Shankara and Martin Heidegger are two seminal and origi-native thinkers, representing the Indian and Western traditions, who left their marks on the thinking of their respective times. Both were dissatisfied with the thinking and culture of their eras.

Shankara was unhappy about the condition of his society in which the practice of Hinduism had come to be reduced largely to ritualism and the caste system dominated every aspect of life. Shan-kara saw the need to transform Hinduism, both in its philosophy and practice. By proposing Advaita Vedaanta, he attempted to restore Hinduism as a true path to authentic human destiny.

Martin Heidegger was shocked by the dominance of science and technology and of subject-centered thinking as this resulted in forgetfulness of true human destiny in Being.

Thus, both Shankara and Heidegger were concerned with helping people find their true paths to genuine life. Their efforts in showing the way to authentic human destiny form the theme of this work entitled, The Authentic Human Destiny: The Paths of Shankara and Heidegger.

Coming to the end of this project, I look back gratefully to those persons and institutions, who have stood by me in this effort. In a special way I acknowledge the support and encouragement received from Dr. George F. McLean, Ph.D., once a student of T.N.P. Mahadevan and R. Balasubramaniam at The Radhakrishan Institute for Advanced Study in Philosophy, The University of Madras, and now Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, in conceiving and accomplishing this work. At The Catholic University of America, Washington D.C., he directed my first explorations of the metaphysics of Shankara. It was during a meeting with him in February, 1996, that the idea of working out this extended project emerged. Since then, he has been a source of encouragement to me until the completion of this work.

I wish to acknowledge also the deep background received from Dr. Ignatius Viyagappa, Ph.D. at The Institute of Philosophy and Culture of the Satya Nilayam in conjunction with The University of Madras in my initial explorations of the thought of Martin Heidegger, published as From Being-in-the-World to Being-toward-Being (Nagpur: SAC Publications, 1996).

I am grateful also to the Council for Research in Values and Philosophy for publishing the present work.

Finally, I remember with gratitude Reverend Father Roc Gerald Majella, S.A.C., who has taken a great deal of trouble and contributed enormously in the preparation of the manuscript. I express my sincere thanks to the Pallottine community in India and especially at Pallotti Illam, Madurai, for their concern and support throughout the period I was working on this project.