Shatapatha.
("Hundred-Path") is a Sanskrit word
that means "one hundred path." Brahmana Along with the Aiteraya
Brahmana, it is considered one of the two most significant books in the
Brahmana branch of traditional Vedic literature.
The Brahmanas were mostly instruction books for performing
Vedic ceremonial sacrifices correctly.
In principle, each Brahmana was linked to one of the Vedas,
giving them Vedic legitimacy, although their scope and substance differed
significantly from the Vedas.
According to legend, the Shatapatha Brahmana was associated
with the Yajur Veda's "white" recension, a variant version of the
book in which the explanatory notes associated with the Vedic mantras were
gathered in a separate appendix.
In the "Black" Yajur Veda, on the other hand,
these annotations are included into the text's body.
The Shatapatha Brahmana comprises a broad range of books,
one of which being the Isha Upanishad, in addition to offering instructions on
the conduct of rites.
The upanishad's inclusion in a Brahmana book demonstrates
that, rather than distinct "periods," there was extensive overlap in
the dates of writing of different Vedic literary genres.
