Patanjali was the compiler of the Yoga Sutra, (a major work containing aphorisms on the philosophical aspects of mind and consciousness), and also the author of a major commentary on Paninis Ashtadhyayi. He was a Hindu Vedantist. He compiled the Yoga Sutras from Vedic Knowledge on Hinduism. In recent decades the Yoga Sutra has become quite popular worldwide for the precepts regarding practice of Raja Yoga and the philosophical basis of the Yoga movement for health and harmonizing bodymind. "Yoga" in traditional Hinduism involves inner contemplation, a rigorous system of meditation practice, ethics, metaphysics, and devotion to the one common soul, God, or Brahman. Patanjali is known to be an incarnation of Adi Sesha who is the first ego-expansion of Vishnu, Sankarshana. He was born to Atri (First of the Saptha Rishis) and his wife Anusuya. He was one of the very important of the 18 siddhas. Their very essence was they were masters of Ashtanga Yoga otherwise called as Raja Yoga or Kundalini Yoga or Tantrik yoga.