Within the Śukla Yajurveda tradition, the Vājasaneyī Saṁhitā stands as the foundational Saṁhitā, the core collection of mantras and ritual formulas that defines the identity and practice of this school. It serves as the principal textual source for sacrificial rites, providing the sacred verses (yajus) that the Adhvaryu priest recites in the course of Vedic ceremonies. In this sense, it functions as the living liturgical heart of the tradition, shaping both the sound and structure of the sacrificial act. Its authority extends from simple daily offerings to the most elaborate public and royal sacrifices, where precise verbal formulation is indispensable.

A distinctive feature of the Vājasaneyī Saṁhitā is its clear and systematic arrangement of mantras, which are presented without the interwoven explanatory prose that characterizes the Kṛṣṇa (Black) Yajurveda. This separation of mantra and exegesis gives the Śukla (White) Yajurveda its “white” or “pure” designation, reflecting a textual clarity that supports careful ritual performance. The Brāhmaṇa-style explanations are preserved in separate works, most notably the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, which builds upon the mantra-collection of the Saṁhitā rather than being fused with it. In this way, the text offers a structured liturgical sequence while leaving theological and ritual interpretation to associated, but distinct, layers of tradition.

The Vājasaneyī Saṁhitā also underlies the scholastic and ritual lineages of the Śukla Yajurveda, forming the basis for later developments within this Vedic stream. It exists in two principal recensions, the Kāṇva and the Mādhyandina, each regarded as authoritative within its respective school, yet both grounded in the same essential body of sacrificial mantras. Through these recensions, the text not only preserves a shared ritual core but also sustains subtle variations in recitation and transmission that enrich the living heritage of the tradition. As such, the Vājasaneyī Saṁhitā may be seen as both a precise ritual manual and a spiritual axis around which the Śukla Yajurveda’s practice, interpretation, and continuity revolve.