The Atharvaveda (Sanskrit: अथर्ववेद, atharvavéda, a tatpurusha compound of atharvan, a type of priest, and veda meaning "knowledge") is a sacred text of Hinduism, part of the four books of the Vedas: the 4th Veda . According to tradition, the Atharvaveda was mainly composed by two groups of rishis known as the Bhrigus and the Angirasas. Additionally, traditions ascribes parts to other rishis, such as Kaushika, Vaśīshtha and Kashyapa. There are two surviving recensions (shakhas), known as Śaunakiya (AVS) and Paippalada (AVP).


The Atharvaveda, while undoubtedly belonging to the core Vedic corpus, in some ways represents an independent parallel tradition to that of the Rigveda and Yajurveda.

The Jaina and Buddha texts are considerably more hostile to the AV (they call it Aggvana or Ahavana Veda) than they are to the other Hindu texts. They even call it a non-Aryan Veda concocted by paippalada for human sacrifices. The Hindu texts too have taken a less than charitable view and have on occasions omitted the reference to the "Atharvan" text in the context of Vedic literature, though some attribute this to the fact that the Atharvaveda was a later addition chronologically. The Atharvan Parisishthas (appendices) themselves state that specific priests of the Mauda and Jalada schools should be avoided. It is even stated that women associated with Atharvan may suffer from abortions.


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