How Many Upanishads Are There in Yajurveda?

The One-Line Answer

The Yajurveda contains a total of 51 Upanishads — 19 in the Shukla (White) Yajurveda and 32 in the Krishna (Black) Yajurveda — according to the Muktika canon of 108 Upanishads .

In one line: White Yajurveda has 19; Black Yajurveda has 32.

Key points:

• The Yajurveda has two main recensions: Shukla (White) and Krishna (Black)
• Shukla Yajurveda contains 19 Upanishads, including Isha and Brihadaranyaka
• Krishna Yajurveda contains 32 Upanishads, including Katha, Taittiriya, and Shvetashvatara
• The principal (Mukhya) Upanishads from Yajurveda are Isha, Brihadaranyaka, Katha, Taittiriya, and Shvetashvatara

---

The Two Recensions of Yajurveda

The Yajurveda is divided into two major recensions .

Recension	Meaning	Number of Upanishads	Key Upanishads
Shukla Yajurveda	White (well-arranged)	19	Isha, Brihadaranyaka
Krishna Yajurveda	Black (un-arranged, motley collection)	32	Katha, Taittiriya, Shvetashvatara

The term “white” implies the verses are well-arranged, while “black” implies a more mixed or un-arranged collection .

---

The 19 Upanishads of Shukla Yajurveda

According to the Muktika canon, the 19 Upanishads belonging to the Shukla Yajurveda are :

#	Upanishad	#	Upanishad
1	Ishavasya (Isa)*	11	Advayataraka
2	Brihadaranyaka*	12	Paingala
3	Jabala	13	Bhikshuka
4	Hamsa	14	Turiyatita
5	Paramahamsa	15	Adhyatma
6	Subala	16	Yajnavalkya
7	Mantrika	17	Satyayani
8	Niralamba	18	Tarasara
9	Trisikhibrahmana	19	Muktika
10	Mandalabrahmana

*The principal (Mukhya) Upanishads are marked with an asterisk .

---

The 32 Upanishads of Krishna Yajurveda

The 32 Upanishads belonging to the Krishna Yajurveda are :

#	Upanishad	#	Upanishad
1	Katha*	17	Yogatattva
2	Taittiriya*	18	Dakshinamurti
3	Brahma	19	Skanda
4	Kaivalya	20	Sariraka
5	Shvetashvatara*	21	Yogasikha
6	Garbha	22	Ekakshara
7	Narayana	23	Akshi
8	Amritabindu	24	Avadhuta
9	Amritanada	25	Katharudra
10	Kalagnirudra	26	Rudrahridaya
11	Kshurika	27	Yogakundalini
12	Sarvasara	28	Panchabrahma
13	Sukarahasya	29	Pranagnihotra
14	Tejobindu	30	Varaha
15	Dhyanabindu	31	Kalisantarana
16	Brahmavidya	32	Sarasvatirahasya

*The principal (Mukhya) Upanishads are marked with an asterisk .

---

Principal Upanishads from Yajurveda

Among the 51 total Upanishads, five are considered principal (Mukhya) Upanishads :

Upanishad	Yajurveda Recension	Key Teaching
Isha (Isa)	Shukla	“All this is enveloped by the Lord”
Brihadaranyaka	Shukla	“Aham Brahmasmi” (I am Brahman)
Katha	Krishna	Nachiketa and Yama; chariot analogy; immortal Self
Taittiriya	Krishna	Five sheaths (Pancha Kosha); “Satyam Jnanam Anantam Brahma”
Shvetashvatara	Krishna	Bhakti; personal God (Rudra-Shiva)

---

Comparison with Other Vedas

According to the Muktika canon, the distribution of Upanishads across all four Vedas is :

Veda	Number of Upanishads
Rig Veda	10
Shukla Yajurveda	19
Krishna Yajurveda	32
Sama Veda	16
Atharva Veda	31
Total	108

---

Traditional vs. Muktika Canon

The traditional view holds that each of the 1,180 Shakhas (branches) of the Vedas originally had its own Upanishad . However, most of these have been lost over time. Today, the Muktika Upanishad (itself one of the 108) lists the surviving 108 Upanishads, which are accepted as the authoritative canon .

---

Common Questions

How many Upanishads are in Yajurveda?
A total of 51 — 19 in Shukla Yajurveda and 32 in Krishna Yajurveda.

What are the main Upanishads of Yajurveda?
Isha, Brihadaranyaka (Shukla); Katha, Taittiriya, Shvetashvatara (Krishna).

Which is the oldest Upanishad in Yajurveda?
The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad is one of the oldest Upanishads overall, dated to approximately 700-500 BCE.

Are all 51 Upanishads equally important?
No. The five principal Upanishads (Isha, Brihadaranyaka, Katha, Taittiriya, Shvetashvatara) are the most studied and commented upon by great acharyas like Shankara, Ramanuja, and Madhva.

---

One-Line Summary

The Yajurveda contains 51 Upanishads total — 19 in the Shukla (White) Yajurveda (including Isha and Brihadaranyaka) and 32 in the Krishna (Black) Yajurveda (including Katha, Taittiriya, and Shvetashvatara) — according to the Muktika canon of 108 Upanishads .

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.