Yajurveda
यजुर्वेद
Also written: yajurveda · yajur veda · shukla krishna yajurveda
Where the Ṛgveda praises, the Yajurveda performs. It belongs to the adhvaryu, the priest who does the physical work of the sacrifice, and it consists largely of the prose formulae — yajus — uttered while acting.
White and black
| Branch | Sanskrit | Character | Principal śākhās |
|---|---|---|---|
| Śukla — white | शुक्ल यजुर्वेद | Mantras alone; the explanatory Brāhmaṇa kept separate (Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa) | Mādhyandina, Kāṇva |
| Kṛṣṇa — black | कृष्ण यजुर्वेद | Mantra and commentary interwoven in one text — hence 'black', unsorted | Taittirīya, Maitrāyaṇī, Kaṭha, Kapiṣṭhala |
What it carries
- The Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa — the largest and most philosophical of the Brāhmaṇas, source of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad.
- The Īśa Upaniṣad, uniquely embedded in the Saṁhitā itself as its fortieth chapter.
- The Taittirīya Upaniṣad, with the five-sheath (pañca-kośa) analysis of the person.
- The Kaṭha Upaniṣad — Naciketas and Yama, and the chariot image of the self.
- The Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad, the earliest full statement of theistic Sāṅkhya-Yoga.
- The Śrī Rudram — the great hymn to Rudra, still the central Śaiva recitation.
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Last revised 2026-08-16. Corrections are welcome — see how this site is written.