A History of Sanskrit Literature c10.14

c10.14

The two most important portions of the *Yajurvedas* deal with the new and full moon sacrifices, as well as the soma sacrifice, on the one hand, and with the construction of the fire-altar on the other. Chapters 1–10 of the *White Yajurveda* contain the *mantras* for the former, chapters 11–18 those for the latter part of the ceremonial. The corresponding ritual explanations are to be found in books 1–5 and 6–9 respectively of the *Çatapatha Brāhmaṇa*. In these fundamental portions even the *Black Yajurveda* does not intermingle the *mantras* with their explanations. The first book of the *Taittirīya Saṃhitā* contains in its first four lessons nothing but the verses and formulas to be recited at the fortnightly and the soma sacrifices; the fourth book, nothing but those employed in the fire-altar ritual. These books follow the same order as, and in fact furnish a parallel recension of, the corresponding parts of the *Vājasaneyi Saṃhitā*. On the other hand, the *Taittirīya Saṃhitā* contains within itself, but in a different part, the two corresponding Brāhmaṇas, which, on the whole, are free from admixture with mantras. The fifth book is the Brāhmaṇa of the fire ritual, and the sixth is that of the soma sacrifice; but the dogmatic explanation of the new and full moon sacrifice is altogether omitted here, being found in the third book of the *Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa*. In the *Maitrāyaṇī Saṃhitā* the distribution of the corresponding material is similar. The first three lessons of the first book contain the mantras only for the fortnightly and the soma sacrifices; the latter half of the second book (lessons 7-13), the mantras only for the fire ritual. The corresponding Brāhmaṇas begin with the sixth and the first lesson respectively of the third book. It is only in the additions to these fundamental parts of the *Black Yajurveda* that the separation of Mantra and Brāhmaṇa is not carried out. The main difference, then, between the *Black* and the *White* consists in the former combining within the same collection Brāhmaṇa as well as Mantra matter. As to its chief and fundamental parts, there is no reason to suppose that these two kinds of matter, which are kept separate and unmixed, are either chronologically or essentially more nearly related than are the *Vājasaneyi Saṃhitā* and the *Çatapatha Brāhmaṇa*.