Srikanthasivacharya comments on these names in his Bhashya on I. i. 2. as follows:

As to Brahman being the subject of eightfold appellation: The Supreme Brahman is the Being denoted by the eight appellations of Bhava, Sarva, ISana, PaSupati, Rudra, Ugra, Bhima, Mahadeva. Though He is denoted by all words, He is designated specially by Bhava and other like words, indicative as they are of His Highest being: it does not follow that He is not designated by other words than these eight.

The famous passage in the 17th Brahmana of the 3rd chapter in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishat deals with God being immanent in nature and in man.

Brahman is called Bhava because He exists everywhere at all times, the root "bhu" meaning satta or existence. We are taught that Brahman is the Existent, running through all things. Accordingly the Sruti says ;

"Existent alone, my dear, this at first was, one only without a second." (Chha. Up. vi, 2).

"Truth (Existence), Wisdom, Endless is Brahman." (Tait. Up. ii, 1).

"He who is existent, who delights in Prana, whose joy is in manas. (Tait. Up. i, 6).

"The ineffable glory" (Mahanarayana Up. 24). and so on. As running through all things - as for instance "jar existing" cloth existing - it is evident that Brahman, the existent, constitutes the upadana or material cause of all. The jar, for instance, always associated as it is with clay, is said to be made out of clay, i.e., has clay for its upadana. Thus Brahman, the existent, is designated by the word Bhava.

Brahman, the all-destroyer, is designated by the word Sarva, derived from the root "Sri" to destroy. Brahman is spoken of as the destroyer in the following passages :

"Hail! hail! therefore, to the Destroyer, to the Great Devourer " (Atharvasiras Up).

"To whom the Brahmanas and Kshatriyas (are as it were) but food" (Katha. Up. ii, 25).

Brahman is denoted by the word "Isana" the Ruler, as endued with the unconditioned supreme sovereignty, as revealed in the passage, " Who rules these worlds with His powers of ruling." (Atharvasiras Up).

As the Isvara or Ruler must have some beings to rule over, Brahman is denoted by the word PaSupati, Master of Pasus or subject beings (souls). Thus, the Sruti says .

"Whom - the four-footed as well as two-footed souls (pasus) - Pasupati, the Lord of souls, rules." (Taittiriya Samhita III. i, 4).

As Pasus (souls) are so called because of pasa (bond), Pasu stands for both Pasu and Pasa. By this epithet, Brahman is shown to be the Ruler of chit, and achit, of matter and spirit.

Brahman is called Rudra as expelling the malady of samsara', as we are told in the passage :

"The knower of Atman crosses beyond grief " (Chha. Up. vii 1).

Beginning with the verse, "yasya prithivi sarira, etc." * * "He who dwells in the earth, and within or different from the earth, whom the earth does not know, whose body (Sarira) the earth is, and who rules the earth within, He is thy Atma, the Ruler within, the Immortal," 1and giving similar statements

Brahman is called Ugra or Fierce, because He cannot be overpowered by other luminaries, as taught in the passage;

"Not there the sun shines nor the moon and stars." (Sveta. Up. vi. 14). As the regulator and the source of fear to all sentient beings, Brahman is known by the name of Bhima or Terrible. The Sruti says; "By fear of Him does the wind blow." (Tait. Up. ii. 8). As Great and Luminous, Siva is called Mahadcva. So the Atharva-siras Up. says:

'For what then, is He called Mahadeva? - As having abandoned all things, He is adored for His Atma-Jnana or spiritual wisdom and for His yogic glory ; wherefore He is called Mahadeva."

That Being called Siva, known as free from all taint of Samsara and as the repository of all that is good, is, because He is of such a nature, the cause Of the birth etc, of the whole world, Since a Being of such a greatness can be the twofold cause of the world, That (Being called

Siva), endued as He is with such a greatness, is called Brahman. He has also been proved to be the seat of Bliss and such other attributes ; wherefore it is vain to raise the question whether Bliss etc., can constitute

Brahman, each by itself. From the passage "one should know Maya as being Isvara essentially, as taught in the concluding part of the sentence:

Prakriti", it may be seen that Maya is the Prakriti or cause, that MayS.

" And know Isvara as the possessor or the seat of the Maya." (Svetasvatara Up. iv. 10). Brahman, associated with the sukshma or subtle chit and achit, is the cause; and Brahman, associated with the sthula or gross chit and achit, is the effect. Wherefore the Siddhanta or demonstrated conclusion is, that birth etc., of the universe form the distinguishing marks of Brahman.

1 Atnrita a word which frequently occurs in the description of God, is a name of Rudra, in the Rigvcda (I. 43-9).

" Whatever beings are Thine, Amrita, in the Highest place of the law, on its Summit, in its centre, O Soma, cherish them, remember them, who honour Thee"! regarding water, air, fire, etc.* * it ends with "He who dwells in Vijnana (soul) and within or different from Vijnana, whom Vijnana does not know, whose body Vijnana is, who rules Vijnana within, He is thy Atma, the Ruler within, Immortal.

That God is different from all nature and man is further brought out by the famous 'Neti, Net!' verse of this same Upanishat (3-9-26), which Paranjoti Munivar translates and expands in the following lines: -

" God Sundara who is described as ' not this ' 'not this' '*.

"The Sages declare,'He is not the five elements, not the senses, nor sensations, nor the Andakaranas, nor the soul; He is the deceitful nothing * which the Vedas fail to discover".