The Atharvaveda (Sanskrit: अथर्ववेदः, , a tatpurusha compound of , an ancient Rishi, and , meaning “knowledge”) is a sacred text of Hinduism and one of the four Vedas, often called the “fourth Veda”. The bulk of the text dates from c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE. According to the tradition, the Atharvaveda was mainly composed by two groups of rishis known as the Atharvanas and the Angirasa, hence its oldest name is . In the Late Vedic Gopatha Brahmana, it is attributed to the Bhrigu and Angirasa. Additionally, tradition ascribes parts to other rishis, such as , and . There are two surviving recensions (s), known as (AVS) and (AVP).
