Patanjali

(2nd c. B.C.E.) Sanskrit grammarian
and author of the Mahabhashya
(“Great Commentary”) on Panini’s
Ashtadhyayi. Panini’s text was written
as a series of short phrases or aphorisms
intended to be a complete description of
the language in the briefest possible
space. Panini’s text was a marvel of
economy and was easy to memorize but
506
Pashupatinath
The Pashupatinath Temple in Katmandu, Nepal, is dedicated to the god Shiva
as “Master of the Lord of the Beasts.”
was so cryptic that it virtually presupposed a commentary, which Patanjali
provided. Patanjali’s Mahabhashya
is not only important for his explication
of Panini’s grammar, but also because
his examples often provide useful
historical information.
Patanjali is also the person named
as the author of the Yoga Sutras, but
since these are believed to have been
composed several centuries after
the Mahabhashya, the authors are
believed to be two different people
with the same name.