wife Draupadi. So the five princes and their wife became slaves to their cousin brothers. Thereafter, Draupadi was dragged by her hair in the presence of everybody and was asked to be stripped and made to sit naked on the lap of Duryodhana. The courtyard where the game of dice was being played all the elders of the family were also present. The king himself was there. Bhisma the great grandfather and Dronacharya the teacher were also present. Draupadi sought help from these elders and requested them to stop the bad treatment being meted out to her. The elders for reasons of their own did not or could not help her. She then prayed to Krishna who was away in his own kingdom at Dwaraka. Krishna hearing the fervent prayer of Draupadi immediately arrived on the scene but was not seen by anybody. When Draupadi's sari was being dragged to strip her, the sari got lengthened from the other side. She could not be stripped and her honor was saved. Duryodhana however succeeded in filching from the Pandus their kingdom and sent them into exile in the forest for twelve years, and to live a thirteenth year in disguise, unrecognized. Thereafter, if they survived, they could return and lay claim to their lost kingdom. At the allotted time, the good Pandus, having met all the conditions of their exile, returned and demanded their kingdom, but the Kurus refused to part with even an inch of land. Krishna at this point of time came as a peace maker and delivered a stirring message to Dhritarashtra as to the right duties of a king. A king should give the kingdom to the most deserving candidate and not necessarily to his son. In this case the eldest of all the hundred and five cousins and the most deserving candidate was Yudhisthira and not his son Duryodhana. He went to the extent of asking only five villages and said that He will convince the five brothers to be satisfied with this. When this request was also refused He exhibited His Godly powers and told the king in no uncertain terms that if he doesn't listen to Him and return the kingdom then a war is inevitable and in that case the king will have to weep over all his dead sons. The king and his son Duryodhana did not heed this advice and thought Krishna was only a magician with no real powers. 

When war became inevitable, Arjuna for the Pandus and Duryodhana for the Kurus sought Krishna's aid in their cause. Duryodhana arrived first at Krishna's palace and seated himself arrogantly at the head of the couch upon which Krishna was resting, feigning sleep. Arjuna arrived and stood humbly with folded hands at Krishna's feet. When Krishna opened his eyes, it was therefore, Arjuna whom he saw first. Both requested Krishna to side with them in the war. Krishna stated that one party could have his massive army, and the other side could have himself as a personal counselor – though he would not take up arms in the combat. Arjuna was given first choice because he was the younger of the two and also because Krishna saw Arjuna first as he was standing near His feet. Without hesitation he wisely chose Krishna himself; the greedy Duyodhana rejoiced to be awarded the army. 

The field of the war was the battle field of Kurukshetra. The battle was basically a family dispute over property and revenge of wife's insult. The war however escalated and became a huge civil war. A war of great magnitude did take place in ancient India. Arjuna came prepared to fight the war. However just before the war as he viewed the huge army gathered on both sides and contemplated the great loss of life and property, that the war is bound to inflict a moral conflict came upon him as to the rightfulness of the war. He argued that the war is not justified and therefore dropped his weapons and decided not to fight.