The day of Contest

The contest was held between the princes of kuru dynasty, namely the Kauravas and Pandavas. To test the strength, capabilities, and valor amongst the princes, so that the best one can be declared as the crown prince (Yuvraj). As everyone knows that Duryodhan and Yudhisthir claim to be first in line to inherit the throne of Hastinapur. Duryodhan, the eldest of Kauravas is younger than the eldest of Pandavas ,Yudhisthir; made this a never ending tug of war between them.

The arena(rangbhoomi) was so grand. There was platform for sitting arrangements of King Dhritrashta, Queen Gandhari and Pandu's widow queen Kunti. All elders including Mahamahim Pitamah Bheesm, mahamantri vidur, Dronacharya, Kripacharya and many more. Dushala, Subhadra and Urvi also decided to sat there together and watch the contest.

On the other side of arena, a large crowd had gathered just to see the grandiose of the contest.

Royal Guru Dronacharya begins the tournament by the sound of the conch shell.

Ashwatthama, the only child of Guru Dronacharya had given the honour to choose contenders. A wheel in which the names of all the princes of Kuru dynasty was engraved was started rotating. Ashwatthama deliberately chose Duryodhan as the first contender.

Prince Duryodhan come in the arena with his grand entry.
Duryodhan- Pranipaat to my father and mother. I'm difficult to defeat.. that's why my name is Duryodhan.

Dushala excitedly jumped and told Urvi about his dashing brother. Urvi thought, he indeed was dashing, but with a lot of arrogance.

Deliberately Nakul was chosen first to compete with Duryodhan. Nakul with his two sharp swords and Duryodhan with his magnificent mace(gadaa) started the competition.

Duryodhan won. The subjects of Hastinapur, the audience chanted... Prince Duryodhan ki jai. All hail prince Duryodhan.

Next Sahadev was chosen who got defeated by him.

When again a Pandava was chosen, Pitamah Bheesm knew that this has become no contest but a deceit against Pandavas.

When Pitamah Bheesm tried to stop this deceitful performance, King Dhritrashta objected saying that this tournament is for finding who is best amongst the better.

Next, Prince Yudhisthira was chosen. He with his splendid spade (bhaala), entered the arena.

Duryodhan knew that Yudhisthira was par better than him. So, his deceitful uncle, mama Shakuni the king of Gandhar and brother of Gandhari, told him to enrage Yudhisthira.

When Duryodhan and Yudhisthira started fighting, he saw that Yudhisthira was fighting much better. He deliberately bad-mouthed Kunti and Pandavas.

Duryodhan- You truly are very powerful, Yudhisthira. Tell me, the blood of which dynasty runs through your veins? From whom did your characterless mother conceive you?

Kauravas always did accuse Pandavas for their mysterious birth. When Kunti(pritha) was a child, her father Shurasena(Krishna's Naana) of Yadava dynasty had given her to his cousin Kuntibhoj. In her teen, one day Durvasa Rishi had visited Kuntibhoj and Kunti offered extreme devotion and comfort to Durvasa; pleased by Kunti, he had offered her a divine mantra that would invoke any god of her choice and he would bless her with a bright son like that God by the same deity. So when Pandu was cursed by Rishi Kindamba during their stay in forest that if ever Pandu mate with his wife he would die at the moment. Kunti, with the permission of her husband, conceived three child; Yudhisthira from Dharmaraj, Bheem from Pawandev, and Arjun from Indradev. Nakul and Sahadev were conceived by twin god Ashwini Kumar by Madri, Pandu's second wife. Ever since their return to Hastinapur after Pandu's death, the Kauravas had humiliated them about their birth.

But hearing those bad words right now in this tournament from Duryodhan made Yudhisthira utterly enraged. He attacked Duryodhan with all his anger. But since it was just a contest, and he had shown anger, Yudhisthira forfeited the fight saying it's not a righteous thing to fight with him when he got angered, even for a moment.

But Duryodhan has other plans. He attacked Yudhisthira from behind and won the fight through deception.
Bheem was the next contender. Like his name, he really had a hulk body. Even his mace(gadaa) was as gigantic as him.

They fought. But Bheem injured Duryodhan which made Bheem disqualified from the contest.
Finally Ashwatthama aimed the arrow on Arjun's name. Ashwatthama was as jealous at Pandavas as Duryodhan was, not for some throne matter, but ever since his childhood he had seen his father Dronacharya favouring Pandavas, especially Arjun. Like any child he was jealous as his father favouring anyone else and not letting anyone chance against Arjun. Be it Duryodhan or Kauravas, or Eklavya or Karna or himself. So it enraged Ashwatthama and he rebelled against his father befriending Duryodhan.

Arjun was the mightiest Archer in the entire Kuru dynasty. Duryodhan has no chance winning against him. So he indulged in deceit.

When Guru Dronacharya saw that Ashwatthama was aiming for the entrance to fall on Arjun. He challenged him saying my disciple will face any hurdles falling in his way.

Arjun's grand entry made everyone stunned. He's entrance made the audience chant his name. The arena was reverberating his name.
Subhadra got so much excited seeing Arjun that she also started yelling, 'Go for it Arjun'. When Dushala and Urvi saw that, both laughed at their friend's antics.

The reverberation of the string pulled by Arjun echoed in the whole arena. He didn't take time and freezes Duryodhan from toe to neck who wasn't able to free himself.
Dronacharya seeing his disciple winning the contest was so happy and ecstatic that he declared Arjun as the best Archer in the world.

When he said Arjun to free Duryodhan from the bond. A reverberation of string echoed in the whole arena that was even louder than Arjun's.

Everyone was flabbergasted when an arrow struck on Duryodhan's bond and freed him.

Author's note-
Contest courtesy - Mahabharat Star plus