Which sage is traditionally credited with compiling the Yoga Sutras?

Which sage is traditionally credited with compiling the Yoga Sutras? Patanjali. The Sanskrit text is conventionally attributed to the sage Patañjali, whose name gives the work its standard English title, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

The sutras were compiled in India during the early centuries CE from older traditions, including Samkhya philosophy, Buddhist thought and earlier ascetic teachings. Their 195 or 196 concise aphorisms are arranged into four chapters, covering concentration, practice, extraordinary powers and liberation.

A common mix-up involves Vyasa. Vyasa is traditionally credited with writing the Yogabhashya, the oldest major commentary on the sutras, not with compiling the sutras themselves. Another source of confusion is the Sanskrit grammarian Patañjali, author of the Mahabhashya; scholars debate whether he was the same person, but the two works address different subjects and are not securely linked.

The text defines yoga as the restraint of the mind’s fluctuations and became one of the foundational works of classical Yoga philosophy. Its influence grew especially through medieval commentaries and modern translations.