To understand the woman the Pandavas were about to meet, one must look back at the altar of King Drupada. After his humiliation by Drona, Drupada performed a massive Yajna (sacrifice) to obtain a son who could kill Drona and a daughter who could marry into the greatest house. From the flames stepped Dhrishtadyumna, a fully armed commander, and Draupadi, a woman of dark complexion and eyes like lotus petals, smelling of autumn jasmine.
As the Pandavas arrive in Panchala, disguised as ragged priests, they blend into the massive crowds of kings and princes. The atmosphere is electric. Every king in Bharatavarsha is there, including Duryodhana and his brothers, all vying for the hand of the most beautiful woman in the world. But Drupada has set an impossible task: a heavy, divine bow must be strung, and five arrows must be shot through a revolving ring to hit the eye of a golden fish perched high above- all while looking only at its reflection in a bowl of water below.
King after king fails. Some cannot even lift the bow; others are struck in the face by the snapping string. Even the mighty Karna steps forward, but Draupadi publicly rejects him, refusing to marry a "charioteer's son." The assembly falls into a frustrated silence. It seems no man on earth is capable of the feat.
Then, a young, dusty Brahmin steps out from the crowd of beggars, asking for a chance. The kings mock him, but a dark-skinned prince from Dwarka named Krishna leans over to his brother Balarama and whispers, "The lion has finally come out of his den."