# यजुर्वेद (yajurveda)

Canonical page: https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/yajurveda

यजुर्वेद (yajurveda) is a Sanskrit word meaning the sacrificial Veda, the Yajur Veda, the Veda of sacrificial texts, the Yajur-Veda, the Veda of the sacrificial utterance. Its 8 recorded definitions are grouped into 4 contexts, among them Basic Identification and Etymology, Comprehensive Description (Nature, Divisions, Content), Textual Citations and Mentions.

- **Etymology:** E. यजुस्, वेद a Veda — E. yajus, veda a Veda
- **SLP1:** `yajurveda`  **IAST:** yajurveda  **Devanagari:** यजुर्वेद
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yajurveda
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/yajurveda/declensions.md

## Meanings by context

### Basic Identification and Etymology (2 definitions)
- The Yajur Veda  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > यजुर्वेद (veda) (yajurveda) [Printed book page 678 ] यजुर्वेद (veda) (yajurveda) n. ( - दं (-daṃ) ) The Yajur Veda: see the next. E. ययुस् (yayus), and वेद (veda) a Veda. [ ID=31163 ]
- The Yajur-Veda  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > यजुर्वेद (yajurveda) [Printed book page 582-a ] यजुर्वेद (yajurveda) n. ( - दं (-daṃ) ) The Yajur-Veda: see the next. E. यजुस्, वेद (yajus, veda) a Veda. [ ID=32364 ]

### Comprehensive Description (Nature, Divisions, Content) (2 definitions)
- the sacrificial Veda  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H3) [Printed book page 839,2] यजुर् (yajur) — वेद (—veda) m. ‘the sacrificial Veda’, the collective body of sacred Mantras or texts which constitute the Yajur-veda (these Mantras, though often consisting of the prose Yajus, are frequently identical with the Mantras 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 i.e. ‘Black’, because in it the Saṃhitā and Brāhmaṇa portions are confused; and the latter Śukla i.e. ‘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; cf. Indian Wisdom, by Sir M. Monier-Williams (Title) 6; 245 n. 2 ), Br.; GṛŚrS.; Mn. &c. [ ID=169189 ]
- the second of the Vedas, consisting of sacrificial prose texts  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > यजुर्वेद (yajurveda) [Printed book page 589-14 ] यजुर्वेद (yajurveda) m. the second of the three principal Vedas consisting of sacred texts in prose and relating to sacrifices. It is two-fold, viz., तैत्तिरीय (taittirīya) or शुक्लयजुर्वेद (yajurveda) (śuklayajurveda) and वाजसनेय (vājasaneya) or कृष्णयजुर्वेद (yajurveda) (kṛṣṇayajurveda). [ ID=31119 ]

### Textual Citations and Mentions (2 definitions)
- One of the four Vedas, containing sacrificial formulas and prayers.  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > यजुर्वेद (yajurveda) [Printed book page 763-2 ] Yajurveda. § 270 (Brahmasabhāv.): II, 11, 449 (among the Vedas present in the palace of Brahmán).—§ 459 (Mārkaṇḍeyas.): III, 189, 12963 ( Ṛgvedaḥ Sāmavedaś ca Y°o 'py Atharvaṇaḥ, sprung from Nārāyaṇa).—§ 606 (Tripurākhyāna): VIII, 34, 1498 ( Itihāsa-Y°au, became the pṛṣṭharakṣau of Śiva).—§ 717 b (Nārāyaṇīya): XII, 342, 13136 ( Ṛgvede sa-Y°e ); 343, 13258 ( ṣaṭpañcāśatam aṣṭau saptatriṃśatam ity uta | yasmiñ chākhā Y°e so 'ham ādhvaryave smṛtaḥ, sc. Nārāyaṇa (Kṛṣṇa)). Cf. next. [ ID=12531 ]
- the Veda of the sacrificial utterance  
  *The Vedic Index of Names and Subjects*
  > यजुर्वेद (yajurveda) [Printed book page 2-183 ] Yajur-veda, the ‘Veda of the sacrificial utterance’ ( Yajus ), is mentioned frequently in the Brāhmaṇas 1 and Upaniṣads. 2 [ Footnote: 1) Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa, iii. 12, 9, 1; Aitareya Brāhmaṇa, v. 32, 1; Śata- patha Brāhmaṇa, xi. 5, 8, 3; xii. 3, 4, 9.] [ Footnote: 2) Aitareya Āraṇyaka, iii. 2, 3, 5; Sāṅkhāyana Āraṇyaka, viii. 3, 8; Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, i. 5, 5; ii. 4. 10; iv. 1, 2; 5, 11; Chāndogya Upar ṣad, i. 3, 7; iii. 2, 1. 2; 15, 7; vii. 2, 4; 2, 1; 7, 1; Āśvalāyana Sra Sūtra, x. 7, 2; Sāṅkhāyana Sra Sūtra, xvi. 2, 6, etc.] [ ID=2551 ]

### The Veda of Sacrificial Texts/Formulas (2 definitions)
- the Veda of sacrificial texts  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > यजुर्वेद (yajurveda) [Printed book page 424 ] यजुर्वेद (yajurveda) m. the Veda of the Yajus or sacrificial texts. [ ID=25565 ]
- the Veda of sacrificial texts  
  *Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary*
  > यजुर्वेद (yajurveda) [Printed book page 222-a ] yajur-vedá, m. the Veda of sacrificial texts, Yajurveda. [see yajus. ] [ ID=3372 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Index to the Names in the Mahabharata; Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary; The Vedic Index of Names and Subjects; Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

The Sanskrit Lexicon app for iPhone, iPad and Mac: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sanskrit-lexicon-dictionary/id6746787546
