Kanva, Kaṇva, Kāṇva, Kāṇvā: 23 definitions
Introduction:
Kanva means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Marathi, Tamil. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Kaṇva (कण्व):—Son of Apratiratha (one of the three sons of Rantināva). He had a son named Medhātithi. (see Bhāgavata Purāṇa 9.20.6-7)
1) Kaṇva (कण्व).—(KĀŚYAPA). General information. Kaṇva attained Purāṇic fame as the father who brought up Śakuntalā. From Ṛgveda it can be gathered that the Kaṇva family was very prominent among the Ṛṣi families of ancient India. Because he was born in the family of sage Kaśyapa, son of Brahmā, Kaṇva was known as Kāśyapa also. Kaṇva’s father was Medhātithi as could be seen by a reference to him in Śloka 27, Chapter 208 of Śānti Parva as Medhātithisuta. Kaṇva was staying in a hermitage on the banks of the river Mālinī, with a number of disciples. (See full article at Story of Kaṇva from the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani)
2) Kaṇva (कण्व).—A King of Pūruvaṃśa. (Pūru dynasty). He was the son of the brother of Santurodha, father of Duṣyanta. His father was Prītiratha and he also had a son named Medhātithi. (Agni Purāṇa).
Kaṇva (कण्व) is the name of an ancient Sage (Muni), according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.3.39 (“The gods arrive at Kailāsa”).—Accordingly: “[...] Lord Śiva thus requested by Viṣṇu, and being himself eager to follow worldly conventions performed the same duly. Authorised by Him, I performed all the rites conducive to prosperity, assisted by the sages. The sages [e.g., Kaṇva, ...], and other sages came to Śiva. Urged by me they performed the sacred rites duly. All of them who had mastered the Vedas and Vedāṅgas performed the safety rites for Śiva and tied the auspicious thread round his wrist. [...]”.
1a) Kaṇva (कण्व).—A son of Apratiratha and father of Medhātithi; Śakuntalā was brought up in his āśrama; performed birth and other saṃskāras to the son born to her.*
- * Bhāgavata-purāṇa IX. 20. 6-12 and 18; Viṣṇu-purāṇa IV. 19. 5-6.
1b) A sage and contemporary of Kṛṣṇa with whom he went to Mithilā. Left Dvārakā for Piṇḍāraka. Invited for Yudhiṣṭhira's rājasūya.*
- * Bhāgavata-purāṇa X. 86. 18; XI. 1. 12; X. 74. 7; Viṣṇu-purāṇa V. 37. 6
1c) The minister of Devabhūti Śuṅga, whom he assassinated and usurped the throne.*
- * Bhāgavata-purāṇa XII. 1. 19.
1d) An Aṅgirasa and mantrakṛt. A pupil of Yājñavalkya.*
- * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 32. 109; 35. 28; Vāyu-purāṇa 59. 100; 61. 24.
1e) A son of Ajāmīḍha and Keśinī and father of Medhātithi.*
- * Matsya-purāṇa 49. 46; Viṣṇu-purāṇa IV. 19. 30-31.
1f) A ṛtvik at the yāga of Brahmā.*
- * Vāyu-purāṇa 106. 35; 108. 42.
1g) A royal dynasty after Śuṅgas; four kings in all, ruled for 45 years.*
- * Bhāgavata-purāṇa XII. 1. 19; Matsya-purāṇa 272. 36; Viṣṇu-purāṇa IV. 24. 38, 42.
2a) Kāṇva (काण्व).—A disciple of Yājñavalkya.*
- * Viṣṇu-purāṇa III. 5. 30.
2b) A branch of Aṅgirasa;1 learnt the vājasani yajus.2
2c) The sūkta of the Sama Vedins recited in tank ritual.*
- * Matsya-purāṇa 58. 37.
The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.
Natyashastra (theatrics and dramaturgy)
Kaṇva (कण्व) is the name of a sage who was in the company of Bharata when he recited the Nāṭyaveda them, according to the Nāṭyaśāstra chapter 35. Accordingly, they asked the following questions, “O the best Brahmin (lit. the bull of the twice-born), tell us about the character of the god who appears in the Preliminaries (pūrvaraṅga). Why is the sound [of musical instruments] applied there? What purpose does it serve when applied? What god is pleased with this, and what does he do on being pleased? Why does the Director being himself clean, perform ablution again on the stage? How, O sir, the drama has come (lit. dropped) down to the earth from heaven? Why have your descendants come to be known as Śūdras?”.
Natyashastra (नाट्यशास्त्र, nāṭyaśāstra) refers to both the ancient Indian tradition (shastra) of performing arts, (natya—theatrics, drama, dance, music), as well as the name of a Sanskrit work dealing with these subjects. It also teaches the rules for composing Dramatic plays (nataka), construction and performance of Theater, and Poetic works (kavya).
Pancaratra (worship of Nārāyaṇa)
1) Kāṇva (काण्व) is the name of an ancient Pāñcarātra Saṃhitā mentioned in the Padmasaṃhitā: the most widely followed of Saṃhitā covering the entire range of concerns of Pāñcarātra doctrine and practice (i.e., the four-fold formulation of subject matter—jñāna, yoga, kriyā and caryā) consisting of roughly 9000 verses.—[Cf. Jñānapāda chapter 1, verses 99-114]—First is explained the folly of following more than one Saṃhitā for a single series of rituals. Then the names of the 108 Tantras of the Pāñcarātra corpus are named [e.g., Kāṇva]. Even those who repeat these 108 titles will gain salvation.
2) Kaṇva (कण्व) or Kaṇvasaṃhitā is also mentioned in the Puruṣottamasaṃhitā: a Pāñcarātra text consisting of more than 1800 verses devoted to temple-building and the practical concerns of the Pāñcarātra priestly community.
Kaṇva (कण्व) is the name of a sage who approached Bharadvāja, as discussed in chapter 1 of the Bhāradvājasaṃhitā or “Bhāradvāja-kaṇva-saṃhitā”: a Pāñcarātra text comprising some 230 ślokas mainly concerned with basic details concerning temple construction and icon consecration.—Description of the chapter 1: Kaṇva, coming to Mount Meru, approaches the sage Bharadvāja who is renowned for his knowledge in Vedas and Vedāṅgas and for his knowledge of the real nature of the soul, Kaṇva, although he knows already the four Vedas and various Śāstras, asks to know in detail about the Pāñcarātra system which, he has heard, came directly from the mouth of Viṣṇu. [...]
Pancaratra (पाञ्चरात्र, pāñcarātra) represents a tradition of Hinduism where Narayana is revered and worshipped. Closeley related to Vaishnavism, the Pancaratra literature includes various Agamas and tantras incorporating many Vaishnava philosophies.
General definition (in Hinduism)
Kaṇva (कण्व) is the name of an ancient Rṣi repeatedly referred to in the Rigveda and later. His sons and descendants, the Kaṇvas, are also often mentioned, especially in the eighth book of the Rigveda, the authorship of that book, as well as of part of the first, being attributed to this family. A descendant of Kaṇva is also denoted by the name in the singular, either alone or accompanied by a patronymic, as Kaṇva Nārṣada and Kaṇva Śrāyasa, besides in the plural the Kaṇvas Sauśra-vasas. The Kaṇva family appears to have been connected with the Atri family, but not to have been of great importance. In one passage of the Atharvaveda they seem to be definitely regarded with hostility.
Kaṇva (कण्व): Father of Shakuntala.
Kanva was a great sage. He is best known as the sage who adopted Shakuntala, and at whose hermitage she met and fell in love with Dushyanta.
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
kaṇva (कण्व).—m (kaṇva Name of a Muni or saint.) A tribe of Brahmans or an individual of it.
Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.
Sanskrit dictionary
Kaṇva (कण्व).—a. [kaṇ kvan] Ved.
1) Talented, intelligent.
2) Praising; प्र सक्षणो दिव्यः कण्वहोता (pra sakṣaṇo divyaḥ kaṇvahotā) Ṛgveda 5.41.4.
3) Fit to be praised or honoured; Ṛgveda 1.115.5.
4) Deaf.
-ṇvaḥ 1 Name of a renowned sage, foster-father of Śakuntalā and progenitor of the line of काण्व (kāṇva) Brāhmaṇas. He was the author of several hymns of the Ṛgveda.
2) (Ved.) A peculiar class of evil spirits against whom charms or hymns (Av.2.25) are used; गर्भादं कण्वं नाशय (garbhādaṃ kaṇvaṃ nāśaya) Av.2.25.3.
3) A praiser.
4) The founder of Vedic schools.
-ṇvam Sin, evil.
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Kāṇva (काण्व).—A descendant or follower of Kaṇva.
-ṇvāḥ m. pl. The school of Kāṇvas.
Derivable forms: kāṇvaḥ (काण्वः).
Kaṇva (कण्व).—m.
(-ṇvaḥ) The name of a celebrated Muni or saint. n.
(-ṇvaṃ) Sin. E. kaṇ to sound, kvan Unadi aff.
Kaṇva (कण्व).—m. The name of a Ṛṣi, Mahābhārata 1, 2874. Superl. kaṇva + tama, The first of the Kaṇva tribe,
Kaṇva (कण्व).—[masculine] [Name] of an old Ṛṣi, [plural] his descendants.
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Kāṇva (काण्व).—[masculine] descendant or follower of Kanva.
1) Kaṇva (कण्व) as mentioned in Aufrecht’s Catalogus Catalogorum:—Quoted in Āpastambadharmasūtra 1, 19, 3. 28, 1.
2) Kāṇva (काण्व):—Quoted in Āpastambadharmasūtra 1, 19, 7.
3) Kāṇva (काण्व):—add in Vājasaneyiprātiśākhya 1, 123. 149.
1) Kaṇva (कण्व):—m. (√kaṇ, [Uṇādi-sūtra i, 151]), Name of a renowned Ṛṣi (author of several hymns of the Ṛg-veda; he is called a son of Ghora and is said to belong to the family of Aṅgiras), [Ṛg-veda; Atharva-veda; Vājasaneyi-saṃhitā; Kātyāyana-śrauta-sūtra] etc.
2) m. [plural] the family or descendants of Kaṇva, [ib.] (besides the celebrated Ṛṣi there occur a Káṇva Nārṣadá, [Atharva-veda iv, 19, 2] KáṇvaŚrāyasa, [Taittirīya-saṃhitā v, 4, 7, 5; KaṇvaKāśyapa; Mahābhārata; Śakuntalā] etc.; the founder of a Vedic school; several princes and founders of dynasties; several authors)
3) m. a peculiar class of evil spirits (against whom the hymn, [Atharva-veda ii, 25] is used as a charm), [Atharva-veda ii, 25, 3; 4; 5]
4) mfn. deaf, [Kātyāyana-śrauta-sūtra x, 2, 35]
5) praising, a praiser, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
6) one who is to be praised, [Tārānātha tarkavācaspati’s Vācaspatyam, Sanskrit dictionary]
7) n. sin, evil [commentator or commentary] on [Uṇādi-sūtra]
8) Kāṇva (काण्व):—mfn. relating to or worshipping Kaṇva, [Pāṇini 4-2, 111]
9) m. a descendant of Kaṇva, [Ṛg-veda; Tāṇḍya-brāhmaṇa; Śāṅkhāyana-śrauta-sūtra]
10) a worshipper of Kaṇva [commentator or commentary] on [Pāṇini 4-2, 111]
11) m. [plural] ([Pāṇini 4-2, 111]) the school of Kāṇva
12) m. Name of a dynasty, [Viṣṇu-purāṇa]
13) n. Name of several Sāmans.
Kaṇva (कण्व):—(ṇvaḥ) 1. m. A sage. n. Sin.
[Sanskrit to German]
Kaṇva (कण्व) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Kaṇṇa.
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.
Kannada-English dictionary
Kaṇva (ಕಣ್ವ):—
1) [noun] anything morally bad or wrong; wickedness; depravity; sin; evil.
2) [noun] a man who praises; a praiser.
3) [noun] a particular class of evil spirits.
4) [noun] name of a celebratred sage, foster father of ಶಕುಂತಲೆ [shakumtale].
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Kāṇva (ಕಾಣ್ವ):—[adjective] of, belonging or relating to, Kaṇva, a vedic sage and author of several hymns of Řgvēda or to his school, tradition, etc.
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Kāṇva (ಕಾಣ್ವ):—[noun] a descendent, follower or a man belonging to the tradition, of the vedic sage Kaṇva.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Tamil dictionary
Kāṇvā (காண்வா) [kāṇvātal [kāṇvarutal]] [kāṇ-vā] intransitive verb < idem. +. To come into view; to be sighted; காட்சிவருதல். காண்வர வியன்றவிக் கவின் பெறு பனித்துறை [kadsivaruthal. kanvara viyanravig kavin peru panithurai] (கலித்தொகை [kalithogai] 127, 14).
Tamil is an ancient language of India from the Dravidian family spoken by roughly 250 million people mainly in southern India and Sri Lanka.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Starts with (+15): Kannalan, Kanva govinda, Kanvabrihat, Kanvadeva, Kanvadi, Kanvaduhitri, Kanvahotar, Kanvahotri, Kanvai, Kanvaittiyan, Kanvajambhana, Kanvaka, Kanvakam, Kanvakashyapa, Kanval, Kanvalaiyam, Kanvamat, Kanvanku, Kanvarathamtara, Kanvaru.
Full-text (+425): Kanvopanishad, Kanvajambhana, Kanvasakhi, Kanvasakhin, Kanvabrihat, Pingalakanva, Kanvatama, Paingalakanva, Kanvarathamtara, Kanvamat, Prakanva, Kanvya, Kanvashakha, Kanvadeva, Kanvavat, Kanvaveda, Kanvasutra, Kanviya, Kanvahotri, Kanvasamhita.
Relevant text
Search found 128 books and stories containing Kanva, Kaṇva, Kāṇva, Kāṇvā, Kāṇ-vā, Kan-va, Kaanvaa; (plurals include: Kanvas, Kaṇvas, Kāṇvas, Kāṇvās, vās, vas, Kaanvaas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Rig Veda (translation and commentary) (by H. H. Wilson)
A Descriptive Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts, Madras (by M. Seshagiri Sastri)
Sakhas of the Yajurveda in the Puranas < [Purana, Volume 7, Part 1 (1965)]
Studies in Puranic History, Genealogies and Chronology < [Purana, Volume 4, Part 1 (1962)]
Megasthenes and Indian Chronology (Part 2) < [Purana, Volume 8, Part 2 (1966)]
Satapatha-brahmana (by Julius Eggeling)
Introduction to volume 1 (kāṇḍa 1-2) < [Introductions]
Kanda III, adhyaya 2, brahmana 4 < [Third Kanda]
Kanda IV, adhyaya 4, brahmana 2 < [Fourth Kanda]
Brihaddevata attributed to Shaunaka (by Arthur Anthony Macdonell)
Part 8 - Story of Kanva and Pragatha < [Chapter 6 - Deities of Rigveda VII.50–X.17]
Part 19 - The seer Visvamitra; Deities of Rigveda III.1-6. 95 < [Chapter 4 - Deities of Rigveda I.126–IV.32]
Part 20 - Deities of Rigveda III.7-29 < [Chapter 4 - Deities of Rigveda I.126–IV.32]
Atithi or Guest Reception (study) (by Sarika. P.)
Part 7 - References to Hospitality in Abhijñānaśākuntala < [Chapter 4 - Atithi-saparyā in Classical Sanskrit Literature]
Part 2 - Introduction to the Dharmasūtra Literature < [Chapter 5 - The Dharmaśāstra Literature]
Part 2 - References to Hospitality in the Kumārasaṃbhava < [Chapter 4 - Atithi-saparyā in Classical Sanskrit Literature]
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