Complex sentence: The period of 200 BC to 100 AD also marks the beginning of the Shaiva tradition focused on the worship of Shiva, with references to Shaiva ascetics in Patanjali's "Mahābhāṣya" and in the "Mahabharata".
Split into simpler sentences: The period of 200 BC to 100 AD also marks the beginning of the Shaiva tradition focused on the worship of Shiva as evidenced in other literature of this period. Shaiva devotees and ascetics are mentioned in Patanjali's "Mahābhāṣya" (2nd-century BC) and in the "Mahabharata".