Yajur

Yajur, in Hindu tradition, commonly refers to the Yajurveda, one of the four Vedas—the ancient Indian sacred texts. The word Yajur is derived from yaj, meaning to sacrifice or worship, and veda, knowledge, signaling its focus on ritual knowledge. The Yajurveda supplies liturgical formulas and prose to be recited during yajna, or sacrificial rites, and it functions as a practical complement to the chants found in the Rigveda.

The Yajurveda is traditionally divided into two main recensions: Shukla (White) Yajurveda and Krishna (Black) Yajurveda. The Shukla Yajurveda presents a Vajasaneyi Samhita, a collection of prose-form formulas intended for ritual use, often accompanied by ritual instructions found in its Brahmanas such as the Shatapatha Brahmana. The Krishna Yajurveda interleaves mantras with prose explanations and is associated with a different set of Brahmanas, including the Maitrayani and Taittiriya traditions, which provide interpretive material and guidance for practice.

Dating and composition of the Yajurveda place its core material in the late Bronze to early Iron Age in the Indian subcontinent, with redaction and commentary continuing into later periods. The text has profoundly influenced Hindu liturgy and ritual vocabulary, and it also intersects with later philosophical thought through Upanishads that are associated with Yajurveda tradition. The Yajurveda is thus regarded as a foundational source for ritual practice and for the development of Vedantic ideas within the broader Vedic corpus.