Patañjali as he reveals himself in the Mahābhāṣya
By Prabhat Chandra Chakravarti
Summary
Chakravarti attempts to reconstruct the personality of the grammarian Patañjali through close reading of his commentary on Pāṇini, the Mahābhāṣya. He notes that Patañjali occasionally inserts autobiographical remarks and examples drawn from contemporary life. These digressions portray him as a devout Śaiva, aware of Buddhist debates yet loyal to Vedic tradition. The article analyses Patañjali’s attitude toward language change, his humour in illustrating rules with rustic dialogues, and his interest in music and dance. It also considers references to his teachers and his pride in the grammatical tradition. Chakravarti argues that far from being a dry grammarian, Patañjali emerges as a cultured intellectual engaged with the socio‑political milieu of the second century B.C.
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Conclusion
Through a sensitive reading of the Mahābhāṣya, the author concludes that Patañjali was not merely a linguistic technician but a thinker who balanced tradition with observation of everyday life.