Patanjali (Patañjali) is the traditional author of the Yoga Sūtras, one of the foundational works of classical Yoga philosophy. The historical identity and date of Patañjali remain debated, and scholars do not universally agree that the author of the Yoga Sūtras was the same Patañjali associated with the great Sanskrit grammatical work, the Mahābhāṣya.
Traditional Hindu accounts give Patañjali a sacred biography, often connecting him with Ananta or Śeṣa, the cosmic serpent. As a result, he is depicted with a human upper body emerging from serpent coils.
The Yoga Sūtras define Yoga as mastering the mind’s fluctuations and present a disciplined path involving ethical restraints, observances, posture, breath, withdrawal of the senses, concentration, meditation, and samādhi—the famous eight limbs of Yoga. Patañjali’s central concern is not physical flexibility but freedom of consciousness: learning to distinguish the true seer from the mind’s changing activities.
