The Yajurveda is the second of the four Vedas. This Veda contains prose and verse formulas that were to be pronounced by the priests performing the manual part of the sacrifice.
White and Black Versions
It is divided into the white (Shukla) and the black (Krishna).
The Krishna Yajurveda is represented by the following editions:
- Taittriya
- Kathaka
- Maitrayani
The Shukla Yajurveda is represented by the following editions:
- Madhyamdina
- Kanva
The most important edition is the Taittiriya, which is divided into 7 chapters, each with 5-8 topics.
Sacrifice
Agni, the fire god plays a central role in the sacrifice. There were many different kinds of sacrifices like the famous horse sacrifice, the soma sacrifice, sacrifices performed during various ceremonies like the Coronation ceremonies of kings, marriage ceremonies etc. Of them all the highest sacrifice was considered to be the Sarvamedha in which the sacrificer offered all of his possessions as the fee at the end of the ceremony.