Sahastrakavach
It appears
that the the Sahastrakavach-Nar-Naaraayan-Karn-Arjun-Krishn connection is
quite popular in South India. Below is a rough translation of the relevant
portion of a classical Thullal Poem in Malayaalam named
Krishnaarjun-vijayam ( Victory of
Krishn and Arjun) :-
Long ago,
there was a demon, a destroyer of the race of Devtaa. His name was
Sahastrakavach (one with one thousand armors). He had received his boon of
thousand armors from Brahmaa Jee. Due to the power of the boon received
from the one who has the lotus as his seat (Brahmaa Jee), no one dared to
fight with him. As long as his all the thousand armors were not destroyed,
the demon could not be harmed. His one armor could be destroyed only after
doing penance for 12 years and fighting with the demon for 12 years – that
was the boon.
One who has
one thousand names, the one whose eyes are as beautiful as lotus, Vishnu,
was born on Earth as Naaraayan and Nar to kill the demon. Nar began the
penance and Naaraayan began the fighting with the demon. After twelve
years of this process the demon's one armor was destroyed. Then Nar began
the fighting the demon and Naaraayan began the penance.
Thus many
years elapsed in this manner and many armors of the enemy of Devtaa were
destroyed. Now only one armor remained but after that the great deluge
took place. Nar and Naaraayan returned to the abode of Vishnu. The demon
became one with the Sun. He was born as Karn, the son of Sun through
Kuntee.
It is true
that both Phaalgun (Arjun) and the enemy of Narakaasur (Krishn) are
required to kill the son of Sun (Karn). The stay in the forest for twelve
years became the penance for Arjun (Nar).
The following paragraph on
Sahastrakavach is quoted from Page 46 of the attached document in which
the author has given reference to Van Parv 147-157 --
"When a demon called Sahsrtakavach (literally one with a thousand
protective covers) became a menace to the human society, Nar and
Naaraayan took birth from Vishnu’s potential. Sahasrakavach had secured a
boon that no one other than one who had done penance for a
thousand years could slay him. For that reason, Nar and Naaraayan were
collectively performing penance alternatively engaging Sahastrakavach in
battle and tearing off his Kavach (the protective covers) one after the
other alternatively. Some time later when Naaraayan had engaged the
demon in battle, and Nar had gone to do Tapas and his 999 Kavach were removed.
In the meanwhile Sahastrakavach cast away his mortal
remains and was born as Karn with one protective cover, the Kavach. Nar
and Naaraayan were born as Arjun and Krishn respectively. Active
battle was the turn of Nar at that time so Nar as Arjun engaged him in battle and
slew him.
(Vana Parv, 147-157).
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