When the rumblings of foreign assaults on India's ancient Sanatana-Dharma began with Muhammad bin Qasims defeat of Raja Dahir of Sindh in 711 A.D., the land remained splintered politically. The times were not promising for bringing the nation together in any manner. Just then, the gift of resurgence and spiritual unification came with the advent of Adi Sankara in 788 A.D.

Renouncing material life, he mastered India's ancient lore and cleared the cobwebs that obscured the Eternal Religion and interpreted crucial scriptures like the Brahma-sutra, the Upanishads and the Gita in the light of Advaita Vedanta. Understanding the need of the aspirants to reach out to the Unknown through the known, Adi Sankara inaugurated the vast area of stotra literature, which remains the common man's gateway to the Divine even today.

Structured as a concise introduction to the varied writings of the greatest Advaitic philosopher the world has known, Adi Shankara - Finite to the Infinite - recounts his life and travels. The writings are discussed to show how he was the father of the commentatorial tradition for which India is famous. What emerges in the end is an inspiring figure of an intrepid scholar, an illustrious teacher, a visionary administrator and a superb poet.

Certainly, we have in Adi Sankara's personality the much-needed motivation for the youth of today who are building the new India.