Within the Yajurvedic tradition, the fourfold division into Saṁhitā, Brāhmaṇa, Āraṇyaka, and Upaniṣad appears in two distinct structural patterns, corresponding to the Śukla (White) and Kṛṣṇa (Black) recensions. The White Yajurveda presents a relatively clear separation of these layers, whereas the Black Yajurveda tends to weave them together. This difference in organization reflects two complementary ways of holding ritual and insight: one that distinguishes mantra from explanation, and another that lets them flow into one another within a single textual body.

In the Śukla Yajurveda, the Saṁhitā is represented by the Vājasaneyī Saṁhitā, which consists of mantras used in sacrifice, arranged in an orderly fashion and kept largely free of explanatory prose. The ritual exegesis and symbolism are gathered separately in the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, an extensive prose work closely linked to this Saṁhitā. Within the Śatapatha, certain later portions take on the character of Āraṇyaka material, moving from detailed ritual prescription toward more inward, contemplative reflection. From this same stream arise the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, embedded in the later sections of the Śatapatha, and the Īśā Upaniṣad, which appears as the final chapter of the Vājasaneyī Saṁhitā. Thus, in the White tradition, the ritual mantras, their prose exposition, the forest teachings, and the philosophical dialogues are present as distinguishable yet organically related strata.

The Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda, by contrast, embodies a more interwoven structure. Its principal Saṁhitās, such as the Taittirīya Saṁhitā, contain both mantra and brāhmaṇa-like prose within a single continuous text, so that the functions of Saṁhitā and Brāhmaṇa are not sharply divided. Alongside this, related Brāhmaṇa texts like the Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa further elaborate ritual and theology, while the Taittirīya Āraṇyaka preserves teachings meant for more secluded practice and reflection. From within this Black Yajurveda milieu emerge the Taittirīya, Kaṭha, and Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣads, associated with the Saṁhitā–Āraṇyaka complex of the Taittirīya and Kaṭha schools. In this way, the Kṛṣṇa recension also embodies the full Vedic spectrum—mantra, ritual exposition, forest teaching, and philosophical inquiry—yet does so by blending them, allowing ritual word and reflective meaning to remain closely entwined.