Christians have The Bible, Muslims have the Koran but Hindus have many holy books. These books fall into two groups:shruti and smriti.

Shruti are very important, they are the words given by Brahman to the holy people exactly as they are. These are in Sanskrit and read in the temple or mandir in Sanskrit but because many Hindus cannot understand them they are often read out again in a language that they can understand. Some of the books that make up the shruti are the Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajour Veda and Atharva Veda. The word Veda means knowledge and these four books are supposed to teach the truth which leads to God. These books are often kept in glass cases.

Smriti books are stories which have been passed down from generation to generation. So long as the message stays the same it does not matter if some of the wording is changed. Some of the books which make up the smriti are: the Ramayana, the Puranas, the Mahabarata and the Law.