472 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 3, Ch. 12

PURPORT

The Vedas contain perfect knowledge, which includes all kinds of knowl-
edge necessary for human society, not only on this particular planet but on
other planets as well. It is understood that military art is also necessary
knowledge for the upkeep of social order, as is the art of music. All these
groups of knowledge are called the Upapurana, or supplements of the
Vedas. Spiritual knowledge is the main topic of the Vedas, but to help the
human being’s spiritual pursuit of knowledge, the other information, as
above mentioned, forms necessary branches of the Vedic knowledge.

TEXT 39

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itihasa-puranani
paiicamam vedam isvarah
sarvebhya eva vaktrebhyah
sasrje sarva-darsanah

itihdsa—histories; puranani—the Puranas (supplementary Vedas);
paiicamam—the fifth; vedam—the Vedic literature; ifsvarah—the Lord;
sarvebhyah—all together; eva—certainly; vaktrebhyah—from his mouths;
sasrje—created; sarva—all around; darsanah—one who can see all time.

TRANSLATION

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

PURPORT

There are histories of particular countries and nations and of the world,
but the Puranas are the histories of the universe, not only in one millen-
nium, but in many kalpas. Brahma has knowledge of those historical facts,
and therefore all the Puranas are histories. As originally composed by
Brahmi, they are part of the Vedas and are called the fifth Veda.
