The Yoga Sutras were compiled by the sage Patanjali, who lived roughly between 200 BCE and 400 CE. Patanjali synthesized and organized knowledge about yoga from older traditions such as Samkhya, Buddhism, and earlier Yoga teachings into a coherent text consisting of 196 aphorisms (sutras) on the theory and practice of yoga

. Patanjali is often regarded as the "father of yoga" because his Yoga Sutras became the most commonly referenced classical text on yoga. While little is known about his personal life, he is believed to have been a great scholar, grammarian, and philosopher. Some traditions even consider him an incarnation of the divine serpent Ananta (Adi Shesha)

. The Yoga Sutras are divided into four chapters and provide a systematic approach to spiritual liberation through the practice of yoga, especially Raja Yoga (the path of meditation)

. Although Patanjali compiled and systematized the teachings, the sutras themselves draw on a long oral tradition and earlier philosophies

. In summary, Patanjali compiled the Yoga Sutras by collecting, organizing, and explaining existing yoga knowledge into a structured and accessible form that remains foundational to yoga philosophy today