A History of Sanskrit Literature c10.16

c10.16

But while the *Sāmaveda* deals solely with one part of the ritual, the soma sacrifice, the *Yajurveda* supplies the formulas for the whole sacrificial ceremonial. Like the *Sāmaveda*, it is also connected with the *Rigveda*; but while the former is practically altogether extracted from the *Rigveda*, the *Yajurveda*, though borrowing many of its verses from the same source, is largely an original production. Thus somewhat more than one-fourth only of the *Vājasaneyi Saṃhitā* is derived from the *Rigveda*. One half of this collection consists of verses (*ṛich*) most of which (upwards of 700) are found in the *Rigveda*; the other half is made up of prose formulas (*yajus*). The latter, as well as the verses not borrowed from the *Rigveda*, are the independent creation of the composers of the *Yajurveda*. This partial originality was indeed a necessary result of the growth of entirely new ceremonies and the extraordinary development of ritual detail. It became impossible to obtain from the *Rigveda* even approximately suitable verses for these novel requirements.