Hindu Scriptures Explained: Shruti, Smriti and How the Texts Fit Together

Quick answer: Hindu scriptures fall into two main groups. Shruti ("what is heard") is the four Vedas, including their Upanishads, which Hindus regard as revealed and the highest authority. Smriti ("what is remembered") covers texts that explain and apply the Vedas: the Ramayana and Mahabharata (with the Bhagavad Gita), the Puranas, the Dharmashastras and more. The Agamas guide temple worship.

Hinduism has no single holy book. Instead it has a library built up over many centuries, in Sanskrit and in the regional languages. This guide gives you a map of that library: which texts belong where, why some carry more authority than others, and where a beginner can start.

Hindu Scriptures at a Glance

What Is Shruti?

Shruti means "that which is heard". Hindu tradition holds that the Vedas were not composed by any person. The rishis (seers) "heard" or "saw" them in deep meditation and passed them on by memory, teacher to student, with great care for every syllable. For this reason the Vedas are called apaurusheya, "not of human origin".

The Manusmriti (2.10) gives the classic definition: Shruti is the Veda, and Smriti is the Dharmashastra.

The four Vedas

• Rigveda: hymns of praise to the deities, in ten books (mandalas).
• Yajurveda: formulas and instructions for the fire ritual, in two main branches, Shukla (White) and Krishna (Black).
• Samaveda: verses, mostly drawn from the Rigveda, set to melody for chanting.
• Atharvaveda: prayers and hymns for daily life, protection, healing and philosophy.

For a fuller guide, see The Four Vedas Explained.

The four layers of each Veda

Each Veda has four kinds of text:

1. Samhitas: the collections of hymns and mantras.
2. Brahmanas: prose explanations of the rituals.
3. Aranyakas: "forest books" that reflect on the meaning of ritual.
4. Upanishads: philosophical teachings on Brahman and the Self.

The Upanishads come at the end of the Vedas, so their teaching is called Vedanta, "the end of the Veda". Tradition counts 108 Upanishads; ten to thirteen of them are called principal. See What Are the 108 Upanishads?

When were the Vedas composed?

Tradition regards the Vedas as eternal, revealed at the beginning of each cycle of creation and arranged into four by Veda Vyasa. Historians date the oldest layer, the Rigveda, to roughly the second half of the second millennium BCE, with the later layers and the principal Upanishads following over several centuries. Both views are held in good faith, and this site gives both.

What Is Smriti?

Smriti means "that which is remembered". These texts were composed by sages, in human language and memory, to explain the Vedas and apply them to life. There are several main kinds.

Itihasa: the two epics

• Ramayana, composed by Valmiki: the life of Rama, in seven kandas. Tradition gives its length as 24,000 verses. See the Valmiki Ramayana guide.
• Mahabharata, attributed to Vyasa: the story of the Kuru family and the Kurukshetra war, in 18 parvas. Tradition gives its length as 100,000 verses; the critical edition is shorter.

Itihasa means "so indeed it was". The epics carry dharma through story, which is why most Hindus first learn their religion from them.

The Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita, 700 verses in 18 chapters, sits inside the Mahabharata's Bhishma Parva. Strictly it is Smriti, but tradition honours it almost as Shruti and often calls it the Gitopanishad. See the Bhagavad Gita complete guide.

The Puranas

The Puranas ("ancient lore") tell of creation, the deities, the avatars, the dynasties of kings and the ages of the world. Tradition counts 18 Mahapuranas, among them the Vishnu, Shiva, Bhagavata, Markandeya and Garuda Puranas, plus many Upapuranas (secondary Puranas). See The Puranas: Complete Guide and Srimad Bhagavatam: The 12 Skandhas.

Dharmashastras and Dharmasutras

These texts set out dharma for personal, family and social life: daily duties, the samskaras, the stages of life, law and penance. They include the Dharmasutras of Apastamba, Gautama, Baudhayana and Vasishtha, and the verse Smritis of Manu, Yajnavalkya and Parashara. Hindus have long read them selectively and alongside local custom, and many of their social rules are no longer followed today.

The Vedangas

The six Vedangas ("limbs of the Veda") are the sciences needed to preserve and use the Vedas: Shiksha (phonetics), Chandas (metre), Vyakarana (grammar), Nirukta (etymology), Jyotisha (astronomy and the calendar) and Kalpa (ritual). The Upavedas are four applied sciences linked to the Vedas: Ayurveda (medicine), Dhanurveda (archery and warfare), Gandharvaveda (music and the arts) and Sthapatyaveda (architecture). Sources pair them with the Vedas in different ways.

What Are the Agamas?

The Agamas ("what has come down") are the scriptures of temple worship. They describe how to build a temple, consecrate a murti, perform daily worship and celebrate festivals, and they also teach philosophy and meditation.

• Shaiva Agamas: the Shaiva Siddhanta tradition counts 28. They guide worship in most Shiva temples of South India.
• Vaishnava Agamas: the Pancharatra and Vaikhanasa texts. Tirumala, for example, follows the Vaikhanasa Agama.
• Shakta Tantras: texts of Devi worship.

For most temple-goers, the Agamas shape what they actually see in a temple far more than the Vedas do. See Shaiva, Vaishnava, Shakta and Smarta: The Main Traditions.

The Philosophical Sutras and the Prasthana Traya

Each of the six schools of philosophy has a root text, usually in short aphorisms (sutras): the Nyaya Sutras, the Vaisheshika Sutras, the Samkhya Karika, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Jaimini's Mimamsa Sutras and Badarayana's Brahma Sutras. See Six Schools of Hindu Philosophy.

Vedanta rests on three texts together, called the Prasthana Traya ("three starting points"):

1. the Upanishads (the Shruti foundation);
2. the Bhagavad Gita (the Smriti foundation);
3. the Brahma Sutras (the reasoned foundation).

Every great Vedanta teacher, including Shankara, Ramanuja and Madhva, wrote commentaries on them. See Advaita, Vishishtadvaita and Dvaita Explained.

Scriptures in the Languages of India

Much of the scripture that Hindus pray with every day is not in Sanskrit:

• Tamil: the Tevaram and Tiruvachakam of the Shaiva Nayanars, and the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the 4,000 verses of the Vaishnava Alvars, which Sri Vaishnavas honour as the "Tamil Veda".
• Hindi (Awadhi): Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas.
• Marathi: Jnaneshwar's Jnaneshwari, a verse commentary on the Gita.
• Telugu: Pothana's Andhra Maha Bhagavatamu and the songs of Annamacharya and Tyagaraja.

Each tradition gives its own texts a scriptural status, and they are recited in temples alongside the Sanskrit texts.

How Do the Texts Fit Together?

Traditional teachers ranked the sources of dharma. The Manusmriti (2.12) lists four: the Veda, the Smriti, the conduct of good people (sadachara) and what satisfies one's own conscience. The Mimamsa school set the rule that where a Smriti text conflicts with Shruti, Shruti prevails.

In practice it works like this:

• Shruti gives the foundation: the nature of Brahman, the Self and dharma.
• Smriti explains and applies it, through story, law and devotion.
• Agamas guide worship in temples.
• Your sampradaya (teaching lineage) and family custom decide which texts you read most and how you interpret them.

Where Should a Beginner Start?

1. The Bhagavad Gita, with a trusted translation and commentary.
2. A retelling of the Ramayana and Mahabharata, then the epics themselves.
3. A few principal Upanishads, such as the Isha, Katha and Mundaka, with a teacher or a good commentary.
4. Your family's own texts: the stotras, the regional hymns and the Purana your family loves.

Read slowly. The tradition values understanding and practice over the number of pages read.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the holy book of Hinduism?

Hinduism has no single holy book. The Vedas are the highest authority, and the Bhagavad Gita is the most widely read single text. Many families also treat the Ramayana, a Purana or a regional hymn collection as their everyday scripture.

What is the difference between Shruti and Smriti?

Shruti ("heard") is the revealed Veda, including the Upanishads, and is regarded as without human author. Smriti ("remembered") is composed by sages to explain and apply the Veda. Where they appear to conflict, traditional teachers give Shruti priority.

Is the Bhagavad Gita Shruti or Smriti?

Strictly, Smriti, because it is part of the Mahabharata. In practice it is honoured almost as Shruti and is one of the three foundational texts of Vedanta.

Are the Puranas scripture?

Yes, they are Smriti. They teach dharma and devotion through stories of the deities and avatars. Different traditions give different Puranas more weight.

What are the Agamas?

Scriptures of temple worship: how temples are built and consecrated and how worship is performed. There are Shaiva, Vaishnava and Shakta Agamas.

How many Hindu scriptures are there?

No fixed number. There are four Vedas, about 108 Upanishads in the traditional list, 18 Mahapuranas, two epics, many Dharmashastras and Agamas, and a large body of regional devotional literature.

Who wrote the Vedas?

Tradition holds that no human wrote them. They were revealed to the rishis and arranged into four by Veda Vyasa. Historians see them as composed by many poet-seers over several centuries.

Can anyone read Hindu scriptures?

The Gita, the epics, the Puranas and translations of the Upanishads are read by people of every background, in India and abroad. Vedic chanting itself is traditionally learned from a teacher in an unbroken line.

Related Reading on HinduTone

• What Is Sanatana Dharma? A Complete Beginner's Guide
• The Four Vedas Explained
• What Are the 108 Upanishads?
• Six Schools of Hindu Philosophy
• Sacred Texts Compared: Vedas, Bible, Quran and More

Sources

1. Manusmriti 2.10 and 2.12 (Shruti and Smriti; the sources of dharma), in Patrick Olivelle, Manu's Code of Law: A Critical Edition and Translation of the Manava-Dharmasastra, Oxford University Press, 2005.
2. Vedic Heritage Portal (Government of India), Introduction: vedicheritage.gov.in/introduction/
3. Gavin Flood, An Introduction to Hinduism, Cambridge University Press, 1996 (chapters on the Veda, the epics and Puranas, and the Agamas and Tantras).

Last reviewed: 12 November 2026.