Atharvaveda (Sanskrit: अत्रववेदः, Atharvaveda from Atharvaveda and Veda, meaning "knowledge") is the "knowledge store of the Atharvas, procedures for everyday life". This text is the fourth Veda, but a late addition to the Vedic scriptures of Hinduism.
The language of the Atharvaveda is distinct from Vedic Sanskrit, which preserves pre-Vedic Indo-European archetypes. It is a collection of 730 hymns with about 6,000 mantras, divided into 20 books. About a sixth of the books of the Atharvaveda adopt verses from the Rigveda, and except for books 15 and 16, the text is mainly in verse employing a variety of Vedic meters.
Two different editions of the text – the Paippalada and the Shaunakia – have survived into modern times. Authentic manuscripts of the Paippalada edition were thought to be lost, but a well-preserved edition was discovered in 1957 in a collection of palm leaf manuscripts in Odisha.
The Atharvaveda is sometimes called the "Veda of magical formulas", a description that is considered incorrect by other scholars. In contrast to the 'sequential religion' of the other three Vedas, the Atharvaveda is said to represent a 'popular religion', including not only formulas for magic, but also daily rituals for initiation into education (upanayana), marriage and funeral rites. . The Atharvaveda also covers royal ceremonies and the duties of court priests.
Atharvaveda was probably compiled along with Samaveda and Yajurveda or about 1200 BCE - 1000 BCE as contemporary Vedas. Along with the Samhita level of text, the Atharvaveda has a final level of text covering Brahmanical texts and philosophical speculations. The last layer of the Atharvaveda consists of three primary Upanishads, which influenced various branches of Hindu philosophy. These include Mundaka Upanishad, Mandukya Upanishad and Prastra Upanishad.