Yajurveda

The Yajurveda (Sanskrit, m., यजुर्वेद, Yajur Veda, Yajus = "victim saying" ) is one of the four Vedas, the sacred texts of Hinduism. It contains the sacrificial formulas or mantras that must Adhvaryu, one of the priests in the Vedic sacrificial ritual dominate. Two versions of the Yajurveda have survived, the "white" ( shukla ) and the "black" ( Krishna ) Yajurveda.

Each of the four Vedas - the Rigveda are, Samaveda, Atharvaveda and Yajurveda - includes four text layers. The oldest layer are respectively the Samhitas ( hymns ), the next layer are the Brahmanas ( ritual texts ), the Aranyakas (forest texts), and finally the Upanishads come ( philosophical doctrines ).

Unlike the other three Vedas to the black Yajurveda belonging Brahmanas are ( Notes to the victims theology ) is not written separately, but interwoven with the text of the Veda itself. For the black Yajur Veda there are following each belonging to a school collections: Kapishthala - Samhita, the kathaka - Samhita, the Maitrayani - Samhita and the Taittiriya Samhita (although a Taittiriya - Brahmana is also delivered as a stand-alone text, but not the Brahmana is the Samhita ). When white Yajurveda Samhita and Brahmana are separated, however. There are two schools, Kanva and Madhyandina, to each of which the Shatapatha - Brahmana belongs.