The Texts of the White Yajurveda or Vajasaneya Samhita

The Texts of the White Yajurveda or Vajasaneya Samhita

Author: Ralph T.H. Griffith

Publisher: Sanctum Books

Published: 2023-11-29

Total Pages: 673

ISBN-13:

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The four Vedas, Rg, Yajur, Sama and Atharva, the foundations, on which the grand and most ancient edifice of Hindu religion and philosophy are built. The Yajurveda ranks second in importance and is divided into two collections, Taittiriya and Vajasaneya, better known as Krishna or Black and Shukla or White Yajurveda. The latter is called white because its arrangement is systematic, orderly and free of obscurities which bedevil the former. The Yajurveda is actually a handbook or manual for the Adhvaryu priests, who specialized in conducting sacrifices. The White Yajurveda contains 2000 hymns arranged in forty books. Most of the hymns are culled from the Rgveda. The Yajur or sacrificial formulas are in prose, to be intoned in measured cadence. The important sacrifices dealt here are: Asvamedha or horse sacrifice, Purushamedha or sacrifice at full and new moon. Griffith's translation is true to the original. It explains recondite portions with the unobtrusive commentary of Mahidara.


Shukla Yajurveda

Shukla Yajurveda

Author: Ralph Griffith

Publisher: CreateSpace

Published: 2012-04-10

Total Pages: 322

ISBN-13: 9781475172614

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There are two primary versions or Samhitas of the Yajurveda: Shukla (white) and Krishna (black). Both contain the verses necessary for rituals, but the Krishna Yajurveda includes the Brahmana prose discussions mixed within the Samhita, while the Shukla Yajurveda has separately a Brahmana text, the Shatapatha Brahmana. Shukla Yajurveda The Shukla Yajurveda is represented by the Vajasaneyi Samhita. The name Vajasaneyi is derived from Vajasaneya, patronymic of sage Yajnavalkya, an authority and according to tradition, founder of the Vajasaneyi branch. The Vajasaneyi Samhita has forty chapters or adhyayas, containing the formulas used with the following rituals: 1.-2.: New and Full Moon sacrifices 3.: Agnihotra 4.-8.: Somayajna 9.-10.: Vajapeya and Rajasuya, two modifications of the Soma sacrifice 11.-18.: construction of altars and hearths, especially the Agnicayana 19.-21.: Sautramani, a ritual originally counteracting the effects of excessive Soma-drinking 22.-25.: Ashvamedha 26.-29.: supplementary formulas for various rituals 30.-31.: Purushamedha 32.-34.: Sarvamedha 35.: Pitriyajna 36.-39.: Pravargya 40.: the final adhyaya is the famous Isha Upanishad -wikipedia


The Vedas

The Vedas

Author: Jon William Fergus

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2017-01-10

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781541294714

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"Compiled, edited and re-formatted, 2017"


The Yajurveda : with glossary and index

The Yajurveda : with glossary and index

Author: Devi Chand

Publisher: South Asia Books

Published: 1994-01-01

Total Pages: 452

ISBN-13: 9788121502948

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Description: The Vedas are the foundation on which the imposing Hindu religious edifice is built. The Yajurveda contains hymns taken from the older Rigveda and prose passages which are new. The hymns display considerable deviation from the original Rigvedic text. It can be called a priestly manual; for it lays down rules for the performance of various sacrifices. It has two samhitas or a collection of hymns of mantras; these are Taittiriya Samhita and Vajasaneya Samhita, popularly known as Black and White Yajur respectively. The subject-matter of both the samhitas is almost the same, though the arrangement is somewhat different. Of the two the Vajasaneya Samhita is planned in a more systematic and orderly manner than the other. It also contains some texts which are not found in the Taittiriya Samhita. This translation of Yajurveda by Devi Chand is based upon Swami Dayanand's interpretation. The translator has provided references in the footnotes to the different views of other scholars. To bring home to the common man the message of the Yajurveda, he has spared no pains to remove all obscurities inherent in the old form of Sanskrit which was in vogue three thousand years ago. The introduction and the index are added to help the reader. Everyone interested in the Vedas will find this book indispensable.