Within Hindu scripture, there are two main categories: shruti and smriti. Shruti means divinely-inspired, ultimate authority. Smriti are also very influential as well, but the translation means "remembered", whereas shruti means "heard" [from a Divine Source]. The Vedas are the primary shruti within the orthodox schools, while smriti tends to be consistent philosophically with Vedic thought: the great epics (the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata containing the essential Bhagavad Gita), the Puranas, and the Dharma Shastras.45
