Samhitas The
Vajasaneyi Samhita has forty chapters or
adhyayas, containing the formulas used with the following rituals: ;Structure of the mantras The various ritual
mantras in the Yajurveda Samhitas are typically set in a meter, and call on Vedic deities such as the
Savita (Sun), Indra, Agni, Prajapati, Rudra and others. The Taittiriya Samhita in Book 4, for example, includes the following verses for the Agnicayana ritual recitation (abridged), It is one of the largest
Brahmana text that has survived.
Upanishads The Yajurveda has six primary Upanishads embedded within it. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad is among the earliest extensive discussions of the Hindu concept of
dharma,
karma and
moksha (liberation from sorrow, freedom, emancipation, self-realization). Paul Deussen calls it, "unique in its richness and warmth of presentation", with profoundness that retains its full worth in modern times. Max Muller illustrated its style as follows, {{blockquote| But when he [Self] fancies that he is, as it were, a god, or that he is, as it were, a king, or "I am this altogether," that is his highest world, This indeed is his (true) form, free from desires, free from evil, free from fear. Now as a man, when embraced by a beloved wife, knows nothing that is without, nothing that is within, thus this person, when embraced by the
Prajna (conscious, aware) Self, knows nothing that is without, nothing that is within. This indeed is his (true) form, in which his wishes are fulfilled, in which the Self only is his wish, in which no other wish is left, he is free from any sorrow.
Isha Upanishad The
Isha Upanishad is found in the White Yajurveda. The Isha Upanishad discusses the Atman (Soul, Self) theory of Hinduism, and is referenced by both
Dvaita (dualism) and
Advaita (non-dualism) sub-schools of Vedanta. It is classified as a "poetic Upanishad" along with Kena, Katha, Shvetashvatara and Mandukya Upanishads.
Taittiriya Upanishad The
Taittiriya Upanishad is found in the black Yajurveda. The Taittiriya Upanishad includes verses that are partly prayers and benedictions, partly instruction on phonetics and praxis, partly advice on ethics and morals given to graduating students from ancient Vedic
gurukul (schools), partly a treatise on allegory, and partly philosophical instruction.
Katha Upanishad The
Katha Upanishad is found in the black Yajurveda. The Kathaka Upanishad is an important ancient Sanskrit corpus of the
Vedanta sub-schools. It asserts that "Atman (Soul, Self) exists", teaches the precept "seek Self-knowledge which is Highest Bliss", and expounds on this premise like the other primary Upanishads of Hinduism. The detailed teachings of Katha Upanishad have been variously interpreted, as
Dvaita (dualistic) and as
Advaita (
non-dualistic). The Katha Upanishad found in the Yajurveda is among the most widely studied Upanishads. Philosophers such as
Arthur Schopenhauer praised it,
Edwin Arnold rendered it in verse as "The Secret of Death", and
Ralph Waldo Emerson credited Katha Upanishad for the central story at the end of his essay
Immortality, as well as his poem "
Brahma".
Shvetashvatara Upanishad The
Shvetashvatara Upanishad is found in the black Yajurveda. It then develops its answer, concluding that "the Universal Soul exists in every individual, it expresses itself in every creature, everything in the world is a projection of it, and that there is Oneness, a unity of souls in one and only Self". The text is also notable for its multiple mentions of both
Rudra and
Shiva, along with other Vedic deities, and of crystallization of Shiva as a central theme. However, several manuscripts discovered in different parts of India contain lesser number of
Prapathakas, with a Telugu-language version showing just four. The Maitrayaniya Upanishad is notable for its references to theories also found in
Buddhism, elements of the
Samkhya and
Yoga schools of Hinduism, as well as the
Ashrama system.
Srautasutras The Yajurveda had
Shrautasutras and
Grhyasutras attached to it, from fifteen schools:
Apastamba, Agastya, Agniveshyaka,
Baudhayana, Bharadvaja, Hiranyakeshi, Kaundinya, Kusidaka, Katyayana, Lokaksita, Madhyamdina, Panca-Kathaka, Satyasadha, Sakala, Sandilya,
Vaikhanasa, and Vadula. Of these nine have survived, along with portions of Kaundinya. ==Manuscripts and translations==