THE YAJURVEDA-derived from the roots yaj, to sacrifice or worship, and vid, to know,-is the Knowledge of Sacrifice or Sacrificial Texts and Formulas as distinguished from the Rig veda or Knowledge of Recited Praiso, the Samaveda or Knowledge of Chanted Hymns, and the Atharva or Brahmaveda which is the Knowledge of Prayer, Charm, and Spells. Though ranking second in the Indian enumeration of the Vedas and containing much that is of very ancient origin, its compilation in its present form, exhibiting as it does the almost complete development of castes and mixt castes and considerable advance in arts and sciences, trades, handicrafts and occupations, is evidently of later date than that even of the Atharva. The Samhita or Collection of its hymns, texts, and formulas, con stituting the hymn-book and prayer-book of the Adhvaryu priests as distinguished from the Hotar, the Udgatar, and the Brahman, the special priests, respectively, of the three other owes its origin to the increasing multiformity and com plication of the Indian ritual and the recognized insufficiency of the simple and unsystematically arranged Collection of Rig veda Hymns to meet the requirements of the performers of various essentially important rites and ceremonies.
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