sentences:  One more derivative is "Karnad" meaning "land of Black soil" and other derivative is from Tamil words meaning that 'Karai' (கரை) meaning 'shore' and 'nataka' (நாடக) meaning dance.The earliest known references to "Karnataka" are found in the "Sabha Parva" and the "Bhishma Parva" of Mahabharata, an ancient Indian epic.The "Matsya Purana", "Skanda Purana", "Markandeya Purana" and the "Bhagavata Purana" also make references to the name "Karnata".