KANVA 2
GOPALAKRISHNAN: Vedic Contributions: As an "Angirasa" rishi, Kanva and his
descendants (the Kanvas) are credited with hymns in the Rig Veda, which
traditionally documents events and lineages primarily from the later Treta
and early Dwapara periods.
KR: ANGIRAS>GHORA> KANVA IS INTERPRETED AS ANGIRASA CLAN AND NOT A
DIRECT DESCENDANT WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN LEARNT AND VERIFIED. Father Ghora,
he was one of the Angirasa rishis [ MEANS NOT THROUGH ANGIRASA BUT
BELONGING TO FIRE GOD AS SAPTA RISHIS HAVE VARIOUS CHARACTERISTICS WHICH
QUALITY SEVERAL CLANS ENTERED INTO ; FIRE IS ANGIRASA IN SANSKRIT AND
ANGIRASA NAME DENOTED IT AS INDEX OF FIRE; JATAVEDAS IN RIG VEDAM ARE FIRE
WORSHIPPERS INCLUDING PERSIANS ETC; SO THEY ARE ANGIRASAS; GHORA WAS ONE
AMONG THEM AND KANVA WAS BORN TO GHORA AND THUS ANGIRASA WORSHIPPER OF
FIRE; AS WE HAVE VARIED KULA DEIVAM AND WE ARE CALLED BY THAT SWAMY OR
TEMPLE NAME; EVEN TODAY NAGARATHAR WILL NOT MARRY SAME TEMPLE PEOPLE; SO IT
GOES; IF GOPALA ESTABLISHES STILL, AS HE CONTINUED TO BRUTALLY PERSIST
,WITHOUT BRAIN, RIG VEDA AUTHORS ASSIGNED TO RISHIS AS AN AVIVEKI ,
SUPERIOR TO ADI SHANKARA ,DENYING HIM OR PROVING HIM AS BRAINLESS!!} and is
also attributed with composing the Kanva Smriti, a text on Hindu law and
ethics {THE ONLY CONTRIBUTION IS KANVA SMRITHI WHEREAS VEDAS ARE SRUTHI;
WHETHER THE ASS KNOWS THE SMELL OF KARPOORAM IS THE QUESTION. “KANVA SAKA”
A PORTION OF VEDA WAS KNOWN TO HIS SCHOOL THEN AS VEDAS WERE LEARNT ONLY BY
available transmitted Sruthi of those areas, gurukul am was called by Saka.
AND AGAIN, WRITING AS OWNERS OF VEDAS REPEATEDLY SHOWS, WHAT KIND OF IDIOT
ONE IS LIKE GOPALA?
II Gopala, having copied and pasted did not find his own
contradictions like “kanva in various yugas” and “ Kanva means only a kula
and not one person. According to him only a seven including one Kanva alone
divides the 10 mandalas of Rig veda, Similar confusion prevailed as data
were adopted as and when he cut and pasted it , without any meaningful
understanding; still fighting out as if his action is historical!!
The Rigveda consists of 1028 suktas or hymns arranged in ten
mandalas or books. The mandalas are of unequal length: Mandala II contains
the fewest number of suktas (43), while Mandalas I and X contain the most
(191 suktas each).The suktas are also of unequal length: they are made up
of riks or verses which vary in number from just one (as in Sukta 99 in
Mandala I) to 58 (Sukta 97 in Mandala 9). There are a total of 10,552 riks
in the Rigveda.
Mandalas 2-7, each of which contain hymns composed by a
single, named bardic family, are together referred to as the Family Books.
These six mandalas form the heart of the Rigveda. The books are arranged in
order of size, from the shortest to the longest. Thus Mandala 2 contains
only 43 suktas while Mandala 7 contains 104 suktas.
Within each mandala, the suktas are arranged by the deity to which
they are addressed. The first collection of suktas is always addressed to
Agni, the second to Indra; then follow the collections of suktas addressed
to other deities, usually arranged in decreasing order by the number of
suktas to each deity within the mandala. Within each deity collection, the
suktas are arranged by length, the longest coming first. If two suktas have
an equal number of verses, then they are arranged by meter, the longer
meters coming before the shorter ones. These rules are not always strictly
followed: for instance, Mandala 3 has 62 suktas, while Mandala 4 has only
58, and Mandala 5 has 87, while Mandala 6 has 75. This, as Stephanie
Jamison and Joel Brereton explain, is not “a sign of incomplete or
imperfect application of their own principles by the original compilers”;
rather, it is evidence of later changes to the text, by the addition of new
suktas to older mandalas, or ‘by combining several hymns into one or
splitting or splitting one into several’. (Brereton and Jamison, 2020, pp.
25-26).
THE ‘OUTER’ BOOKS: MANDALA 1 AND MANDALAS 8-10
Mandala 1 and Mandalas 8-10, bracketing the Family Books, are structured
differently. *Mandala 1 can be divided into two parts: suktas 1-50 and
51-191. *The first part consists of six groups of hymns by individual
poets, who heard them; many of whom belong to the Kanva bardic family. The
much longer and older second part is divided into nine groups of hymns,
also by individual poets belonging to various bardic families;[NO FAMILY
History; Many rishis of the sapta rishi families found the verses from
Brahmam as dharsan The hymns in the second part are some of the ‘most
glorious’ in the Rigveda, and the Rishis as heading the verses were, some
of the most distinctive including Kakshivant, Dirghatamas, and Agastya. The
hymns in the first part, by contrast, are quite unremarkable—with the
exception of the magnificent sukta 32, to Indra, which describes his
triumph over the serpent Vritra.Mandala 8 contains the Kanva (suktas 1-48
and 60-66) and the Angira (suktas 67-103). Within these two-family
groupings are smaller collections containing suktas. Many of the hymns in
this mandala were later taken into the Samaveda. Inserted in the middle of
Mandala 8, between the two sets of Kanva suktas, is a set of 11 suktas
known as the Valakhilya hymns (suktas 49-59). Mandala 9 consists of 114
hymns all dedicated to Soma Pavamana1, the sacred drink in the form of a
deity. It is concerned with only a small part of the soma ritual, when the
pressed soma is strained through a sheep’s wool filter, collected in
containers and mixed with other ritual substances . The suktas in this
mandala are arranged by meter, and within each metrical group, by the
number of verses in decreasing order. (Brereton and Jamison, 2020, pp.
28-29).Mandala 10 is the latest addition to the text. It reflects a much
wider variety of subject-matter than the other mandalas. It contains hymns
concerned with rites of marriage and death and spells for trivial daily
matters. It also contains grand speculations on the origin of the
universe—the powerful and remarkable Nasadiya Sukta (10.129) as well as the
(now infamous) Purusha Sukta (10.90) are found within it In fact, many of
the hymns in this mandala are found in the Atharvaveda.
DANASTUTI HYMNS
The danastuti hymns, composed in praise of the dana or gifts received by
priest poets from their princely patrons, occur in Mandalas 1 and 10, and
in the Valakhilya section in Mandala 8. These suktas are later than most of
the other material in the Rigveda. They are of great interest to the
historian because they often give the names and genealogies of the
priest-poets and their patrons, as well as information about particular
Vedic tribes and the area occupied by them.
It is highly likely that even during its formative stages, these
schools were studying and contributing to it. Shaunaka lists five Rigvedic
shakhas in his Charan-vyuha*; other texts list as many as 24 Rigvedic
schools*. The text of the Rigveda that has come down to us is that of the
Shakal school, established by Shakalya, a teacher of the late Vedic period.
But there were other recensions as well, all now lost. The Valakhilya hymns
in Mandala 8, for instance, are probably the only surviving fragments of
one such lost recension. There also exists a set of 36 hymns known as the
Khilasuktas, or “appendix” hymns. These, inserted at various points in the
Shakal recension, are considered to have originated outside the Shakal
tradition. Thus the Rigveda collection as we have it today, though
remarkably well-preserved across millennia, “does not represent the
contemporaneous Rigvedic tradition in its entirety”. Rather what we have
today is only those portions of the tradition that a particular school
chose to preserve.
Angirasa occurs in the Veda in two different forms, Angira and Angirasa,
although the latter is the more common; we have also the patronymic
Angirasa applied more than once to the god Brihaspati. In later times
Angirasa, like Bhrigu and other seers, was regarded as one of the original
sages, progenitors of clans of Rishis who went by their names, the
Angirasas, Atris, Bhargavas. In the Veda also there are these families of
Rishis, the Atris, Bhrigus, Kanwas, etc. In one of the hymns of the Atris
the discovery of Agni, the sacred fire, is attributed to the Angirasa
Rishis (V.11.6), but in another to the Bhrigus (X.46.9).1 Frequently the
seven original Angirasa Rishis are described as the human fathers, pitaro
manuṣyāḥ, who discovered the Light, made the sun to shine and ascended to
the heaven of the Truth. In some of the hymns of the tenth Mandala they are
associated as the Pitris or Manes with Yama, a deity who only comes into
prominence in the later Suktas; they take their seats with the gods on the
barhis, the sacred grass, and have their share in the sacrifice.
It is therefore clear that the word Angirasa is used in the Veda
not merely as a name of a certain family of Rishis, but with a distinct
meaning inherent in the word. It is probable also that even when used as a
name it is still with a clear recognition of the inherent meaning of the
name; it is probable even that names in the Veda are generally, if not
always, used with a certain stress on their significance, especially the
names of gods, sages and kings. The word Indra is generally used as a name,
yet we have such significant glimpses of the Vedic method as the
description of Usha indratamā aṅgirastamā, “most-Indra”, “most-Angirasa”,
and of the Panis as anindrāḥ, “not-Indra”, expressions which evidently are
meant to convey the possession or absence of the qualities, powers or
functioning represented by Indra and the Angirasa
The word is akin to the name Agni; for it is derived from a root aṅg which
is only a nasalised form of ag, the root of Agni. These roots seem to
convey intrinsically the sense of pre-eminent or forceful state, feeling,
movement, action, light,2 and it is this last sense of a brilliant or
burning light that gives us agni, fire, aṅgati, fire, aṅgāra, a burning
coal and aṅgiras, which must have meant flaming, glowing. Both in the Veda
and the tradition of the Brahmanas the Angirasas are in their origin
closely connected with Agni. In the Brahmanas it is said that Agni is the
fire and the Angirasas the burning coals, aṅgārāḥ; but in the Veda itself
the indication seems rather to be that they are the flames or lustres of
Agni. In X.62, a hymn to the Angirasa Rishis, it is said of them that they
are sons of Agni and have been born about him in different forms all about
heaven, and in the next clause it is added, speaking of them collectively
in the singular, navagvo nu daśagvo aṅgirastamaḥ sacā deveṣu maṁhate,
nine-rayed, ten-rayed, most aṅgiras, this Angirasa clan becomes together
full of plenty with or in the gods; aided by Indra they set free the pen of
cows and horses, they give to the sacrificer the mystic eight-eared kine
and thereby create in the gods śravas, the divine hearing or inspiration of
the Truth. It is fairly evident that the Angirasa Rishis are here the
radiant lustres of the divine Agni which are born in heaven, therefore of
the divine Flame and not of any physical fire; they become equipped with
the nine rays of the Light and the ten, become most aṅgiras, that is to say
most full of the blazing radiance of Agni, the divine flame, and are
therefore able to release the imprisoned Light and Force and create the
supramental knowledge.
There is another passage of the Veda (VI.6.3-5) in which the
identity of these divine Angirasas with the flaming lustres of Agni is
clearly and unmistakably revealed. “Wide everywhere, O pure-shining Agni,
range driven by the wind thy pure shining lustres (bhāmāsaḥ); forcefully
overpowering the heavenly Nine-rayed ones (divyā navagvāḥ) enjoy the woods3
(vanā vananti, significantly conveying the covert sense, ‘enjoying the
objects of enjoyment’) breaking them up violently. O thou of the pure
light, they bright and pure assail4 (or overcome) all the earth, they are
thy horses galloping in all directions. Then thy roaming shines widely vast
directing their journey to the higher level of the Various-coloured (the
cow, Prishni, mother of the Maruts). Then doubly (in earth and heaven?) thy
tongue leaps forward like the lightning loosed of the Bull that wars for
the cows.” Sayana tries to avoid the obvious identification of the Rishis
with the flames by giving navagva the sense of “new-born rays”, but
obviously divyā navagvāḥ here and the sons of Agni (in X.62) born in heaven
who are navagva are the same and cannot possibly be different; and the
identification is confirmed, if any confirmation were needed, by the
statement that in this ranging of Agni constituted by the action of the
Navagwas his tongue takes the appearance of the thunderbolt of Indra, the
Bull who wars for the cows, loosed from his hand and leaping forward,
undoubtedly to assail the powers of darkness in the hill of heaven; for the
march of Agni and the Navagwas is here described as ascending the hill
(sānu pṛśneḥ) after ranging over the earth. We have evidently here a
symbolism of the Flame and the Light, the divine flames devouring the earth
and then becoming the lightning of heaven and the lustre of the solar
Powers; for Agni in the Veda is the light of the sun and the lightning as
well as the flame found in the waters and shining on the earth. The
Angirasa Rishis being powers of Agni share this manifold function. The
divine flame kindled by the sacrifice supplies also to Indra the material
of the lightning, the weapon, the heavenly stone, svarya aśmā, by which he
destroys the powers of darkness and wins the cows, the solar
illuminations. Agni, the father of the Angirasas, is not only the fount
and origin of these divine flames, he is also described in the Veda as
himself the first, that is to say, the supreme and original Angirasa,
prathamo aṅgirāḥ. What do the Vedic poets wish us to understand by this
description? We can best understand by a glance at some of the passages in
which this epithet is applied to the bright and flaming deity. In the first
place it is twice associated with another fixed epithet of Agni, the Son of
Force or of Energy, sahasaḥ sūnuḥ, ūrjo napāt. Thus in VIII.60.2, he is
addressed “O Angirasa, Son of Force”, sahasaḥ sūno aṅgiraḥ, and in
VIII.84.4, “O Agni Angirasa, Son of Energy”, agne aṅgira ūrjo napāt. And in
V.11.6, it is said “Thee, O Agni, the Angirasas found established in the
secret place (guhā hitam) lying in wood and wood (vanevane)” or, if we
accept the indication of a covert sense we have already noted in the phrase
vanā vananti, “in each object of enjoyment. So art thou born by being
pressed (mathyamānaḥ) a mighty force; thee they call the Son of Force, O
Angirasa, sa jāyase mathyamānaḥ saho mahat tvām āhuḥ sahasas putram
aṅgiraḥ“. It is hardly doubtful, then, that this idea of force is an
essential element in the Vedic conception of the Angirasa and it is, as we
have seen, part of the meaning of the word. Force in status, action,
movement, light, feeling is the inherent quality of the roots ag and aṅg
from which we have agni and aṅgiraḥ. Force but also, in these words, Light.
Agni, the sacred flame, is the burning force of Light; the Angirasas also
are burning powers of the Light.
But of what light? The Veda speaks expressly of “luminous sages”, dyumato
viprān and the word sūri, a seer, is associated with Surya, the sun, by
etymology and must originally have meant luminous. In I.31.1, it is said of
this god of the Flame, “Thou, O Agni, was the first Angirasa, the seer and
auspicious friend, a god, of the gods; in the law of thy working the Maruts
with their shining spears were born, seers who do the work by the
knowledge.” Clearly, then, in the conception of Agni Angirasa there are two
ideas, knowledge and action; the luminous Agni and the luminous Maruts are
by their light seers of the knowledge, ṛṣi, kavi; and by the light of
knowledge the forceful Maruts do the work because they are born or
manifested in the characteristic working (vrata) of Agni. For Agni himself
has been described to us as having the seer-will, kavikratuḥ, the force of
action which works according to the inspired or supramental knowledge
(śravas), for it is that knowledge and not intellectuality which is meant
by the word kavi. What then is this great force, Agni Angirasa, saho mahat,
but the flaming force of the divine consciousness with its two twin
qualities of Light and Power working in perfect harmony,—even as the Maruts
are described, kavayo vidmanā apasaḥ, seers working by the knowledge? We
have had reason to conclude that Usha is the divine Dawn and not merely the
physical, that her cows, or rays of the Dawn and the Sun are the
illuminations of the dawning divine consciousness and that therefore the
Sun is the Illuminer in the sense of the Lord of Knowledge and that Swar,
the solar world beyond heaven and earth, is the world of the divine Truth
and Bliss, in a word, that Light in the Veda is the symbol of knowledge, of
the illumination of the divine Truth. We now begin to have reason for
concluding that the Flame, which is only another aspect of Light, is the
Vedic symbol for the Force of the divine consciousness, of the supramental
Truth.
In another passage, VI.11.3, we have mention of the “seer most
illumined of the Angirasas”, vepiṣṭho aṅgirasāṁ vipraḥ, where the reference
is not at all clear. Sayana, ignoring the collocation vepiṣṭho vipraḥ which
at once fixes the sense of vepiṣṭha as equivalent to most vipra, most a
seer, most illumined, supposes that Bharadwaja, the traditional Rishi of
the hymn, is here praising himself as the “greatest praiser” of the gods;
but this is a doubtful suggestion. Here it is Agni who is the hotā, the
priest; it is he who is sacrificing to the gods, to his own embodiment,
tanvaṁ tava svām (VI.11.2), to the Maruts, Mitra, Varuna, Heaven and Earth.
“For in thee”, says the hymn, “the thought even though full of riches
desires still the gods, the (divine) births, for the singer of the hymn
that he may sacrifice to them, when the sage, the most luminous of the
Angirasas, utters the rhythm of sweetness in the sacrifice.” It would
almost seem that Agni himself is the sage, the most luminous of the
Angirasas. On the other hand, the description seems to be more appropriate
to Brihaspati.
For Brihaspati is also an Angirasa and one who becomes the
Āngirasa. He is, as we have seen, closely associated with the Angiras
Rishis in the winning of the luminous cattle and he is so associated
as Brahmanaspati,
as the Master of the sacred or inspired word (brahman); {see my article on
this topic long ago} for by his cry Vala is split to pieces and the cows
answer lowing with desire to his call. As powers of Agni these Rishis are
like him kavikratu; they possess the divine Light, they act by it with the
divine force; they are not only Rishis, but heroes of the Vedic war, divas
putrāso asurasya vīrāḥ (III.53.7) sons of heaven, heroes of the Mighty
Lord, they are, as described in VI.75.9, “The Fathers who dwell in the
sweetness (the world of bliss), who establish the wide birth, moving in the
difficult places, possessed of force, profound,5 with their bright host and
their strength of arrows, invincible, heroes in their being, wide
overcomers of the banded foes”: but also, they are, as the next verse
describes them, brāhmaṇāsaḥ pitaraḥ somyāsaḥ, that is, they have the divine
word and the inspired knowledge it carries with it.
This divine word is the satya mantra, it is the thought by whose
truth the Angirasas bring the Dawn to birth and make the lost Sun to rise
in the heavens. This word is also called the arka, a vocable which means
both hymn and light and is sometimes used of the sun. It is therefore the
word of illumination, the word which expresses the truth of which the Sun
is the lord, and its emergence from the secret seat of the Truth is
associated with the outpouring by the Sun of its herded radiances; so we
read in VII.36.1, “Let the Word come forward from the seat of the Truth;
the Sun has released wide by its rays the cows”, pra brahmaitu sadanād
ṛtasya, vi raśmibhiḥ sasṛje sūryo gāḥ. It has to be won possession of like
the Sun itself and the gods have to give their aid for that possession
(arkasya sātau) as well as for the possession of the Sun (sūryasya sātau)
and of Swar (svarṣātau). The Angirasa, therefore, is not only an
Agni-power, he is also a Brihaspati-power. Brihaspati is called more than
once the Āngirasa, as in VI.73.1, yo adribhit prathamajā ṛtāva bṛhaspatir
āṅgiraso haviṣmān, “Brihaspati, breaker of the hill (the cave of the
Panis), the first-born who has the Truth, the Āngirasa, he of the
oblation”. And in X.47.6, we have a still more significant description of
Brihaspati as the Āngirasa: pra saptagum ṛtadhītiṁ sumedhāṁ bṛhaspatiṁ
matir acchā jigāti, ya āṅgiraso namasā upasadyaḥ. “The thought goes towards
Brihaspati the seven-rayed, the truth-thinking, the perfect intelligence,
who is the Āngirasa, to be approached with obeisance.” In II.23.18 also,
Brihaspati is addressed as Angirasa in connection with the release of the
cows and the release of the waters: “For the glory of thee the hill parted
asunder when thou didst release upward the pen of the cows; with Indra for
ally thou didst force out, O Brihaspati, the flood of the waters which was
environed by the darkness.” We may note in passing how closely the release
of the waters, which is the subject of the Vritra legend, is associated
with the release of the cows which is the subject of the legend of the
Angirasa Rishis and the Panis and that both Vritra and *the Panis are* powers
of the darkness. The cows are the light of the Truth, the true illuminati
sun, satyaṁ tat…sūryam; the waters released from the environing darkness of
Vritra are called sometimes the streams of the Truth, ṛtasya dhārāḥ and
sometimes svarvatīr āpaḥ, the waters of Swar, the luminous solar world.
Indra is also described as becoming an Angirasa or as becoming
possessed of the Angirasa quality. “May he become most Angirasa with the
Angirasas, being the Bull with bulls (the bull is the male power or Purusha,
nṛ, with regard to the Rays and the Waters who are the cows, gāvaḥ,
dhenavaḥ), the Friend with friends, the possessor of the Rik with those who
have the Rik (ṛgmibhir ṛgmī), with those who make the journey (gātubhiḥ,
the souls that advance on the path towards the Vast and True) the greatest;
may Indra become associated with the Maruts (marutvān) for our thriving.”
The epithets here (I.100.4) are all the proper epithets of the Angirasa
Rishis and Indra is supposed to take upon himself the qualities or
relations that constitute Angirasahood.
So in III.31.7, “Most illumined in knowledge (vipratamaḥ,
answering to the vepiṣṭho aṅgirasāṁ vipraḥ of VI.11.3), becoming a friend
(sakhīyan, the Angirasas are friends or comrades in the great battle) he
went (agacchat, upon the path, cf. gātubhiḥ, discovered by Sarama); the
hill sped forth its pregnant contents (garbham) for the doer of the good
work; strong in manhood with the young (maryo yuvabhiḥ, the youth also
giving the idea of unaging, undecaying force) he sought fullness of riches
and won possession (sasāna makhasyan); so at once, chanting the hymn
(arcan), he became an Angirasa.” This Indra who assumes all the qualities
of the Angirasa is, we must remember, the Lord of Swar, the wide world of
the Sun or the Truth, and descends to us with his two shining horses, harī,
which are called in one passage sūryasya ketū, the sun’s two powers of
perception or of vision in knowledge, in order to war with the sons of
darkness and aid the great journey. If we have been right in all that we
have concluded with regard to the esoteric sense of the Veda, Indra must be
the Power (Indra, the Puissant,7 the powerful lord) of the divine Mind born
in man and there increasing by the Word and the Soma to his full divinity.
This growth continues by the winning and growth of the Light, till Indra
reveals himself fully as the lord of all the luminous herds which he sees
by the “eye of the sun”, the divine Mind master of all the illuminations of
knowledge.
Indra, in becoming the Angirasa, becomes marutvān, possessed
of or companioned by the Maruts, and these Maruts, luminous and violent
gods of the storm and the lightning, uniting in themselves the vehement
power of Vayu, the Wind, the Breath, the Lord of Life and the force of
Agni, the Seer-Will, are therefore seers who do the work by the knowledge,
kavayo vidmanā-apasaḥ, as well as battling forces who by the power of the
heavenly Breath and the heavenly lightning overthrow the established
things, the artificial obstructions, kṛtrimāṇi rodhāṁsi, in which the sons
of Darkness have entrenched themselves, and aid Indra to overcome Vritra
and the Dasyus. They seem to be in the esoteric Veda the Life-Powers that
support by their nervous or vital energies the action of the thought in the
attempt of the mortal consciousness to grow or expand itself into the
immortality of the Truth and Bliss. In any case, they also are described in
VI.49.11, as acting with the qualities of the Angirasa (aṅgirasvat), “O
young and seers and powers of the sacrifice, Maruts, come uttering the word
to the high place (or desirable plane of earth or the hill, adhi sānu
pṛśneḥ, VI.6.4, which is probably the sense of varasyām), powers
increasing, rightly moving (on the path, gātu) like the Angirasa,8 give joy
even to that which is not illumined (acitram, that which has not received
the varied light of the dawn, the night of our ordinary darkness)”. We see
there the same characteristics of the Angirasa action, the eternal youth
and force of Agni (agne yaviṣṭha), the possession and utterance of the
Word, the seerhood, the doing of the work of sacrifice, the right movement
on the great path which leads, as we shall see, to the world of the Truth,
to the vast and luminous bliss. The Maruts are even said to be (X.78.5) as
it were “Angirasas with their Sama hymns, they who take all forms”,
viśvarūpā aṅgiraso na sāmabhiḥ.
All this action and movement are made possible by the coming
of Usha, the Dawn. Usha also is described as aṅgirastamā and in addition as
indratamā. The power of Agni, the Angirasa power, manifests itself also in
the lightning of Indra and in the rays of the Dawn. Two passages may be
cited which throw light on this aspect of the Angirasa force. The first is
VII.79.2,3. “The Dawns make their rays to shine out in the extremities of
heaven, they labour like men who are set to a work. Thy rays set fleeing
the darkness, they extend the Light as if the sun were extending its two
arms. Usha has become (or, come into being) most full of Indra power
(indratamā), opulent in riches and has given birth to the inspirations of
knowledge for our happy going (or for good and bliss), the goddess,
daughter of Heaven, most full of Angirasahood (aṅgirastamā), orders her
riches for the doer of good works.” The riches in which Usha is opulent
cannot be anything else than the riches of the Light and the Power of the
Truth; full of Indra power, the power of the divine illumined mind, she
gives the inspirations of that mind (śravāṁsi) which lead us towards the
Bliss, and by the flaming radiant Angirasa-power in her she bestows and
arranges her treasures for those who do aright the great work and thus move
rightly on the path, itthā nakṣanto aṅgirasvat (VI.49.11).
The second passage is in VII.75, “Dawn, heaven-born, has opened
up (the veil of darkness) by the Truth and she comes making manifest the
vastness (mahimānam), she has drawn away the veil of harms and of darkness
(druhas tamaḥ) and all that is unloved; most full of Angirasahood she
manifests the paths (of the great journey). Today, O Dawn, awake for us for
the journey to the vast bliss (mahe suvitāya), extend (thy riches) for a
vast state of enjoyment, confirm in us a wealth of varied brightness
(citram) full of inspired knowledge (śravasyum), in us mortals, O human and
divine. These are the lustres of the visible Dawn which have come
varied-bright (citrāḥ) and immortal; bringing to birth the divine workings
they diffuse themselves, filling those of the mid-region”, janayanto
daivyāni vratāni, āpṛṇanto antarikṣā vyasthuḥ (Riks 1-3). Again we have the
Angirasa power associated with the journey, the revelation of its paths by
the removal of the darkness and the bringing of the radiances of the Dawn;
the Panis represent the harms (druhaḥ, hurts or those who hurt) done to man
by the evil powers, the darkness is their cave; the journey is that which
leads to the divine happiness and the state of immortal bliss by means of
our growing wealth of light and power and knowledge; the immortal lustres
of the Dawn which give birth in man to the heavenly workings and fill with
them the workings of the mid-regions between earth and heaven, that is to
say, the functioning of those vital planes governed by Vayu which link our
physical and pure mental being, may well be the Angirasa powers. For they
too gain and maintain the truth by maintaining unhurt the divine workings
(amardhanto daivyā vratāni). This is indeed their function, to bring the
divine Dawn into mortal nature so that the visible goddess pouring out her
riches may be there, at once divine and human, devi marteṣu mānuṣi, the
goddess human in mortals.
Thus, Rishis of repute hearers of Vedas through the Brahmam were made
the presiding deity in details of chhandas etc. And the Vedas
superficially praise GODs; but inner meanings are spread over. Rishi's
family were addressed in last name and that does not mean they lived so
long in various yuga, because Google said it or Gopala said it without the
application of the mind, in spite of repeated pointing outs. There is no
use of rebuffing. One must learn to respect the ancient culture for which
one shall read in depth, think it over, apply the mind and then study the
treatise writers’ words. WRITING OTHERWISE NONSENSE IN INDERLINING COLORS
DO NOT ADD ANY RESPECT INCLUDING HIS ONLY GROUP SUPPORTED BY ON SAI. Sai
did not start it but usurped it so no respect he would need from me whoever
he may be. Hope now Gopala will turn a new leaf or write as usual like 1st
std student. I am not intelligent; but I work hard to understand. I don’t
insult copying from the insulters and still profess I am…..Thank you
K RAJARAM IRS 5426
On Sat, 4 Apr 2026 at 12:22, 'gopala krishnan' via Thatha_Patty <
[email protected]> wrote:
> *SAGE KANVA -PART 2**( last part )*
>
> *Continued from part1*
>
> *Shakuntala and the Lunar Dynasty:*
>
> Kanva's most famous role is as the foster father of Shakuntala. This
> narrative is set in the lineage of the *Lunar Dynasty, which spans the
> Treta and Dwapara Yugas*. Her son, Emperor Bharata, is a central figure
> in this timeline.
>
> *Vedic Contributions*: As an "Angirasa" rishi, Kanva and his descendants
> (the Kanvas) are credited with hymns in the Rig Veda, which traditionally
> documents events and lineages primarily from the later Treta and early
> Dwapara periods.
>
> The Nature of Sages in Satya Yuga
>
> In the Satya Yuga (the Golden Age), humanity and sages are described as
> being in their most pure and divine state. *While specific stories of
> "Kanva" are rare in this era, it is important to note:*
>
> Saptarishi Cycles: The seven great sages (Saptarishis) change with every
> Manvantara (cosmic age). *Kanva is sometimes listed as a Saptarishi,
> which implies his existence in various cycles of time.*
>
> Presence of Lineage: The name "Kanva" often refers to a family or "Kula"
> rather than a single individual. The ancestors of the Kanva lineage, such
> as the Angirasas, were highly active in the earliest periods of creation,
> including the Satya Yuga.
>
> Sage Kanva during Dwapara yuga
>
> While Sage Kanva is primarily a figure of the Treta Yuga, he is linked to
> the Dwapara Yuga through both his lineage and *specific legends
> encounters involving the Yadava clan. *
>
> *Presence Through Descendants*
>
> Ancestor of the Mahabharata Lineage: Sage Kanva's adoptive daughter,
> Shakuntala, married King Dushyanta. Their son, *Emperor Bharata,
> established the Bharata dynasty. *The Pandavas and Kauravas, the central
> figures of the Dwapara Yuga's great war, are direct descendants of this
> lineage.
>
> *Yajna at the Transition*: Ancient texts like the *Mahabharata (Adi
> Parva) mention that when Bharata performed the Govitata yajna, Sage Kanva
> served as the chief priest.* This marks his influence during the
> transition toward the Dwapara era.
>
> *The Curse of the Yadavas*
>
> One of the most famous stories involving Sage Kanva in the Dwapara Yuga
> occurs near its end, involving the family of Lord Krishna:
>
> The Prank: *A group of young Yadava men, including Krishna's son Samba,
> attempted to trick several sages—including Kanva, Vishwamitra, and Narada*—who
> were performing penance near the Narmada River.
>
> The Disguise: Samba dressed as a pregnant woman with a heavy iron pestle
> under his clothes and mockingly asked the sages *when "she" would give
> birth.*
>
> The Curse: Offended by the disrespect, *the sages (often including Kanva
> in various tellings) cursed the Yadavas, stating that the "woman" would
> give birth to an iron bolt that would lead to the total destruction of
> their clan.* This prophecy eventually manifested as the civil war and the
> sinking of Dwaraka, marking the end of the Dwapara Yuga and the beginning
> of the Kali Yuga.
>
> Mention in the Mahabharata
>
> *Advice to Duryodhana: *In the Udyoga Parva, Sage Kanva is described as
> visiting the Kuru court to advise Duryodhana. He narrated the story of
> Matali to encourage peace and humility, though his counsel was ultimately
> ignored.
>
> Hermitage as a Landmark: His ashram remained a significant site of
> pilgrimage and learning throughout the Dwapara Yuga, frequently visited
> by travellers and mentioned as a sacred landmark in the Mahabharata.
>
> *Sage Kanva and Kaliyuga*
>
> In the context of the Kali Yuga, Sage Kanva is primarily associated with
> the historical dynasty that claimed his name and his continued spiritual
> presence as a "perennial" sage who guides seekers in the current age.
>
> *The Kanva Dynasty (Historical Connection)*
>
> The most direct link to the Kali Yuga is the Kanva Dynasty (c. 73–28 BCE),
> which ruled ancient India during the early millennia of this epoch.
>
> Establishment: Founded by Vasudeva Kanva, a Brahmin minister who overthrew
> the Shunga dynasty.
>
> Significance: The Puranas, which detail the royal lineages of the Kali
> Yuga, list the Kanvas as a key transitionary power in Magadha.
>
> End of Rule: Their 45-year reign ended when they were overthrown by the
> Satavahana Dynasty.
>
> Spiritual Presence and Modern Encounters
>
> While Sage Kanva is an "ancient" rishi from the Treta Yuga, some
> traditions describe him as a Chiranjeevi-like figure or a master who
> continues to manifest to advanced devotees in the Kali Yuga.
>
> Datta Sampradaya: In texts like the Shreepad Shrivallabh Charitamrutam,
> Sage Kanva is described as appearing in a subtle or physical *form to
> direct devotees toward Lord Dattatreya incarnations.*
>
> Protector of Dharma: He is often invoked in modern spiritual practices as
> a symbol of compassion and Vedic purity—qualities that are said to be rare
> and highly sought after in the Kali Yuga.
>
> *Symbolic Role in Prophecy*
>
> Curse of the Yadavas: His role in the curse that led to the destruction
> of the Yadava clan is seen as the catalyst for the start of the Kali Yuga. *By
> cursing Samba, the sages (including Kanva) paved the way for Lord Krishna's
> departure and the subsequent entry of the age of Kali.*
>
> Saptarishi Alignment: In the Srimad Bhagavatam, it is noted that the Kali
> Yuga began its full influence when the constellation of the Seven Sages
> (which sometimes includes Kanva) passed through the lunar mansion of Magha.
>
> *Sage Kanva- Is he a spatharshi?*
>
> Yes, Sage Kanva is sometimes included in the list of the Saptarishis (the
> seven great sages), though his inclusion depends on the specific scripture
> or the Manvantara (cosmic age) being described.
>
> Context of His Inclusion
>
> Alternative Lists: While the most widely accepted list for the current
> Vaivasvata Manvantara (our present age) includes Atri, Bharadvaja, Gautama,
> Jamadagni, Kashyapa, Vashistha, and Vishwamitra, some traditions and texts
> replace one of these with Kanva.
>
> Prototypical Saptarishi: In the Rig Veda, the "Family Books" (Mandalas
> 2–7) are attributed to six major rishi families. *Mandala 8 is primarily
> attributed to Kanva and his descendants*, leading some scholars to view
> him as the "7th prototypical Saptarishi" in that specific Vedic context.
>
> Saptarishi Mandala: In Indian astronomy, the seven stars of the Big Dipper
> (Ursa Major) are named after the Saptarishis. While names like Vashistha
> and Atri are constant, *Kanva is occasionally identified with one of
> these celestial positions in localized astronomical traditions. *
>
> Why the Lists Vary
>
> The names of the Saptarishis are not fixed; they change with every
> Manvantara to guide humanity anew in each cycle. For instance:
>
> First Manvantara (Svayambhuva): Included Marichi, Angiras, Pulaha, Kratu,
> and Pulastya.
>
> Next Manvantara (Savarni): Will include figures like
>
> Spirit Class: In the Atharva Veda, "Kanvas" are also referenced as a class
> of evil spirits.
>
>
>
> 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. This last seems to be the modern consensus.Kanva had a son
> *Medhatithi*.
>
> 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 Ved*a, and hence the name of that theological branch of
> Hinduism, the Kanva Shakha.
>
> Kanva (Karnesh) is also the name of several princes and founders of
> dynasties and several authors.[citation needed]
>
>
>
> Ancient Rishis of India - Part 2 - Kanva | Kapila | Kashyapa | Lopamudra |
> Markandeya | Parashara | Parashurama | Pulastya | Valmiki | Vasishtha |
> Vishvamitra | Vyasa
>
> Download this article
>
>
>
>
>
> In our previous post, we brought you the first part of the article on the
> Ancient Rishis of India. This month, we bring you a list of some more
> ancient, powerful and influential sages of this great country.
>
> Kanva
>
> Maharishi Kanva was an ancient Rishi of the Treta Yuga, to whom some hymns
> of the Rig Veda are ascribed. One of the Angirasas, he was also referred to
> as a son of Ghora. He is sometimes considered to be one of the Saptarishis
> (seven most powerful sages).
>
> Abhijnana Sakuntalam
>
> Kanva features prominently in Kalidasa's work, Abhijnanashakuntalam. He is
> the head of the ashrama (hermitage), which is the setting of the play's
> first few acts. He is also the protagonist, Shakuntala's, foster father. At
> the very beginning of the play, he is absent, as he is in penance, trying
> to please the Gods on Shakuntala's behalf. When he returns, he is delighted
> to know that King Dushyanta proposed to Shakuntala and so, sends her to his
> palace, accompanied by ascetics and seers.
>
> Plot of the Play
>
> The main female lead of Abhijnanashakuntalam, Shakuntala, is the daughter
> of Sage Vishwamitra and the apsara Menaka. Abandoned at birth by her
> parents, she is raised in the secluded hermitage of Sage Kanva and grows up
> to be a fine maiden.
>
> Once, Kanva and the other elders in the ashrama left for a pilgrimage,
> leaving her alone there. At that time, King Dushyanta, the ruler of
> Hastinapura at the time, came hunting into the forest. While pursuing game,
> he chanced to come upon the hermitage. Captivated by Shakuntala's beauty,
> he courted her in royal style and married her secretly. He then had to
> return to his kingdom. But before leaving, he gave her his royal ring as a
> token of his love.
>
>
>
> After his departure, Shakuntala was daydreaming about him and missed to
> *notice
> Sage Durvasa having arrived there. Angry, the latter cursed her that her
> lover would forget all about her existence*. When she repented and
> apologized for her folly, he relented and told her that *her lover would
> remember her when she showed him the signet ring he gave her.*
>
>
>
> By that time, Shakuntala realized that she was pregnant. She decided to go
> see Dushyanta and reunite with him. Unfortunately, *as she crossed a
> river, the signet ring slipped off her finger.* When she arrived at the
> palace, Dushyanta refused to recognize her and said that he had never ever
> met her. He had lost his memory of her, due to Durvasa's curse. A
> crestfallen Shakuntala then returned to the hermitage, where she gave birth
> to her son, Bharata.
>
> Later, the ring was discovered by a fisherman inside the belly of a fish.
> He took it to Dushyanta, who immediately remembered all about Shakuntala
> and the times he spent with her. He went to the ashrama, told her all about
> what had transpired and brought her back to the palace along with their son.
>
> Bharata went on to become a powerful Emperor and the ancestor of the
> Pandavas and the Kauravas in the great epic, Mahabharata. It is after him
> that India was named Bharat or "Bharatavarsha", the "Land of Bharata".
>
> Gotra: Angirasa.
>
> Lineage: Specifically associated with Angirasa-Kanva Gana.
>
> Vedic Connection: Kanva is a famous seer (rishi) to whom several hymns in
> the Rig Veda are attributed.
>
> Kanva Shakha: He is the founder of a Vedic school known as the Kanva
> Shakha of the Shukla Yajurveda.
>
> 1. The Standard Three-Rishi (Tryarsheya) Pravara
>
> In most traditional practices (such as those described in the Baudhayana
> Shrauta Sutra and Apastamba Shrauta Sutra), the sages are:
>
> Angirasa (The root ancestor)
>
> Ajamidha (The intermediate royal-sage ancestor)
>
> Kanva (The eponymous sage of the lineage)
>
> Recitation: “Angirasa, Ajamidha, Kanva — iti tryarsheya pravaranvitha...”
>
> End of posting
>
>
>
> *Compiled from websites and Google search. R. Gopalakrishnan 4-4-2026*
>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "Thatha_Patty" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
> email to [email protected].
> To view this discussion visit
> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/1966171882.428423.1775284870900%40mail.yahoo.com
> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/1966171882.428423.1775284870900%40mail.yahoo.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>
> .
>
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Thatha_Patty" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to [email protected].
To view this discussion visit
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CAL5XZoqgcB9if2hYdN3NdWRg6SfvpNbENKwGQiOzccuZTfW%2B2A%40mail.gmail.com.
