At a glance
- Translator: Ralph T. H. Griffith · Format: Paperback
- 322 pages
- Dimensions: 0.67 × 9.02 × 5.98 in
- Publication date: 10 April 2012
- The complete forty adhyayas of the Vajasaneyi Samhita
- Concludes with the Isha Upanishad (adhyaya 40)
- Ships within 3 business days
How to use it
This is a reference text, not a book to read front to back on a first pass. Use the chapter map: 1–2 for the new and full moon sacrifices, 3 for Agnihotra, 4–8 for the Somayajna, 9–10 for Vajapeya and Rajasuya, 11–18 for altar and hearth construction including the Agnicayana, 19–21 for the Sautramani, 22–25 for the Ashvamedha, 26–29 for supplementary formulas, 30–31 for the Purushamedha, 32–34 for the Sarvamedha, 35 for the Pitriyajna, 36–39 for the Pravargya, and 40 for the Isha Upanishad.
If you are coming to it through practice rather than scholarship, chapter 3 and chapter 40 are the two most people read first.
Shukla and Krishna Yajurveda
|
Shukla (white) |
Krishna (black) |
| Commentary |
Kept separate, in the Shatapatha Brahmana |
Mixed into the Samhita itself |
| Represented by |
Vajasaneyi Samhita |
Several recensions |
| Named for |
Vajasaneya, patronymic of Yajnavalkya |
— |
| Structure |
40 adhyayas, ending with the Isha Upanishad |
Verses and Brahmana prose interleaved |
✨ Temple Tip
Read chapter 40 first. The Isha Upanishad closes the Samhita and is short enough to sit with in a single evening — and having it in mind changes how the thirty-nine chapters of ritual formula in front of it read.
Questions & answers
Who translated this edition?
Ralph T. H. Griffith.
How long is the book?
322 pages, published 10 April 2012.
What is the difference between the Shukla and Krishna Yajurveda?
Both contain the verses used in ritual. The Krishna recension mixes the Brahmana prose discussions into the Samhita, while the Shukla keeps its Brahmana — the Shatapatha Brahmana — as a separate text.
Does it include the Isha Upanishad?
Yes. The fortieth and final adhyaya is the Isha Upanishad.
What are the dimensions?
0.67 × 9.02 × 5.98 inches, paperback.
Forty chapters of what to say while the fire is burning. #TempleOfDesire
