Patanjali

Little is reliably known of Patanjali's life; tradition sometimes identifies him as an incarnation of the serpent Shesha, and separately credits a figure of the same name with a major Sanskrit grammar commentary — whether one person or several bearing the name remains debated among scholars.

The Yoga Sutras' 196 aphorisms remain the reference point for classical yoga philosophy worldwide, defining the eight limbs from yama (ethical restraint) through samadhi (absorption) that still structure how yoga is taught today, well beyond its devotional origins.