Patañjali is remembered above all as the compiler of the Yoga Sūtras, a concise and systematic presentation of classical yoga philosophy. In this role, he gathered and organized the teachings of yoga into a coherent framework that has served as a touchstone for spiritual practice and reflection. The Yoga Sūtras are widely regarded as a foundational text of what later came to be called Rāja Yoga, offering a clear map of the inner journey and its disciplines. Through this work, Patañjali provided a durable structure within which seekers could understand the nature of mind and the path to spiritual freedom.

Within that framework, Patañjali articulated the eight-limbed path, or aṣṭāṅga yoga, which ranges from ethical foundations to the highest states of meditative absorption. This path begins with yamas and niyamas, the restraints and observances that purify conduct and intention, and continues through āsana and prāṇāyāma, the disciplines of posture and breath. It then turns inward through pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, and dhyāna—withdrawal of the senses, concentration, and meditation—culminating in samādhi, the absorption in which the seeker’s awareness is transformed. In presenting these eight limbs as an integrated whole, Patañjali offered not merely techniques, but a graded vision of spiritual maturation.

Patañjali is also known for defining yoga in a way that has shaped contemplative discourse ever since: yoga as the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind, or citta-vṛtti-nirodha. This definition places inner stillness and clarity at the very heart of the path, suggesting that liberation arises when the restless movements of thought and emotion are brought to rest. To support this, he analyzed the workings of the mind, describing various mental modifications and the qualities that color consciousness. By doing so, he provided practitioners with a subtle psychological map, enabling them to recognize both the obstacles that obscure insight and the means by which those obstacles may be overcome.

Tradition also associates Patañjali with works on grammar, particularly the Mahābhāṣya on Pāṇini, and with a text on medicine or Ayurveda, though these attributions are regarded as less certain than his role in compiling the Yoga Sūtras. Regardless of the historical questions surrounding these other works, his enduring renown rests on the yoga treatise that bears his name. Through its aphorisms, a vision emerges of yoga as both a rigorous discipline and a profound inquiry into the nature of consciousness, inviting the seeker to move from scattered mental activity toward abiding clarity and freedom.