The Sword of Buddha

In the turbulent decades following Ashoka’s death, 2nd-century BCE Bharatavarsha stands shaken, divided, and perilously unarmed. The once-fiery spirit of kshatra has dimmed under the pacifist rule of Ashoka’s Buddhist successors, leaving the subcontinent vulnerable as Demetrius of Bactria sweeps farther into region than even Alexander dared. Amid this gathering storm, Pushyamitra Sunga struggles to restore Magadha’s fading glory while contending with the rising Satavahanas of the south and the furious resurgence of Kalinga under King Kharavela, whose people is still haunted by the hundred thousand lives lost in Ashoka’s devastating conquest.

At the heart of this struggle stand King Sri Satakarni and Queen Naganika, the first Indian empress to rule and mint coins in her own name, driving the Satavahana push northward. Their legendary commander Vijayadatta finds himself torn between duty and desire as he is drawn to Srilekha, a Buddhist bhikshuni bound by ahimsa and shadows of a mysterious past. Her quiet strength challenges his convictions even as he joins her quest to uncover her origins.

Hope rekindles when Maharshi Patanjali, through the birth of the Yoga Sutras, sparks a revival of India’s martial soul. As unlikely alliances forge and old borders ignite, Vijayadatta must lead a campaign that will test his heart, his honour, and the very destiny of Bharatavarsha. The Sword of Buddha—adapted from Mudigonda Sivaprasad’s timeless Telugu classic Srilekha—brings history, love, and the clash of dharma and ahimsa vividly to life.