### SB 3.12.39

> इतिहासपुराणानि पञ्चमं वेदमीश्वरः ।\
> सर्वेभ्य एव वक्त्रेभ्यः ससृजे सर्वदर्शनः ॥३९॥

> itihāsa-purāṇāni\
> pañcamaṁ vedam īśvaraḥ\
> sarvebhya eva vaktrebhyaḥ\
> sasṛje sarva-darśanaḥ

*itihāsa*—histories; *purāṇāni*—the *Purāṇas* (supplementary *Vedas*); *pañcamam*—the fifth; *vedam*—the Vedic literature; *īśvaraḥ*—the Lord; *sarvebhyaḥ*—all together; *eva*—certainly; *vaktrebhyaḥ*—from his mouths; *sasṛje*—created; *sarva*—all around; *darśanaḥ*—one who can see all time.

**Then he created the fifth Veda—the Purāṇas and the histories—from all his mouths, since he could see all the past, present and future.**

There are histories of particular countries and nations and of the world, but the *Purāṇas* are the histories of the universe, not only in one millennium, but in many *kalpas.* Brahmā has knowledge of those historical facts, and therefore all the *purāṇas* are histories. As originally composed by Brahmā, they are part of the *Vedas* and are called the fifth *Veda.*