Pathanjali - Name

Name

The compound name Patañjali is explained in two ways. The first explanation of the word is añjalau patan iti patañjali (Patañjali is one falling into folded hands), which is a mayūra­vyaṁsakādi compound with śakandhvādi Sandhi. The name comes from a legend about his birth which says that Śeṣa, the divine serpent-king incarnated as a snakelet and fell into the folded hands (Anjali Mudra) of a Brahmin. The second explanation parses the word as a Bahuvrihi compound patanto namaskāryatvena janānāmañjalayo yasmin viṣaye sa (He for whom the folded hands of people are falling is Patañjali).