Kanva

This article is about Hindu sage. For Indian dynasty with the same name, see Kanva dynasty.

Kanva or Kanwa (Sanskrit: कण्व, IAST: Kaṇva) was an ancient Hindu rishi^[1] of the Treta Yuga, to whom some of the hymns of the Rig Veda are ascribed.^[2][3] He was one of the Angirasas.^[4] He has been called a son of Ghora, but this lineage belongs to Pragatha Kanva, a subsequent Kanva of which there were many.^[5][6] However, Puranic literature has other different lineages for him, one as the son of Apratiratha and grandson of King Matinara, and another as the son of Ajamidha, who was a descendant in the ninth generation of Tansu, the brother of Apratiratha (Atiratha), or Ajamidha who was a contemporary of Matinara.^[6][7] This last seems to be the modern consensus.^[6][8] He is sometimes included in the list of the seven sages (the Saptarishis).^[1] Kanva had a son Medhatithi.^[7][8] Kanva is also mentioned in Mahabharata as the adoptive father of Shakuntala.

• Kanva (Karnesh) is also the name of a founder of a Vedic shakha of the Shukla Yajur Veda, and hence the name of that theological branch of Hinduism, the Kanva Shakha.^[9][10]
• Kanva (Karnesh) is also the name of several princes and founders of dynasties and several authors.^{[citation needed]}
• The Kanvas (Karnesh) are the descendants of king Vasudeva Kanva (1st century BCE).^[11]
• The Kanvas are also a class of spirit, against whom hymn 2.25 of the Atharva Veda is used as a charm.^{[citation needed]}

Shakuntala seeks Kanva's blessings before departing