Kethanananda, the Minister of Magadha, who has an eye over the throne, aspires to see his son Kalyana Varma crowned as the king of Magadha. For this he plots to eliminate the crown-prince Shivadutta who is on a customary tour of the kingdom. He tries several times to get Shivadutta killed, but fails. Realising that it is impossible to get rid of Shivadutta and usurp the kingdom, Kethanananda consults his brother who practices witch-craft. With his help he gets hold of a 'Mayakanya'. This Mayakanya charms Shivadutta's father, the king and misleads him to punish his son. As a punishment, Shivadutta's both hands and legs are cut-off. A sage comes to rescue on the behest of shivadutta's fiancée. Shivadutta gets back his lost limbs. The sage also makes Shivadutta obtain the 'Mantradanda' from the God. How Shivadutta saves his ailing parents and gets back his kingdom with the help of Mantradanda, is the rest of the story.