Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s1.101

v1.c3.s1.101

Ātharvaṇa, a patronymic formed from the name of the mythic Atharvan, is found normally in the plural neuter as a designation of the hymns of the Atharvans. This use appears in the late nineteenth book of the Atharvaveda,¹ and in the Pañcaviṃśa Brāhmaṇa.² In the singular the expression Ātharvaṇa (Veda), though not occurring till the Chāndogya Upaniṣad,³ is earlier than the term ‘Atharvaveda,’ which is first found in the Sūtras.⁴ In the Nidāna Sūtra⁵ Ātharvaṇikas, or ‘followers of the Atharvaveda,’ appear.