The ritual explanation of the White Yajurveda is to be found in extraordinary fulness in the Çatapatha Brahmana., the "Brahmana of the Hundred Paths," so called because it consists of one hundred lectures (adhyaya). This work is, next to the Rigveda, the most important production in the whole range of Vedic literature. Its text has come down in two recensions, those of the Madhyamdina school, edited by Professor Weber, and of the Kanva school, which is in process of being edited by Professor Eggeling. The Madhyamdina recension consists of fourteen books, while the Kanva has seventeen. The first nine of the former, corresponding to the original eighteen books of the Vajasaneyi Samhita, doubtless form the oldest part. The fact that Book XII. is called madhyama, or "middle one," shows that the last five books (or possibly only X.-XIII.) were at one time regarded as a separate part of the Brahmana. Book X. treats of the mystery of the fire-altar (agnirahasya), XI. is a sort of recapitulation of the preceding ritual, while XII. and XIII. deal with various supplementary matters. The last book forms the Aranyaka, the six concluding chapters of which are the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.
Books VI.-X. of the Çatapatha Brahmana occupy a peculiar position. Treating of the construction of the fire-altar, they recognise the teaching of Çandilya as their highest authority, Yajnavalkya not even being mentioned; while the peoples who are named, the Gandharas, Salvas, Kekayas, belong to the north-west. In the other books Yajnavalkya is the highest authority, while hardly any but Eastern peoples, or those of the middle of Hindustan, the Kuru-Panchalas, Kosalas, Videhas, Srinjayas, are named. That the original authorship of the five Çandilya books was different from that of the others is indicated by a number of linguistic differences, which the hand of a later editor failed to remove. Thus the use of the perfect as a narrative tense is unknown to the Çandilya books (as well as to XIII.).
The geographical data of the Çatapatha Brahmana point to the land of the Kuru-Panchalas being still the centre of Brahmanical culture. Janamejaya is here celebrated as a king of the Kurus, and the most renowned Brahmanical teacher of the age, Aruni, is expressly stated to have been a Panchala. Nevertheless, it is clear that the Brahmanical system had by this time spread to the countries to the east of Madhyadeça, to Kosala, with its capital, Ayodhya (Oudh), and Videha (Tirhut or Northern Behar), with its capital, Mithila. The court of King Janaka of Videha was thronged with Brahmans from the Kuru-Panchala country. The tournaments of argument which were here held form a prominent feature in the later books of the Çatapatha Brahmana. The hero of these is Yajnavalkya, who, himself a pupil of Aruni, is regarded as the chief spiritual authority in the Brahmana (excepting Books VI.-X.). Certain passages of the Brahmana render it highly probable that Yajnavalkya was a native of Videha. The fact that its leading authority, who thus appears to have belonged to this Eastern country, is represented as vanquishing the most distinguished teachers of the West in argument, points to the redaction of the White Yajurveda having taken place in this eastern region.