Hi,
I was going through some editorials, which claim a different version for Karna's birth.....he is claimed to be as Sahasrakavacha, the one with 1000 Armours. The story referred is as below, and appears much more appealing:-
Sahasrakavacha had pleased Brahma with his devotion, was granted a boon by the Creator of this universe, “Your life exists in the thousand kavachas (armours) that I have bestowed upon you and because of which none can kill you. But, if any one of your enemies were to remove the kavachas from your body, then they will lose powers. I also grant you another boon-one who intends to take away even one kavacha from you will have to fight you for a hundred years.”
With such powerful boons granted to an asura, it was enough reason for this to go to his head. He began to exercise his powers for both good and evil purposes, as a result of which all came to dread him and gave him the name Sahasrakavacha (a hundred armours). The devas were so disgusted with his behaviour that they decided to approach Lord Vishnu to seek his intervention. On hearing their pleas, Lord Vishnu agreed to help them and descended on earth in the form of two men, named Nara and Narayana.
Now these two men challenged Sahasrakavacha to a battle, which the asura willingly accepted, conscious as he was of his prowess and the hundred kavachas that he wore.
The day of the battle arrived. Nara engaged Sahasrakavacha in the confrontation for a hundred years while Narayana sat down to do penance. After a hundred years, Nara managed to force one kavacha off from the asura’s body by piercing through it and then embarked on penance. Meanwhile, Narayana took up the battle from where Nara had left. Thus alternating with each other, Nara and Narayana continued fighting with the asura, till he was left with only one kavacha upon his body.
Now Sahas-rakavacha realised that he was left with the last kavacha and if that too was ripped off his body, he would die. So, he went and hid himself behind the Sun-god. With Sahasrakavacha having left the field, Nara and Narayana returned to heaven.
After a long time, a son was born to Kunti with the blessings of the Sun-god. The child was named Karna and he was born wearing a single kavacha upon himself. This evidently proved to the shocked people around him that Karna was none other than Sahasrakavacha who had taken rebirth as Karna.
As we all know, in the battle of Mahabharata, Karna supported Duryo-dhana. Lord Indra disguised himself as a poor Brahmin and approached Karna for alms. Karna was a kind-hearted man, so he willingly took out his kavacha to hand over to the poor Brahmin. With the last kavacha off, Karna went to the battlefield and was killed by an arrow directed at him by Arjuna, who rode his chariot with Lord Krishna driving it. Arjuna and Krishna were Narayana and Nara respectively, in earlier life and were responsible for killing Karna.
Thus, as promised by Brahma, Sahasrakavacha lived so long as he wore the kavachas.
