ANCIENT MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM

DRAGON SKIN VERSUS KARNA'S ARMOR, KAVACHA AND KUNDALA

Body armor is the whole of protecting clothing, designed to absorb and/or deflect slashing, bludgeoning, and penetrating attacks.  They were historically used to protect soldiers, whereas today, they are also used to protect police forces, private citizens and private security guards or bodyguards. Two types exist: regular non-plated personal armor (used by the people mentioned above, except combat soldiers) and hard-plate reinforced personal armor, which is used by combat soldiers, police tactical units and hostage rescue teams.  We find the use body armor is indispensable from the ancient times to the modern era of high-tech warfare.  The main motto is to defend our body from the attack of hostile enemy.

The oldest known western armor is the Dendra panoply, dating from the Mycenaean Era around 1400 B.C.

In the modern high-tech times, our soldiers use metal or ceramic plates in their battle dress, providing additional protection from rifle rounds. Metallic components or tightly-woven fiber layers can give soft armor resistance to stab and slash attacks from a knife. Mail armor continues to be used as protection against stab/slash attacks.

We, the humans, are still trying to make something that would provide 100% protection of our body parts and can withstand blows from the heavy arms or armor-penetrating rounds.  The big nations are trying to make some thing like that, like the Dragon Skin, Interceptor Body Armor, etc.

Dragon Skin is a type of ballistic vest, currently produced in Fresno, California.  It is made up of two-inch wide circular discs that overlap like scale armor, creating a flexible vest that allows a good range of motion and can allegedly absorb a high number of hits compared with other military body armor.  In a demonstration on the Discovery Channel series Future Weapons, a Dragon Skin vest withstood numerous rounds (including steel-core rounds) from an AK-47, an Heckler & Koch MP5SD, an M4 carbine (5.56×45 mm), and a point-blank detonation of an M67 grenade. While the vest was heavily damaged (mainly by the grenade), there was no penetration of the armor.  It has stopped all the bullets fired during a test in Fresno, California, including 0.308 rounds from a sniper rifle and 30 rounds from a 9-mm MP5 fired from five feet away.  Ninety-eight federal, state, and local law enforcement officers witnessed the SWAT test. The armor also stopped 40 rounds of PS-M1943 mild steel-core bullets from an AK-47 along with 200 9 mm FMJ military ball bullets fired from a submachine gun.  Dragon Skin claims to offer level IV protection, though there are some contradictions.

In the ancient texts and epics of India, we also come to know about body armors, which formed the key aspects of the art of war at that time.  The armors then, by the text and mythology, were far more superior than we have today.  Of them the most formidable armor was the armor of Karna.

Karna is one of the central characters in the great epic of Mahabharata, from ancient India.  He was the son of Surya, the Sun God.  He was born to Kunti before her marriage to King Pandu as a result of Kunti's trying a magical spell, which was given to her by Sage Durvasa, pleased by her service, as a boon.  Out of curiosity, Kunti still being unmarried, she decided to test the power of the mantra and called upon the god Surya. Compelled by the power of this mantra, Surya appeared before her and handed her a son, who was as radiant and powerful as Surya himself.  The baby was wearing armor or Kavacha and a pair of earrings or Kundala.  Being an unwed mother, Kunti set him afloat on the river, the Ashwanadi, in hope that he would be taken in by another family.  Karna was found by Adhiratha, a charioteer of King Dhritarashtra of Hastinapur, and his wife Radha, and they adopted him as their child and raised him up.  Later, he became friend of Duryodhana, who made him the king of Anga (present day Bhagalpur and Munger), and fought on his behalf against the Pandavas (his brothers) in the famous Kurukshetra war. Karna fought against misfortune throughout his life and kept his word under all circumstances. Many admire him for his courage and generosity.  Many believe that he was the greatest warrior of Mahabharata since he was only able to be defeated by Arjuna along with a combination of 3 curses, Indra's efforts, and Kunti's request.

Karna's divine birth implies that this child was no ordinary child. Why was he born with only a single Kavacha or armor that was attached to his body? Karna is the only character in this epic who was born with a natural Kavacha as part of his body. So, what was the reason for this in the first place?

In his previous life, Karna was a demon by name Dambhodbhava, who did worship and deep meditation for Sun God for many years. Pleased with his worship Sun God appeared before him and asked him to ask for a boon. Dambhodbhav asked for immortality. Sun said no one can become immortal as all those who have taken birth should die, this is the law of the nature set by Lord Narayana, thus he can ask for something else.  Dambhodbhav asked something that would be akin to immortality. He asked "Oh Lord Sun kindly give me a 1000 Kavacha – Kundala that should not break for at least 1000 years and one who breaks it should die immediately.” Sun God granted him the boon.

Dambhodbhava after getting the boon, was named as Sahasrakavachasura, and created havoc in the world and none could kill Sahasrakavachasura and none dared to fight as that would mean definite death. He had got boon of having 1000 Kavachas (armors) and that it will take 1000 years to break each Kavach, and the one, who would break a Kavach, would instantly die.  Hence, first Narayana meditated for 1000 years and Nara fought 1000 years with Sahasrakavachasura, and after 1000 Years, Nara was able to break his one Kavacha.  As Nara broke the Kavacha, he died, but Narayan due his power of meditation of 1000 years could get back life of Nara.  Then Narayan starts fighting and Nara starts meditation for the next 1000 years.  Nara and Narayana alternatively meditated and fought for 1000 years and the cycle continued.  This continued for 999 times in 1,000,000 years.  The fight went on for 1,000,000 years.  At last, when they both were able to break 999 Kavachas, Sahasrakavachasura hides himself behind the Surya and took his shelter with his last remaining Kavacha on his body due to fear that he would be killed by Nara and Narayana then. At this time, there was Pralaya (destruction) on earth due to the change of the Yuga. Thus Sahasrakavachasura escapes death. In Dwapar Yuga, he was reborn as Karna with Kavacha and kundala, and Nara and Narayan as Arjun and Krishna respectively and killed Karna or Sahasrakavachasura in the battle of Kurukshetra.

Karna's Kavacha was thus invincible.  No weapon can cut it through as long as there is sunlight, whether from Sun or from Moon (some sort of solar energy powered shield).  This kavacha, whoever breaks, would die.  Karna, who was known for his generosity, would give anything that one would ask from him after worship of Sun as alms.  Indra, the king of the gods (Devas) and the father of Arjuna, realized that Karna would be invincible in battle and unable to be killed as long as he had the golden armor and earrings that he had been born with. He decided to approach Karna as a poor Brahmin during Karna's midday sun worship.  Surya, the Sun God, warned Karna of Indra's intentions, however, exhorting him not to give away his armor and earrings.  Karna thanked Surya, but explained that he was bound by his word and could not send anyone from his door empty-handed, even if it meant his death.

When disguised Indra approached Karna and asked for his kavacha (body armor) and kundala (earrings) as alms, Karna readily gave them away, cutting the armor and earrings off his body with a sharp knife. Indra, shamed into generosity by Karna's gesture, reciprocated by giving Karna the boon to use his most powerful weapon, the Vasavi shakti, but only once. It was then that Karna earned the name Vaikartana, as he cut the armor off his body without flinching.

Maybe Dragon Skin or other nowadays body armor are not up to the mark with Karna's Kavacha, but one day will come when we will be at least make something very close to Karna's Kavacha.

Karna's kavacha used sunlight for its power, some form of solar energy to create an energy shield around itself which would protect from any type of weapon attacks.  Karna's kavacha was unique and invincible.

Technology at that time was really amazing….