In Krishna's eyes was the picture of all that had happened, all that was happening, and all that was about to happen.
On his lips, was a smile.
He cheered when Arjuna's arrow found its mark and he applauded when Draupadi accepted him as her husband.
It was a momentous occasion - one that deserved the presence of god himself.
After the swayamvar was over, the Pandavas set forth on their journey taking Draupadi to her new home
On their way, the Pandavas were attacked time and again by several hostile local princes but the five brothers fought
them all off.
Upon reaching their hut, the Pandavas called out for their mother who, at that time, was inside, praying.
When Kunti heard her sons calling to her, she thought that they had brought food.
The mother of five sons said that whatever they had brought they should share among themselves equally.
But when  Kunti saw the bride and was told that she was Arjuna's wife, she regretted what she had asked her sons to do.
Kunti immediately saw that she had made a mistake.
But there were other worries on her mind as well.
She feared that Draupadi's beauty might cause discord among her sons.
To avoid the Pandavas from falling apart, Kunti did not take back her words.
Yudhishtir, Bhim, Nakul and Sahadev were hesitant to marry Draupadi as it felt wrong to them.
They believed that only Arjun, who had won Draupadi, could be her real husband.
As the Pandavas debated with Kunti, a sage who was crossing by appeared.
The sage told Kunti that Draupadi, in her previous life, had prayed for a husband with five virtues
In this life, she was  destined to be the wife of five husbands.
Upon hearing this, the Pandavas could object no further.
They obeyed their mother's orders and married Draupadi.
What the Pandavas did not notice was that Dhristhtadyumna- Draupadi's brother- was witness to this marriage
When he goes back to Drupad and tells him of his daughter's fate, more seeds of war will be sown.