Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī says that the Purāṇas are called so because they make the Vedas complete. Does he mean the Vedas are incomplete? No, but the Purāṇas are a form of explanatory, supplementary literature that help us understand the terse, cryptic message of the Vedas. Like the Vedas, they convey knowledge of the Absolute Truth, and to do so they must be transcendental like the Vedas. The Skanda Purāṇa (4.95.12) indicates the equal transcendental status of the Purāṇas, Itihāsas, and Vedas as follows: %%FOLIO_PARAGRAPH_STYLE_dGV4dC1hbGlnbjpjZW50ZXI7%%vede rāmāyaṇe caiva purāṇe bhārate tathā ādāv ante ca madhye ca hariḥ sarvatra gīyate "In the Vedas, Rāmāyaṇa, Purāṇas, and Mahābhārata Lord Hari is glorified everywhere—in the beginning, middle, and end." The conclusion is that because the Itihāsas and Purāṇas emanate from the same source as the four Vedas and have the same purport, they are also equally authoritative. [Jīva Gosvāmī, Tattva-sandarbha 12.4]