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sanatana
07 November 2012, 05:18 AM
Originally Yajurveda was supposed to be only one.
But now we hear two versions, krishna yajurveda and shukla yajurveda.
Why this difference? What are the implications in having two?
What are the major differences?

savithru
30 December 2012, 12:17 AM
Originally Yajurveda was supposed to be only one.
But now we hear two versions, krishna yajurveda and shukla yajurveda.
Why this difference? What are the implications in having two?
What are the major differences?

namaste,

To understand that you need to know the real story of the tradition.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yajnavalkya#Life



According to tradition, Yājñavalkya was the son of Devarāta and was the pupil of sage Vaisampayana .[3] Once, Vaisampayana got angry with Yājñavalkya as the latter argued too much to separate some latter additions to Yajurveda in being abler than other students. The angry teacher asked his pupil Yājñavalkya to give back all the knowledge of Yajurveda that he had taught him.[3]

As per the demands of his Guru, Yājñavalkya vomited all the knowledge that he acquired from his teacher in form of digested food. Other disciples of Vaisampayana took the form of partridge birds and consumed the digested knowledge (a metaphor for knowledge in its simplified form without the complexities of the whole but the simplicity of parts) because it was knowledge and they were very eager to receive the same.[3]

The Saṃskṛt name for partridge is "Tittiri". As the Tittiri (partridge) birds ate this Veda, it is thenceforth called the Taittirīya Yajurveda. It is also known as Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda or Black-Yajurveda on account of it being a vomited substance. The Taittirīya Saṃhitā thus belongs to this Yajurveda.[4]

Then Yājñavalkya determined not to have any human guru thereafter. Thus he began to propitiate the Sun God, Surya. Yājñavalkya worshipped and extolled the Sun, the master of the Vedas, for the purpose of acquiring the fresh Vedic portions not known to his preceptor, Vaiśampāyana.[5]

The Sun God, pleased with Yājñavalkya penance, assumed the form of a horse and graced the sage with such fresh portions of the Yajurveda as were not known to any other. This portion of the Yajurveda goes by the name of Śukla Yajurveda or White-Yajurveda on account of it being revealed by Sun. It is also known as Vajasaneya Yajurveda, because it was evolved in great rapidity by Sun who was in the form of a horse through his manes.The rhythm of recital of these vedas is therefore to the rhythm of the horse canter and distinguishes itself from the other forms of veda recitals. In Sanskrit, term "Vaji" means horse. Yājñavalkya divided this Vajasaneya Yajurveda again into fifteen branches, each branch comprising hundreds of Yajus Mantras. Sages like Kanva, Madhyandina and others learnt those and Śukla Yajurveda branched into popular recensions named after them.[3]

It is important to note that within the hierarchy of Brāhmaṇas, certain sects believe in the Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda while others practice from the Śukla Yajurveda. Two important sects of Telugu Brāhmaṇas with a belief in Śukla Yajurveda are the Niyogis who are further sub-divided into sub-sects like Prathama Sakha Niyogis (śukla yaju) and Aaru Velu Niyogis (kṛṣṇa yaju) (aaru-velu = six-thousand Saṃskṛt).


So the new Yajurveda of Yajnavalkya was came to known as Sukla Yajurveda or white Yajurveda and Yajnavalkya is also the rishi of the Isha Upanishad.