| yajurveda यजुर्वेद Definition: m. "the sacrificial veda-", the collective body of sacred mantra-s or texts which constitute the yajur-veda- (these mantra-s, though often consisting of the prose yajus-, are frequently identical with the mantra-s of the ṛg-veda-, the yajur-veda- being only a sort of sacrificial prayer-book for the adhvaryu- priests formed out of the ṛg-veda-, which had to be dissected and rearranged with additional texts for sacrificial purposes; the most characteristic feature of the yajur-veda- is its division into two distinct collections of texts, the taittirīya-saṃhitā- and the vājasaneyi-saṃhitā- q.v; the former of which is also called kṛṣṇa- id est"Black", because in it the saṃhitā- and brāhmaṇa- portions are confused; and the latter śukla- id est"White", because in this, which is thought the more recent of the two recensions, the saṃhitā- is cleared from confusion with its brāhmaṇa- and is as it were white or orderly; the order of sacrifices, however, of both recensions is similar, two of the principal being the darśa-pūrṇa-māsa- or sacrifice to be performed at new and full moon, and the aśva-medha- or horse-sacrifice; see  ) |