Who or what is Patanjali?
You may have heard the name in yoga class, in Sanskrit chants, or seen a statue of Patanjali with a hood of snakes and all sorts of exotic paraphernalia. Patanjali is credited with compiling the Yoga Sutras, an early handbook of classical yoga philosophy, and still our most thorough exposition of what classical yoga is. We will discuss the sutras in the next blog post, but now let’s see what we know about the author. Very few facts are actually known about this sage called Patanjali. There are quite a few wonderful and colourful stories, but how seriously can we take them?
Firstly, the name: Patanjali is actually a compound of Pata, to fall or fly, and Anjali, which is hands together in prayer. In Hindu mythology, the god Vishnu is said to sleep on a snake with a thousand heads, called Ananta. Ananta wanted to come to earth to teach yoga. He fell from the sky in the form of a small snake, into the praying palms (Anjali Mudra) of Gonika, who was also a powerful yogini. This explains why Patanjali is often represented with a protective hood of snakes, or the tail of a snake wrapped around his lower body. Patanjali was raised by Gonika, and in time shared his wisdom by writing down the 196 lessons of the Yoga Sutras.
He is credited with giving us other wisdom also…
Legend has it that the legendary sage and yogi Patanjali compiled the Yoga Sutras, but that was not all. He is credited as having written a commentary of Sanskrit called Mahabhashya. And apparently he wrote a commentary on ancient Ayurveda (traditional Indian medicine) called the Carakavarttika. Now we have a dilemma. From Analysis of the language, it has been estimated that the yoga sutras were written anywhere between 200 BC and 200 AD. The Mahabhashya was reportedly written around 200 BC, and the Carakayarttika was written 800 AD to 1000 AD. Ahaa, I sense a conundrum! Perhaps we need to remember that in the Hindu tradition, Patanjali is seen as a divine figure, descended from a snake god, and writing books 1,000 years apart is doable when you are immortal. Hmmm.
Applying a modern analytical lens to this dilemma, it may be that there was more than one Patanjali. Or perhaps Patanjali is a cover name for multiple wise yogis, grammarians and Ayurvedic physicians who’s names have been lost to time. Does that reduce the wisdom of the Yoga Sutras? Not a jot in my mind! Anonymity is typical of the great sages of ancient India. They recognised that their teaching was the outcome of a cooperative group effort that spanned several generations, and they often refused to take credit for themselves, instead attributing their work to some other, older teacher. This is a habit still upheld by modern yogis, who bow to their lineage and give credit to their teachers.
For many yoga practitioners, their first exposure to Patanjali is the Patanjali chant, mantra or invocation, which is often said in some form at the beginning of a yoga class. This chant is approximately 1,000 years old. It is credited as having been written by an ancient monarch, King Bhoja, a patron of arts, literature, and science who ruled in central India in the 11th-century. He wrote a commentary to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, and in the introduction he wrote a prayer which is now chanted at the start of yoga practice.
Here it is in the original Sanskrit:
yogena cittasya padena vācāṃ
ṃalam śarīrasya ca vaidyakena
yopākarottaṃ pravaraṃ munīnaṃ
patañjalim prānjalirānato’smi
ābāhu puruṢākāram
śankha cakrāsi dhārinam
sahasra śirasaṃ śvetaṃ
praṇamāmi patañjalim
Here is an English translation:
“I bow with folded hands to Patanjali, the noblest of sages, who gave us yoga for serenity and sanctity of mind, Sanskrit grammar for clarity and purity of speech and medicine for perfection of health.
To the one whose upper body has a human form, who holds a conch and a wheel, who is crowned by a thousand-headed cobra, to that Patanjali, I bow.”
In the chant, you see reference to Patanjali’s three books, yoga, Sanskrit grammar and Ayurveda. And then his appearance is described. This is to link him to divinity and give him a kind of immortal status. Which is necessary if he has supposedly written books 1,000 years apart! His lower body is that of a coiled snake, in reference to his origin story as an incarnation of the divine snake Ananta. He holds a conch, which is used ritually to herald proclamations and announcements. the conch also represents life coming out of primal waters, and is often depicted in the hands of Hindu gods. In his other hand he holds a disc or wheel. This is actually a weapon, and is associated with the god Vishnu, the protector god. As such it is a weapon of protection rather than provocation. Finally, he is crowned by a thousand-headed cobra, which is also associated Vishnu, and also signifies protection.
If you feel odd or silly chanting a 1,000 year old invocation to a character linked to Indian gods, I understand your reticence. If you, like most of us, had some version of a Christian upbringing it can be jarring when you look into yogic/Indian/Hindu mythology. However might I suggest you look at it from a different angle? I see these gods and heroes in the same way I see the ancient gods of Greece. No one is suggesting that they exist in reality and take form in the world. I view them more as representations of archetypes. There are so many of them, they have roles to play, they are not omnipotent, and they are prone to anger and even pettiness, just like the Greek or Roman gods, just like ourselves. Stories of the Indian gods, and heroes like Patanjali, are told to educate and illuminate, but also to entertain and evoke a sense of wonder. And with so much negativity in the world today, a sense of wonder can be a wonderful thing.
As an aside, I was recently chatting to our Sanskrit scholar friend Rutger. He was telling me about Indian views of Gods compared to Christian views of God. Specifically he said that with a Christian upbringing it is seen as a negative thing to call on the name of God. Isn’t it a sin to take the Lord’s name in vain? He said it is quite the opposite with Indian Gods. If you shout out a God’s name in frustration or anger it is a positive thing, you are calling on the God to assist you. The positivity of that is lovely, isn’t it?
Separately, and subjectively, I feel that a chant like this connects us to the yogis who have gone before us, the teachers and the trailblazers. I love the Patanjali chant because I learned it from my teachers whom I hold in very high and fond regard. I chanted it daily with the Iyengar family in the Iyengar Institute in India, and every time I do it it makes me feel connected with these wonderful teachers, and with all of the yogis who have guided me on the path.
