Patanjali - Author of the Yoga Sutras

    Patanjali has the following legend associated with him: One day, the old woman Gonika, who was barren, desired a son of her own.  She fervently prayed to God Vishnu, who was greatly moved by her devotion.  With his permission, the cosmic serpent Ananta, who had been meaning to incarnate on Earth, resolved to become Gonika’s son. 

As Gonika was stretching her hands in prayer towards heaven, a minute fragment of Ananta’s infinite body dropped straight into her palms.  She immediately knew that her prayers had been answered, and she lovingly nursed the seed until it had grown into a young man.  Because her hands had been in a prayerful gesture called anjali, and because her son had fallen (pat) from heaven, she named him Patanjali. 

Patanjali's name reveals the devotional aspect of his work, as anjali mudra is the name applied to the palm salutation at the heart - a common depiction of Indian spiritual beings, sages and deities. In earthly reality, Patanjali must have been a man of considerable stature to compile such a work of yoga.