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Patanjali

Ancient Indian author of Yoga Sutras and grammar classic Mahābhāṣya.

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The Yoga Sutras, a foundational classical yoga text, is the most famous work attributed to this name.[1][2] Scholars generally estimate the Yoga Sutras author lived between the 2nd century BCE and the 5th century CE.[1][3] In ancient India, the name Patanjali was used for one or more authors, mystics, and philosophers.[1]

Quick Facts

Field
  • Grammar
  • Yoga
  • Medicine
Nationality
Ancient Indian
Known for
  • Yoga Sutras
  • Mahābhāṣya
  • Patanjalatantra

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

According to the Sannidhi.net account, Patanjali learned yoga from the guru Nandhi Deva.[2] This grammatical work is so influential it is known simply as the "Great commentary".[4] The Yoga Sutras comprise 196 aphorisms on yoga theory and practice.[5] The Tamil Siddha (Shaiva) tradition counts Patanjali among its 18 siddhars.[6][2]

At the Brahmapureeswarar Temple in Tirupattur, Tamil Nadu, there exists a Jeevasamadhi (enclosed meditation hall) of Patanjali.[7] The grammarian Patanjali composed the Mahābhāṣya, which is a commentary on the Sanskrit grammar of Pāṇini, and this work is dated to the mid-2nd century BCE.[8][4][9] A medical work, the Patanjalatantra, is also ascribed to Patanjali.[3][10] Before the 10th century, no Sanskrit text is known to claim that a single individual authored all three treatises.[11]

What the cited sources add

The Sannidhi.net source states that Patanjali is considered "the father of yoga" by many today.[2] That same source notes that Patanjali may not be one person, and there could be several Patanjalis in Indian history.[2] Bimal Krishna Matilal's book "The Word and the World" explains that Patanjali claimed the word-meaning association is natural and inherent.[12][13] Matilal's work also notes that Patanjali defined an early notion of sphota, the invariant quality of speech.[12][13]

The same source describes Patanjali's metaphysical objectives for grammar, including correct scripture recitation and text purity.[12][13]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Patanjali" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Patanjali Hindu author, mystic, and philosopher Britannica", Encyclopædia Britannica (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. "Maharshi Patanjali Siddhar Jeevasamadhi, Brahmapureeswarar temple, Thirupattur, Tamil Nadu", Sannidhi.net. facts only, no text reused. sannidhi.net
  3. Wikipedia, "Patanjali" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Scharfe, "Grammatical Literature", Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 1977, p. 152–154; "The Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies, Volume 5: The Philosophy of the Grammarians", Princeton University Press, 2015, p. 3–11; Maas, "Samādhipāda: das erste Kapitel des Pātañjalayogaśāstra zum ersten Mal kritisch ediert", Shaker, 2006; Dasgupta, Surendranath (1992). A History of Indian Philosophy, Volume 1, p.229 Motilal Banarsidass Publications.; Phillips, Stephen H.,(2013). Yoga, Karma, and Rebirth: A Brief History and Philosophy, Columbia University Press.; en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Patanjali" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sures Chandra Banerji, "A Companion to Sanskrit Literature: Spanning a Period of Over Three Thousand Years, Containing Brief Accounts of Authors, Works, Characters, Technical Terms, Geographical Names, Myths, Legends and; Scharf, "The Denotation of Generic Terms in Ancient Indian Philosophy: Grammar, Nyāya, and Mīmāṃsā", American Philosophical Society, 1996, p. 1–2; Cardona, "Pāṇini: A Survey of Research", Motilal Banarsidass, 1997, p. 267–268; "Approximate Chronology of Indian Philosophers", Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (original not en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Patanjali" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: White 2014, p. xvi (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Patanjali" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Meulenbeld, "History of Indian Medical Literature, vol. I part 1", E. Forsten, 1999, p. 141–44; Meulenbeld, "History of Indian Medical Literature, vol. I part 1", E. Forsten, 1999, p. 143–144, 196; Meulenbeld, "History of Indian Medical Literature, vol. I part 1", E. Forsten, 1999, p. 143–144, 196; Feuerstein, "Yoga of the 18 Siddhas by Ganapathy", Traditional Yoga Studies (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Patanjali" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Maharshi Patanjali Siddhar Jeevasamadhi, Brahmapureeswarar temple, Thirupattur, Tamil Nadu", Sannidhi.net (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Patanjali" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ganeri, Jonardon. Artha: Meaning, Oxford University Press 2006, 1.2, p. 12; Radhakrishnan, S.; Moore, C.A., (1957). A Source Book in Indian Philosophy. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University, ch. XIII, Yoga, p. 453; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Patanjali" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mishra, "अध्यात्मरामायणेऽपाणिनीयप्रयोगाणां विमर्शः", Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, 1981 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Patanjali" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Meulenbeld, "History of Indian Medical Literature, vol. I part 1", E. Forsten, 1999, p. 141–44; Surendranath Dasgupta, "A History of Indian Philosophy", Reprint: Motilal Banarsidass (Original: Cambridge University Press), 1992, p. 231 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Patanjali" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Chandramouli S. Naikar, "Patanjali of Yogasutras", Sahitya Akademi, 2002, p. 13–14 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  12. Wikipedia, "Patanjali" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: The word and the world: India's contribution to the study of language, "Bimal Krishna Matilal", Oxford, 1990 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  13. Open Library record, ISBN 9780195625158 ("The Word and the World"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Patanjali (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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