Kāṇva Shākha (Sanskrit:काण्व शाखा) is the oldestshakha ("branch" or "recension") ofShukla Yajurveda. TheKānva tradition is followed mostly inTamil Nadu,Orissa,Karnataka, parts ofMaharashtra,Madhya Pradesh,Gujarat andAndhra Pradesh. TheKānva Shākha was quite prevalent around the period ofShankaracharya's birth. Theparamparaāchārya (main founding guru) forShukla Yajurveda was sageYajnavalkya.

The mainSamhita forKānva Shākha is theKanva Samhita and the correspondingbrahmana isKanva Shatapatha Brahmana. The mainupanishads of theKānva Shākha areIshavasya Upanishad andBrihadaranyaka Upanishad. TheShrauta Sutra forKānva Shākha isKatyayana Shrauta Sutra and theGrhya Sutra isParaskara Grhya Sutram.

The majorāchāryas who belonged to theKānva Shākha included:

• Sureshvaracharya (aka.Mandana Mishra), who was the disciple ofShankaracharya.

• Akkalkot Swami Samarth revered asDattatreya avatara also belonged to theKānva Shākha.

The style of recitation or chanting of the Kānva Shākha is quite distinct compared to theMadhyandina Shakha of theShukla Yajurveda and theKānvaSamhita includes 211 additional verses that are not present in theMadhyandina Shakha.

• Madhyandina Shakha
• Yajurveda

• Tradition of Shukla Yajurveda
• Shri Shukla Yajurveda

• Vedas