Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
:काण्व शाखा) is the oldest
shakha
A shakha (Sanskrit ', "branch" or "limb") is a Hindu theological school that specializes in learning certain Vedic texts, or else the traditional texts followed by such a school.V. S. Apte. A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary, p. 913, left column.Moni ...
("branch" or "recension") of Shukla Yajurveda. The ''Kānva'' tradition is followed mostly in
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...
,
Orissa
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of S ...
,
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...
,
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
and
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
. The ''Kānva Shākha'' was quite prevalent around the period of
Shankaracharya
Shankaracharya ( sa, शङ्कराचार्य, , " Shankara-''acharya''") is a religious title used by the heads of amnaya monasteries called mathas in the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism. The title derives from Adi Shankara; te ...
's birth. The ''parampara'' ''āchārya'' (main founding guru) for ''Shukla Yajurveda'' was sage ''
Yajnavalkya
Yajnavalkya or Yagyavalkya ( sa, याज्ञवल्क्य, ) is a Hindu Vedic sage figuring in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (c. 700 BCE)., Quote: "Yajnavalkya, a Vedic sage, taught..."Ben-Ami Scharfstein (1998), ''A comparative histor ...
''.
The main ''Samhita'' for ''Kānva Shākha'' is the ''Kanva Samhita'' and the corresponding ''brahmana'' is '' Kanva Shatapatha Brahmana''. The main
upanishad
The Upanishads (; sa, उपनिषद् ) are late Vedic Sanskrit texts that supplied the basis of later Hindu philosophy.Wendy Doniger (1990), ''Textual Sources for the Study of Hinduism'', 1st Edition, University of Chicago Press, , ...
s of the ''Kānva Shākha'' are ''
Ishavasya Upanishad
The ''Isha Upanishad'' (Devanagari: ईशोपनिषद् IAST ') is one of the shortest Upanishads, embedded as the final chapter (''adhyāya'') of the Shukla Yajurveda. It is a ''Mukhya'' (primary, principal) Upanishad, and is known in ...
'' and ''
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
The ''Brihadaranyaka Upanishad'' ( sa, बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद्, ) is one of the Principal Upanishads and one of the first Upanishadic scriptures of Hinduism. A key scripture to various schools of Hinduism, the ''Br ...
''. The ''Shrauta Sutra'' for ''Kānva Shākha'' is ''Katyayana Shrauta Sutra'' and the ''Grhya Sutra'' is ''Paraskara Grhya Sutram''.
The major ''āchārya''s who belonged to the ''Kānva Shākha'' included:
* Sureshvaracharya (aka.
Mandana Mishra Mandana may refer to
*Mandana (given name)
*Mandane of Media, 6th century BCE princess of Media
*Mandana Paintings
Mandana paintings are wall and floor paintings of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, India. Mandana are drawn to protect home and hea ...
), who was the disciple of
Shankaracharya
Shankaracharya ( sa, शङ्कराचार्य, , " Shankara-''acharya''") is a religious title used by the heads of amnaya monasteries called mathas in the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism. The title derives from Adi Shankara; te ...
.
*
Madhvacharya
Madhvacharya (; ; CE 1199-1278 or CE 1238–1317), sometimes anglicised as Madhva Acharya, and also known as Purna Prajna () and Ānanda Tīrtha, was an Indian philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the '' Dvaita'' (dualism) sch ...
The style of recitation or chanting of the Kānva Shākha is quite distinct compared to the
Madhyandina Shakha {{Hindu scriptures
Madhyandina Shakha is a shakha (branch) of Shukla Yajurveda. This branch includes Madhyandina Samhita, Madhyandina Shatapatha Brahmana, Ishavasya Upanishad and Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Recitation of this Shakha is prevalent ove ...
of the Shukla Yajurveda and the ''Kānva'' ''Samhita'' includes 211 additional verses that are not present in the
Madhyandina Shakha {{Hindu scriptures
Madhyandina Shakha is a shakha (branch) of Shukla Yajurveda. This branch includes Madhyandina Samhita, Madhyandina Shatapatha Brahmana, Ishavasya Upanishad and Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Recitation of this Shakha is prevalent ove ...
.
See also
*
Madhyandina Shakha {{Hindu scriptures
Madhyandina Shakha is a shakha (branch) of Shukla Yajurveda. This branch includes Madhyandina Samhita, Madhyandina Shatapatha Brahmana, Ishavasya Upanishad and Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Recitation of this Shakha is prevalent ove ...
*
Yajurveda
The ''Yajurveda'' ( sa, यजुर्वेद, ', from ' meaning "worship", and ''veda'' meaning "knowledge") is the Veda primarily of prose mantras for worship rituals.Michael Witzel (2003), "Vedas and Upaniṣads", in ''The Blackwell C ...