Sometimes the Internet reveals examples of entertainment so unique and inherently good that it makes me weep openly. This is one of those.

The Ramayana, according to mostly-indie animator Nina Paley, is pretty close to curry-flavored Adam and Eve. It’s at least as familiar to Hindus as the former is to Christians, only both male and female characters are avatars of gods — only the male, Rama, has much power to speak of — with a ten-headed Snidely Whiplash villain, Ravana. Thousands of years later, religious epics are prone to seem out of step with modern values, and this is no exception.

Paley’s got four cartoons loosely based on the Ramayana, but from Sita’s perspective — call it the Sitayana. Instead of being just a doormat for her husband’s wishes, she owns her idyllic female charms and is not a prisoner of her love for Rama, but defies Rama’s failings by loving him anyway. To help with the tone, Sita sings with the voice of antique blues angel Annette Hanshaw.

Paley’s got some recognition for her work, which is well deserved, even though she’s (currently) planning to keep working on Sitayana. BoingBoing gave it plugs, and Sepia Mutiny offered BitTorrent downloads of all four toons.

Thanks Spike.