nandikeshvara in the li~Nga purANa narrates the nature of the aShTamurti to sanatkumAra. It records a unique shaiva tradition on the nature of the aShTamUrti and their significance
1) sharva :
charAcharANAM bhUtAnAM dhAtA vishvaMbharAtmakaH
sharva ityuchyate devaH sarva-shAstrArtha-pAragaiH 2.13.3 ||
vishvaMbharAtmanas-tasya sarvasya parameShThinaH
vikeshI kathyate patnI tanayo .a~NgArakaH smR^itaH 2.13.4 ||
wife=vikeshI; son=a~NgAraka, i.e. planet Mars; The lord of all and the entity pervading the universe.
2) bhava :
bhava ityuchyate devo bhagavAn veda-vAdibhiH
saMjIvanasya lokAnAM bhavasya paramAtmanaH 2.13.5 ||
umA saMkIrtitA devI sutaH shukrashcha sUribhiH
sapta-lokANDaka-vyApI sarva-lokaika-rakShitA 2.13.6 ||
wife=umA; son=shukra, i.e. planet Venus; envelops the 7 world-spheres; protects the universe, infuses life in the universe.
3) pashupati:
vahnyAtmA bhagavAn devaH smR^itaH pashupatir budhaiH
svAhA patnyAtmanas-tasya proktA pashupateH priyA 2.13.7 ||
ShaNmukho bhagavAn devo budhaiH putra udAhR^itaH
samasta-bhuvana-vyApI bhartA sarva-sharIriNAm 2.13.8 ||
wife= svAhA; son= ShaNmukha; envelops the universe; protects all life-forms, is manifest as fire.
4) IshAna:
pavanAtmA budhair deva IshAna iti kIrtyate
IshAnasya jagat-kartur-devasya pavanAtmanaH 2.13.9
shivA devI budair-uktA putrashchAsya manojavaH
charAcharANAM bhUtAnAM sarveShAM sarvakAmadaH 2.13.10
wife= shivA; son= manojava; the substance of living and non-living forms; confers all wishes, is manifest as air.
5) bhIma:
vyomAtmA bhagavAn devo bhIma ityuchyate budhaiH
mahAmahimno devasya bhImasya gaganAtmanaH 2.13.11
disho dasha smR^itA devyaH sutaH sargash-cha sUribhiH
sUryAtmA bhagavAn devaH sarveShAM cha vibhUtidaH 2.13.12
wives= 10 directions; son= sarga; envelops the universe; basis of all manifestations in the universe, is manifest as space and as the sun.
6) rudra:
rudra ityuchyate devair bhagavAn bhukti-muktidaH
sUryAtma kasya rudrasya bhaktAnAM bhakti-dAyinaH 2.13.13
suvarchalA smR^itA devI sutashchAsya shanaishcharaH
samasta saumya vastUnAM prakR^ititvena vishrutaH 2.13.14
wife= suvarchalA; son= shanishchara, i.e. Saturn; gives liberation and pleasures; cause of devotion in devotees, present as the nature of all pleasant things, is manifest as the sun.
7) mahAdeva:
somAtmako budhair devo mahAdeva iti smR^itaH
somAtmakasya devasya mahAdevasya sUribhiH 2.13.15
dayitA rohiNI proktA budhash-chaiva sharIrajaH
havya-kavyasthitiM kurvan havya-kavyAshinAM tadA 2.13.16
wife= rohiNi; son= budha, i.e. Mercury; bearer of offerings to gods and ancestors, is manifest as the moon;
8) ugra:
yajamAnAtmako devo mahAdevo budhaiH prabhuH
ugra ityuchyate sadbhir IshAnashcheti chAparaiH 2.13.17
ugrAhvayasya devasya yajamAnAtmanaH prabhoH
dIkShA patnI budhair uktA saMtAnAkhyaH sutas-tathA 2.13.18
wife= dIkShA; son= saMtAna; manifests as the ritualist.
The concept of the aShTamUrti-s of rudra go back to the vedic period: 1) In the gR^ihya rite of shUlagava. The 8 oblations to rudra in the shUlagava are to the same 8 names of rudra. These are alluded to in the brAhmaNa-s, gR^ihya sUtra-s and yajur vedic mantra pATha-s. 2) In the atharvavedic sacrifice to rudra prescribed in the vrAtyakANDa of the AV-S (15.5) invokes the aSTamUrti and pacifies them to prevent “bhava, sharva or ishAna” from harming cattle. 3) baudhAyana dharmasUtra prescribes tarpaNa-s to the aShTamUrti-s, their wives and sons. 4) The offerings of the parts of the animal smothered in the great shrauta rites like ashvamedha are made to rudra with 8 names, which include among them rudra, bhava, sharva, mahAdeva and pashupati. The mantra used for this is KYV-TS 1.4.36: chitta: sinews, bhava: liver, rudra: pancreas, pashupati: diaphragm, agni: heart, rudra: blood, sharva: kidneys, mahadeva: the mesenteries, uShiShThahana: intestines and lungs.
This concept remained vivid in the post-vedic period, in purANa-s, coeval with the rise of the pAshupata based atimArga shaivaM and the mantra-mArga shaivaM. For example it is alluded to in the mahimna stava of puShpadanta from the paurANic period (although not specifically attached to a particular purANa):
“bhavaH sharvo rudraH pashupatir athograH saha mahAn
tathA bhImeshAnAv-iti yadabhidhAnAShTakam idam |
amuShmin pratyekaM pravicharati deva shrutir api
priyAyAsmai dhAmne praNihita-namasyo .asmi bhavate ||“
“bhava, sharva, rudra, pashupati, also ugra with mahat, furthermore bhIma and IshAna, these eight appellations of the god, each of them the shruti individually expounds, My salutations are to the dear abode in which these names are laid (i.e. to one who bears these names).”
Thus, the mahimna stava explicitly remembers the vedic origin of these names of rudra alluding to their exposition found in the brAhmaNas (e.g. shatapatha6.3.1, kaushitaki 6.1-3).
In the latter two shaiva streams there was more emphasis on the pa~nchabrahma compared to the aShTamUrti, though the siddhAnta stream did recognize the icons of the aShTamUrti in their Agama-s.
mAnasa-taraMgiNI 