of Alexander's invasion. On the
other hand, there are very good reasons for believing that the Greeks
were known to the Hindus long before this event. Pythagoras visited
India, according to the traditions current amongst Indian initiates, and
he is alluded to in Indian astrological works under the name of
Yavanacharya. Moreover, it is not quite certain that the word Yavana
was strictly confined to the Greeks by the ancient Hindu writers.
Probably it was originally applied to the Egyptians and the Ethiopians;
it was probably extended first to the Alexandrian Greeks, and
subsequently to the Greeks, Persians, and Arabians. Besides the Yavana
invasion of Ayodhya described in Harivamsa, there was another subsequent
expedition to India by Kala Yavana (Black Yavana) during Krishna's
lifetime described in the same work. This expedition was probably
undertaken by the Ethiopians. Anyhow, there are no reasons whatever, as
far as we can see, for asserting that Hindu writers began to use the
word Yavana after Alexander's invasion. We can attach no importance
whatever to any inferences that may be drawn regarding the dates of
Panini and Katyayana (both of them lived before Patanjali) from the
statements contained in Katha Sarit Sayara, which is nothing more than a
mere collection of fables. It is now seen by Orientalists that no proper
conclusions can be drawn regarding the dates of Panini and Katyayana
from the statements made by Hiuan Thsang, and we need not therefore say
anything here regarding the said statements. Consequently the dates of
Panini and Katyayana still remain undetermined by European Orientalists.
Goldstucker is probably correct in his conclusion that Panini lived
before Buddha, and the Buddhists' accounts agree with the traditions of
the initiates in asserting that Katyayana was a contemporary of Buddha.
From the fact that Patanjali must have composed his Mahabhashyam after
the composition of Panini's Sutras and Katyayana's Vartika, we can only
infer that it was written after Buddha's birth. But there are a few
considerations which may help us in coming to the conclusion that
Patanjali must have lived about the year 500 B.C.; Max Muller fixed the
Sutra period between 500 B.C. and 600 B.C. We agree with him in
supposing that the period probably ended with B.C. 500, though it is
uncertain how far it extended into the depths of Indian antiquity.
Patanjali was the author of the Yoga Sutras, and this fact has n