Mission 7: Slaying Ravana
now this is somewhat surprising. This mission, when going by Hindu mythology, not only has a connection with the previous mission, but a limited connection with the next one as well.
First article, read towards the bottomArticleHere is the excerpt, close to the bottom of the first article, relating to the previous mission and the mission itself.
During the exile, Sita was abducted by the demon king Ravana. Rama hunt out Ravana with the help of the monkey king Sugreeva and his commander Hanuman. A fierce battle ensued and Ravana was finally defeated. Rama triumphantly returned to Ayodhya with Sita after fourteen years' of exile.
Another very, very interesting peace of mythology which strikes very familiar with the mission itself (albiet for the names) is this one:
The demoness Surpanakha, sister of the demon king Ravana, becomes enamored of the handsome Rama and tries to seduce him during his stay in the jungle. Rama, renowned for his practice of (Click link for more info and facts about Ekapatnivrata) Ekapatnivrata, the vow to practice unassailable loyalty to one's wife, is unresponsive. But Rama's brother Lakshmana, infuriated by Surpanaka's act of willful lasciviousness, cuts off her nose. Surpanakha runs home crying to her brother Ravana. To avenge his sister's loss of nose, Ravana uses the demon (Click link for more info and facts about Maricha) Maricha to lure Rama and Lakshmana away, leaving Sita unguarded. At her moment of vulnerability, Ravana abducts Sita in his airborne vehicle, the (Click link for more info and facts about Pushpaka Vimana) Pushpaka Vimana.
Now, this doesnt seem very connected, so I went and did a search on the names Actium and Lysander
Actium happens to be a
place with a rather interesting history of being lost to a larger enemy. Of interest is this paragraph:
"Actium belonged originally to the Corinthian colonists of Anactorium, who probably founded the worship of Apollo Actius and the Actia games; in the 3rd century B.C. it fell to the Acarnanians, who subsequently held their synods there. Actium is chiefly famous as the site of Caesar Augustus' decisive victory over Mark Antony (September 2 31 B.C.). This battle ended a long series of ineffectual operations.
The final conflict was provoked by Antony, who is said to have been persuaded by Cleopatra VII to retire to Egypt and give battle to mask his retreat; but lack of provisions and the growing demoralization of his army would sufficiently account for his decision."
Lysander, as it stands, is a Spartan General. More information can be found
http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/people/a/lysander.htmhere but I doubt its connected in the way I wished.
However, then I read this:
LinkyRavana wants to kidnap (Wife of the Hindu god Rama; regarded as an ideal of womanhood) Sita and so asks for Maricha's help, who then turns himself into a golden deer. The golden lusture of the deer lures Sita so much that she wishes to have the deer for herself. So she asks Rama to get it for her. Rama orders (Click link for more info and facts about Lakshmana) Lakshmana to take care of Sita while he goes for hunting the deer.
Rama succeeds in hunting down the deer after a long chase, but on its dying breath the deer shouts 'Sita Save me, Lakshamana Save me' mimicking Rama's voice. Sita falls prey to the trap and asks Lakshmana to go on a search for Rama. But Lakshmana says that no one can harm Rama. Sita, still very much worried, implores Lakshmana to go. Then follows the famous story of the (Click link for more info and facts about Lakshman Rekha) Lakshman Rekha.
The connection is there, and is somewhat apperant, but its also somewhat far-fetched and abstract.
However, its connection with the events of the next mission are somewhat apperant. A quote from
this article"The Moolavar is Perarulaalan seen in standing posture facing east. The Utsavar is Hemarangar, Semponrangar. Lord Rama to atone the sin of slaying Ravana, stayed for four days in a golden cow on the advice of Thrdanethra rishi. He then gave it as dhaanam to a brahmin, who used the gold to construct this temple and hence the name semponseikoil (sempon-pure gold)."
Something on a grand scale, similar to the sixth wonger, although its purpose is not exactly what I was looking for...
more specultion to come later - have work to do now.