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Book 1: Ch. 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 8
Book 2: Ch. 1 - 2 - 4
Book 3: Ch. 1 - 3 - 5
Book 4: Ch. 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 7
Book 5: Ch. 1 - 4 - 5 - 7
Book 6: Ch. 1 - 2 - 5 - 6
Book 7: Ch. 1 - 4 - 5

SUN The Yajurveda is one of the four canonical texts of Hinduism, the Vedas, composed between 1,400 and 1000 BCE, estimatedly.

There are two primary versions or samhitas, collections, of the Yajurveda: Shukla (white) and Krishna (which can mean black and also dark brown). Both collections contain the verses necessary for rituals. The Black Yajur Veda is also called Taittiriya Samhita. Samhita, or sanhita, means collection.

Based on the translation by Arthur Berriedale Keith from 1914, here are lightly modernised highlights.

Kanda 1

Prapathaka 1

1.1.1

Food gives strength.

Try to get full of strength through milk.

Let no thief and evil worker have control over you.

Protect your cattle well.

1.1.2

You are impelled by (old) gods.

Divine straw, rise with a hundred shoots.

1.1.5

There is a filter that has no flaw.

Let the rays of the bright sun purify you.

May we be victorious in contest.

1.1.7

Make expiration firm, make inspiration firm.

1.1.9

You are broad, and wealthy are you.

1.1.10

As wife with my husband I am united. / United be my spirit with my body.

1.1.13

With elevation he has lifted me up.

Guard me from bondage, from evil food, from ill deed.

1.1.14

May Pusan further our every prayer.

Pusan or Pushan, a "prosperer", that is, a Vedic deity who causes people to thrive. The name is said to derive from the verb 'pusyati', 'to cause to thrive'. Pushan is praised in eight hymns in the Rig Veda, where he is a guardian of flocks and herds. His chariot is pulled by goats. He is a Vedic solar deity, the nourishing facet of the sun god, the god of meeting, responsible for marriages, journeys, roads, and the feeding of cattle. He protects men from being exploited by other men, leading his adherents towards rich pastures. His bounty is often mentioned.

Prapathaka 2

1.2.2

Every man prays for wealth, let him choose glory that he may prosper.

1.2.3

Let us rejoice in fullness of wealth, in sustenance.

1.2.4

I have mounted the eye of the sun.

The ancient yoga talks of a pranic eye between the eyebrows and calls it the third eye etc. To this day methods are handed over for seeing it (jyoti mudra).


1.2.5

May I not be separated from abundance of wealth.

1.2.7

With us be the gold.

1.2.8

He has placed strength in horses, milk in kine; has set skill in the heart.

Not only horses are strong, not only cows produce milk; in fact, all kinds of mammal mothers do: rabbits, goats, sheep, horses, females, and so on. There is no reason to get "culturally limited" of outlook.


1.2.9

Let not the evil-working wolves (find) you.

Who are the howling and preying and blood-thirsty wolves? You know someone who takes to yelling and heeds lamb's blood very much? She might tell, or maybe not -

We have reached the path which leads to bliss, without a foe, whereby a man defeats all his foes and wins wealth.

1.2.11

Make your comrades to swell with wealth and skill; with good fortune
I have driven away harsh speech, I have driven away angry speech.

1.2.14

Under your leadership, let us gain strength; fulfil both our desires, truthful one;

All things does Agni reveal by his might.

Prapathaka 3

1.3.1

May these our songs . . . be dear delights.

1.3.7

Anointed with ghee, produce a male.

Prapathaka 4

1.4.44

With glory, with milk, with ourselves, are we united, with auspicious hearts.

The sage by the sage, the good by the good, the comrade by the comrade, are kindled.


Prapathaka 5

1.5.10

The very vigorous, all-conquering,
Powerful, the best,
bestow on me good fortune.


Prapathaka 6

1.6.1

For splendour I take you.

1.6.2

May I be secure among my equals, wise.
May we live long with good children
Of the seasons spring I delight; summer I delight, the autumn I delight; the winter and the cool I delight.
May I have good sight. [q]
May I be undeceived.
May I attain superiority and greatness, enjoying long life.

1.6.3

You are joy, give joy to us.
Protect my expiration and inspiration and cross-breathing.

1.6.4

May we milk offspring and food.

1.6.5

Real, be real for me.

1.6.6

The best of rays are life-bestowing.
I have been united with the light.
Go for deep based, enduring wealth. [Mod]

Prapathaka 8

1.8.6

Make us prosperous, increase our wealth, make us rich in cattle, embolden us.

1.8.13

To earth hail! To atmosphere hail! To sky hail! To the sun hail! To the moon hail! To the waters hail! To plants hail! To trees hail! To moving creatures hail!

1.8.16

Good fame! prosperity! true rule! Hail!

1.8.22

Grant riches to the generous giver.
Prevail over those who sacrifice not.
Drive away the evil spirit.
Loosen and remove the evil we have done, and that is bound within our bodies.

~ೞ⬯ೞ~

Kanda 2

Prapathaka 1

2.1.11

May I attain the light without fear.

Prapathaka 2

2.2.8

Indra goes straight forward.

2.2.10

"Too much splendour is produced", they say, "he is liable to become a leper." :)

2.3.9

May I be a gainer of wealth; secure among my equals.
The women of one mind, may they love me with their hearts; make them of one mind with me.

2.3.14

Accept gladly our songs,
Of good protection, of good help be you.

Prapathaka 4

2.4.1

He who has foes should in conflict offer a cake to Agni the overcomer.

2.4.12

Vritra enveloped these worlds. Indra feared him. Tvastri dipped his bolt for him; the bolt was fervour; he could not restrain it.
Vritra is the belly; hunger is man's enemy; he who knows this, slays the enemy hunger.

~ೞ⬯ೞ~

Kanda 3

Prapathaka 1

3.1.9

May he, the purifier, grant us wealth.
May the sacrifice be harmless for plants, for our cattle, for our folk; for all creatures.

Prapathaka 3

3.4.8

(Words) he offers . . . should be offered in inverse order by one who is practising witchcraft.

3.4.10

Health be you for our bipeds, health for our quadrupeds. May we be comrades, effectual, joyful, and proceeding well.

Prapathaka 5

3.5.4

We have come, noble ones, to the share of the nights that are yours,
Between sky and earth.

3.5.5

May Surya, the god, protect me from the gods.

~ೞ⬯ೞ~

Kanda 4

Prapathaka 1

4.1.4

Come here, for enjoyment.

4.1.9

Let every man choose right companionship, wealth; glory that he may prosper; what is firm and enduring.

Prapathaka 2

4.2.6

The plants I celebrate
Sage is the physician called.
Plants, remove whatever is unwell.
Let one of you aid another,
Let one be of assistance to another;
All the plants in unison

Prapathaka 3

4.3.3

The east; the spring of the seasons with wealth of holiness; the calf; and the east wind.
The south; the summer with kingly power of wealth; and the south wind.
The west; the rains, the peasant wealth; and the west wind.
The north; the autumn; with prosperity as its wealth; and the north wind.
The zenith; the winter and the cool season; wealth in the form of radiance; the strength of the draught ox.

4.3.12

Favour us in kindliness,
(You are) the course metre; the space metre; the health-bringing metre; the overpowering metre; the covering metre; the mind metre; the expanse metre; the river metre; the sea metre; the water metre; the uniting metre; the separating metre; the Brihat metre; the Rathantara metre; the collecting metre; the parting metre; the voices metre; the radiant metre; the Sastubh metre; the Anustubh metre; the Kakubh metre; the Trikakubh metre; the poetic metre; the water metre; the Padapankti metre, the Aksarapahkti metre, the Vistarapankti metre: the razor- with-strop metre; the enveloping metre; the side metre; the course metre; the space metre; the strength metre; the maker of strength metre; the expansive metre; the conflict metre; the covering metre; the difficult of access metre; the slow metre; the Ankanka metre.

Prapathaka 4

4.4.5

The over-sky atmosphere penetrated by holy power - And the sky, penetrated by ambrosia, the unconquered; may it be my protection and my refuge.

4.4.6

Let Prajapati place you on the ridge of the sky, full of light, for every expiration, inspiration; support all the light, the supreme lord is your overlord.


Prapathaka 5

4.5.7

Homage to him of the sharp arrow, and to him of the weapon.
Homage to him of the cloud, and to him of the lightning.
Homage to him of the cloudy sky, and homage to him of the wind, and to him of the storm.
Homage to him of the dwelling, and to him who guards the dwelling.

4.5.8

Homage to the auspicious, and to the more auspicious.
Homage to him beyond, and to him on this side.
Homage to him in the tender grass, and to him in the stream.
Homage to him who dwells in the cowshed, and to him of the house.
Homage to him of the grass.


Prapathaka 7

4.7.13

Lord of the good, the wise;
Of a thousand shapes, shine unwearying,
Radiant in the middle of the ocean;
Make our wealth increase.

4.7.14

I have been made sky reaching.

~ೞ⬯ೞ~

Kanda 5

Prapathaka 1

5.1.5

Vayu is breath.

Prapathaka 4

The Piling of the Fire Altar (continued)

5.4.5

The sacrificer delights the gods who eat and those who do not eat . . . the sacrificer. :)

Prapathaka 5

5.5.8

He finds support in the seasons - and brilliance; he reverences with the heart.

Prapathaka 7

Indra is yonder sun.

5.7.7

What has flowed from purpose, or heart,
Or what is gathered from mind or sight,
Follow to the world of good deed.

Know him in the highest firmament.
Get the streams of honey, the streams that do not fail.

5.7.19

Joy with the delighter.

~ೞ⬯ೞ~

Kanda 6

Prapathaka 1

6.1.7

"Indra the guardian!"

Prapathaka 2

6.2.9

The dwelling is the house; (verily it serves) for atonement.

Prapathaka 5

6.5.5

Sukra is brilliance, and bestows brilliance.

Prapathaka 6

6.6.1

Go on by the path of brilliant gifts.

~ೞ⬯ೞ~

Kanda 7

Prapathaka 1

7.1.5

This was in the beginning the waters, the ocean. In it Prajapati becoming the wind moved.

Prapathaka 4

7.4.4

Prajapati went to the world of heaven. But with whatever metre the gods yoked him, they did not achieve him.

7.4.17

Let the healing wind blow on our cows,
Let them drink waters full of life.

7.4.18

(They call) the Brahman the highest realm of speech.

Prapathaka 5

7.6.16

I take you dear to Prajapati. The sky is the greatness, the sun the splendour.

Black Yajur Veda Living, based on the translation by Arthur Berriedale Keith, Literature  

Keith, Arthur Berriedale, tr: The Veda of the Black Yajus School: Entitled Taittiriya Sanhita. Vols. 1 and 2. Cambridge MA: The Harvard University Press, 1914.

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