The Yajurveda is a collection of prose mantras for worship. Derived from the Sanskrit word Yajur Veda means 'worship knowledge'. It inculcates ritual-offering formulas, chanted by a priest while performing ritual actions before the yajna fire. Being part of the 4 Vedas, Yajurveda originated between 1200 and 800 BCE. The Yajur Veda is split into two – the "black" or "dark" (Krishna) Yajurveda and the "white" or "bright" (Shukla) Yajurveda. The Krishna Yajur Veda implies "the un-arranged and unclear collection’’ of verses whereas "white" defines the "well arranged and clear". The Krishna Yajurveda survived in 4 recensions – Taittiriya saṃhita, Maitrayani saṃhita, Kaṭha saṃhita, and Kapisthala saṃhita whereas Vajasaneyi Samhita is the Samhita in the Shukla Yajurveda. The earliest ancient layer of Yajurveda Samhita comprises 1,875 verses, which were borrowed and built upon the foundation of verses in Rigveda. The middle layer is the Satapatha Brahmana,(the largest Brahmana text in the Vedic collection) The youngest layer of Yajurveda text consists of Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, the Isha Upanishad, the Taittiriya Upanishad, the Katha Upanishad, the Shvetashvatara Upanishad, and the Maitri Upanishad.

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