2. Yajurveda Samhitas:
As stated earlier, the Yajurveda has two main divisions – Shukla Yajurveda and Krishna Yajurveda. In the former, the mantra and Brahmana portions are collected in separate texts, whereas in the later, the two portions are found interspersed.
The extant Shukla Yajurveda Samhitas are Madhyandina and Kanva.
The extant Krishna Yajurveda Samhitas are Kathaka, Maitrayaniya, Taittiriya (also called ‘Apastambi’ Samhita), Kapishthala (fragmentary) and possibly Charaka.
Of the extant Yajurveda Samhitas, the two major ones currently are the Madhyandina and the Taittiriya.
The great sage Yajnavalkya is said to have collected and edited the Ur-Shukla Yajurveda Samhita, called the Vajasneyi Samhita. The Madhyandina Samhita comprises of 1975 kandikas or 3988 mantras (the prose kandikas are split up into several mantras) arranged into 40 chapters according to the order of performance of Vedic sacrifices. All but the last chapter (which is called the Ishavasya Upanishad) are employed in the Vedic ritual. The Yajurveda is largely prose, with about 700 verse mantras, most of which are directly borrowed from the Rigveda. The Yajurveda therefore is a liturgical text, but also contains sacrificial formulas to serve the purpose of ceremonial religion (yaju is derived from the root “yag” – to sacrifice). Coming to the Madhyandina Samhita specifically,
• Chapters 1-2 deal with Darsapurnamasa rites,
• Chapter 3 with sacrifices performed in the morning and the evenings, sacrifices performed every four months at the start of the three seasons
• Chapters 4-8 with Soma sacrifices
• Chapters 9-10 with Rajasuya and Vajapeya
• Chapters 11-18 with construction of altars for yajnas
• Chapters 19-31 with Sautramani rite
• Chapters 22-25 with the Ashvamedha
• Chapters 26-29 give material supplementary to earlier chapters
• Chapters 30-39 contain mantras for novel and unique rites like the Purushamedha, Sarvamedha, Pitrmedha and Pravargya
• Chapter 40 is the Isavasya Upanishad
Very popular in South India, the Taittiriya Samhita deals with detailed descriptions of sacrifices like Agnishtoma, Jyotishtoma, Vajapeya, Rajasuya, etc It is divided into 7 kandas which are further divided into 5-8 Prapathakas each. The Taittiriya Brahmana, the Taittiriya Aranyaka and the Taittiriya Upanishad are associated with this Samhita. In the Yajur Veda, Vishnu becomes more important. Shiva is also mentioned. Prajapati, the creator of the world, is identified with Vishvakarman. Brahman comes to signify the creative principle of the world. In general, the contents of this Samhita parallel the Shukla Yajurveda Samhitas although exotic and special rites like the Purushamedha are absent here.
3. The Samaveda Samhitas and Melodies:
It is purely a liturgical collection that comprises of 1875 Rks, of which all but 75 Rks are traceable to the published Shakalya Samhita of the Rigveda. The rest are all said to occur in the Shankhayana Samhita of the Rigveda. All these verses are set to melodies, called the Samans. The origins of Indian classical music lies in the Sama Veda.
The Samhita is divided into two broad divisions- Purvarchika, on which the Gramageya and the Aranyaka samans are set, and the Uttararchika, on which the Uha and the Uhya chants are set. The ganas (=samans) of Gramageya and Aranyageya form the basic collection called the Prakritigana or the archetypes of ganas, to which the Uttaragana based on the Uttararchika is adapted. The marked difference between the melodies of Purvarchika and Uttararchika is that the former is constituted on a single verse basis while the latter on units of three verses. The Uttaragana is divided into two sections known as the Uha and the Uhya or Rahasya: the first is adapted to the Gramageya while the second to Aranyageya. Thus the Uttaragana closely follows the Purvagana in its structure, divisions and notations including the melodic notes. While Purvagana forms part of the Swadhyaya or daily recitations, like the Samhitas, which are considered to be apaurusheya, meaning thereby that they were not composed by the Rishis but revealed to them by Brahma, whereas the Uttaragana was believed to have been composed by the acharyas for liturgical purposes by adapting them to the Purvagana. Hence, they are called Uhaganas, adapted melodies. The Uha and Uhya ganas of Uttararchika are divided into seven divisions namely Dasharatra, Samvatsara, Ekaha, Ahina, Sattra, Kshudra and Prayaschitta, clearly indicating the class of sacrifices at which they are generally executed.
The Ranayaniya Samhita is not published yet but appears to be materially identical to the Kauthuma Sahmita, although its Samans are quite different.
The root text of the Jaiminiyas, on which their melodies are based, is the Jaiminiya Archika Samhita. This text runs parellel to the Kauthuma Samhita of Samaveda, available in easily accessible editions. The Samhita has approximately 1650 mantras and its Saman tradition is quite different from the main Kauthuma tradition. The Jaiminiya chants can be subdivided into 3 variations:
1. The Nambudiri chants,
• Thanjavur/Thiruchi districts in Tamil Nadu
• Tirunalveli district and the area close to Palaghat (Kerala) in Tamil Nadu
4. Atharvaveda Samhita:
It is often said that the Atharva Angirasa was originally not given the status of a Veda, but seems to have been later elevated to the position. The main theme of the Atharva Veda is cure for diseases, rites for prolonging life and fulfillment of one’s desires, statecraft, penances, magic, charms, spells and sorcery. While the Gods of the Rg Veda are approached with love, the Gods of the Atharva Veda are approached with cringing fear and favor is curried to ward off their wrath. Homage is paid to them to abstain from doing harm. Sophisticated literary style and high metaphysical ideas mark this Veda. The two extant Samhitas of Atharvaveda are Shaunakiya and Paippalada.
The former has 5977 mantras arranged in 20 books called ‘kandas’ while the latter has approximately 7950 mantras arranged in as many kandas.
This Veda offers a better insight into the actual culture and life of the Vedic society, because of its significant ‘popular’ content – hymns connected with wedding, agriculture, battle, medicine, domestic ceremonies, coronation and so on. Significantly, dozens of hymns are also devoted to Hindu spirituality, and are often at par with the Upanishads.
