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All Hindu scriptures, except the Darshanas and the Tantras, can be placed within two categories: the Vedas and the Smritis. Broadly, the Smritis can be subdivided into three sub-categories:
1. Law Books
2. Puranas 3. Epics (called Itihasas)
The Law Books include the law codes of Hinduism. The most important Law Book is Manu Smriti written by Manu, the first lawgiver.
The deeper truths of the scriptures of Hinduism are quite difficult and abstruse. Thus, they are difficult to understand by the common man. The sages created a special type of religious literature, called the Puranas, in order to present them in an interesting and easily understandable manner. In the Puranas, the scriptural teachings are presented through stories and parables.
Itihasas include the two great epics, The Ramayana and The Mahabharata, which were composed by the sages Valmiki and Vyasa respectively. These two epics contain many scriptural teachings side by side with the stories of the various Aryan clans and dynasties.
For more details on the Smritis, readers and humbly invited to read my blog Introduction to Hindu Scriptures - Part 3.
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