Book Review - The Yajurveda by Naveen Goyal
The Vedas have enticed Indian (and foreign) minds since a long time. These timeless scripts of wisdom are considered as the first spiritual texts in the history of literature. Yajurveda by Naveen Goyal gives a concise insight into this branch of Vedas. Often considered to be a treatise on rituals, the Yajurveda digs far deeper. In the words of the author, 'it is a record of a profound psychological and civilizational shift. It tells the story of how our ancestors stopped being passive observers of nature and decided to become active participants in the cosmic order'. The author has beautifully narrated the various aspects of Yajurveda. There are four Vedas in all. If Rigveda is poetry, Samaveda is song and Atharvaveda is protection, then Yajurveda is the action. It roughly translates to 'knowledge of rituals'. In this book, we learn about the Adhvaryu, the priest who looks after the construction of the altar for a yajna. We learn about the sacrificial ceremony, the man...