Hindu Sacred texts can be divided into four large categories.

1.Shruti texts are those which were �heard� or �seen� (through intuition) by rishis and sages. These writings are not authored by humans but eternal truths that became know thought meditation and insight. Shruti texts include the four Vedas, the Brahmanas, Aranyakas, and the Upanishads. The earliest of the Vedas is the Rg Veda, followed by the Sama and Yujur Vedas. The final Veda, the Atharva Veda, is a text of spells an incantations for use by laypersons. Brahmanas are texts detailing rituals. The Aranyakas form a transition point between the Brahmanas and the Upanishads. The writings of the Upanishads are best known for their profound philosophical content. Many of these writing focused on rituals, sacrifice, and how to perform such religious rites correctly. These writings are the oldest of the Hindu sacred texts.

2. Smrti texts are those authored by humans. Often these are commentaries and expansions of the shruti texts that are divinely authored. An example of these texts are the Hindu Dharmashastras, writings on sacred duty an obligations.

3. The third class of writings are the Itihasa-Puranas (�stories of old, ancient times�) , which include histories, legends and mythology. The great Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, belong to this category. The famous texts, the Bhagavad Gita or Song of the Lord is a section of the much larger Mahabharata. There are 18 major Puranas which concentrate of theism (devotion to Gods and Goddesses) and tales of creation/cosmology. Often the texts are called the fifth Veda. The writing of the Itihasa-Puranas are said to be accessible to all of society, especially the common people who may not understand or have time to study more complex texts like the Upanishads. Many of the Puranic writings were originally oral tradition prose that was authored by court bards.

4. Sectarian literature is the fourth category. These writings are specific to one of the major or minor Hindu sects such as Vaishnava, Shaiva, or Shakta. Usually these texts can be divided into the Vaishnava Samhitas, the Saiva Agamas, and the Shakta Tantras. This category of literature includes handbooks for priests, writings on how to construct temples, and how to worship deities. These writings were less concerned with orthodoxy as well.

Other sacred Hindu writings which may not fall into these broad categories include bhakti poetry (much of which is centered on the beloved Deity Krishna) and literature from the modern Hindu �renaissance� which came about as a response to British colonization of India.

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