Karna was given the Kavach and Kundalas at his birth for protection by his father, the Sun-god. The Kavach was embedded into his chest, making it impossible to hurt him with arrows. The Kundalas protected his ear’s cartilage from attacks. Together, they made Karna immortal as there was no other way to kill him. Indra, the chief of the gods and Arjun’s father, knew that Arjun would be in danger as long as Karna had his Kavach and Kundalas. So, Indra decided to take them away and weaken Karna. He disguised as a poor Brahmin and approached Karna during his prayer time. The Sun-god warned Karna of Indra’s intentions but Karna did not want to send anyone from his door empty handed. He readily gave away his Kavach and Kundalas to Indra, cutting them off his body. Indra was so ashamed that he gave Karna a boon to use his most powerful weapon only once during the battle.
Karna’s Kavach and Kundalas
