THE YAJURVEDA

The Vedas are the foundations 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.

Introduction

Text and Translation

Glossary and Index