Vedic Mythology c6.s7.3

c6.s7.3

Most of the hymns of the eighth book of the RV. are attributed to the family of Kaṇva, and poets there speak of themselves as Kaṇvas. The name as that of a family is therefore historical. But the ancestor whose name was transferred to them in reality¹ never appears in the RV. as that of a contemporary. Roth thinks his origin may have been mythical like that of Aṅgiras²; and Bergaigne is of opinion that the blind Kaṇva represents the sun during the night or, more generally, the hidden Agni or Soma³.