Patañjali (Sanskrit: पतञ्जलि; Tamil: பதஞ் சலி) is the name of a renowned sage

in hinduism who is thought to be the author of a number of Sanskrit works. The

greatest of these is the Yoga Sutra, which is the source of modern day yoga. There
is doubt as to whether the sage Patañjali is the author of all the works attributed to
him as there are a number of known historical authors of the same name. A great
deal of scholarship has been devoted over the last century to the issue of the
historicity or identity of this author or these authors.[1]
Amongst the more important authors called Patañjali are:[2][3][4]

 The author of the Mahābhāṣya, an ancient treatise on Sanskrit grammar and linguistics,
based on the Aṣṭādhyāyī of Pāṇini. This Patañjali's life is dated to mid 2nd century BCE
by both Western and Indian scholars.[5][6][7] This text was titled as a bhasya or
"commentary" on Katyayana-Panini's work by Patanjali, but is so revered in the Hindu
traditions that it is widely known simply as Maha-bhasya or "Great commentary". So
vigorous, well reasoned and vast is his text, that this Patanjali has been the authority as
the last grammarian of classical Sanskrit for 2,000 years, with Panini and Katyayana
preceding him. Their ideas on structure, grammar and philosophy of language have also
influenced scholars of other Indian religions such as Buddhism and Jainism.[8][9]
 The compiler of the Yoga sūtras, a text on Yoga theory and practice,[10] and a notable
scholar of Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy.[11][12] He is variously estimated to have
lived between 2nd century BCE to 4th century CE, with more scholars accepting dates
between 2nd and 4th century CE.[13][10][14] The Yogasutras is one of the most important
texts in the Hindu tradition and the foundation of classical Yoga.[15] It is the Indian Yoga
text that was most translated in its medieval era into forty Indian languages.[16]Also, the
third chapter is the basis for the TM-Sidhis.
 The author of a medical text called Patanjalatantra. He is cited and this text is quoted in
many medieval health sciences-related texts, and Patanjali is called a medical authority
in a number of Sanskrit texts such
as Yogaratnakara, Yogaratnasamuccaya and Padarthavijnana.[17] There is a fourth Hindu
scholar also named Patanjali, who likely lived in 8th-century CE and wrote a
commentary on Charaka Samhita and this text is called Carakavarttika.[18] According to
some modern era Indian scholars such as P.V. Sharma, the two medical scholars
named Patanjali may be the same person, but completely different person from the
Patanjali who wrote the Sanskrit grammar classic Mahabhasya.[18]