This biography presents a coherent and cogent account of the life and achievements of Adi Sankara, closely following Madhava Vidyaranya’s Sankara-digvijaya. Describing his birth and early life, it discusses at length his journey to spiritualism, with special focus on his search of a Guru, his visit to Varanasi, his penance in the Himalayas, and his engagement with exegesis.

Understanding the need of the aspirants to reach out to the Unknown through the known, Adi Sankara inaugurated the vast area of stotra literature and interpreted crucial scriptures like the Brahma-sutra, the Upanishads and the Gita in the light of Advaita Vedanta. The individual writings are discussed to show how he was the father of the commentatorial tradition for which India is famous.