Sayana

(14th c.) A southern Indian brahmin
scholar most famous for his commentaries on the Vedas, the oldest and most
authoritative Hindu religious texts.
Sayana’s commentary is notable, in part
because it is an outstanding scholarly
work, but also because this is generally
believed to be the first time that the Veda
was ever written down, an estimated
three thousand years after some of the
hymns were composed. Part of Sayana’s
commentary was simply explanatory
because, in the time since the Vedas had
been composed, the meanings of many
of the words had been forgotten.
Sayana’s text is noted as a careful and
credible clarification of the text.