Āstika and nāstika

 ( Hindu Philosophical Concepts ) 

Āstika (Sanskrit: आस्तिक; Āstika) and Nāstika (Sanskrit: नास्तिक; Nāstika) are mutually exclusive terms that modern scholars use to classify the schools of Indian philosophy as well as some Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism texts.Perrett, Roy. 2000. Indian Philosophy. Routledge. . p. 88.Mittal, Sushil, and Gene Thursby. 2004. The Hindu World. Routledge. . pp. 729–30. The various definitions for āstika and nāstika philosophies have been disputed since ancient times, and there is no consensus.Nicholson, Andrew J. 2013. . Columbia University Press. . ch. 9.Doniger, Wendy. 2014. On Hinduism. Oxford University Press. . p. 46. One standard distinction, as within ancient- and medieval-era Sanskrit philosophical literature, is that āstika schools accept the Vedas, the ancient texts of India, as fundamentally authoritative, while the nāstika schools do not.Grayling, A. C. (2019). The History of Philosophy. Penguin Books. p. 519.Chatterjee, Satischandra, and Dhirendramohan Datta. 1984. An Introduction to Indian Philosophy (8th reprint ed.). Calcutta: University of Calcutta. p. 5n1:

"In modern Indian languages, 'āstika' and 'nāstika' generally mean 'theist' and 'atheist,' respectively. But in Sanskrit philosophical literature, 'āstika' means 'one who believes in the authority of the Vedas'. ('nāstika' means the opposite of these). The word is used here in the first sense. The six orthodox schools are 'āstika', and the Cārvāka is 'nāstika' in both the senses." However, a separate way of distinguishing the two terms has evolved in current Indian languages like Telugu language, Hindi and Bengali language, wherein āstika and its derivatives usually mean 'theism', and nāstika and its derivatives denote 'atheism'.For instance, the Atheist Society of India produces a monthly publications Nastika Yuga, which it translates as 'The Age of Atheism'. .

Still, philosophical tradition maintains the earlier distinction, for example, in identifying the school of Sāṃkhya, which is nontheism (as it does not explicitly affirm the existence of God in its classical formulation), as āstika (Vedas-affirming) philosophy, though "God" is often used as an epithet for consciousness (purusha) within its doctrine.

"By reasoning, the material principle itself simply evolves into complex forms, and there is no need to hold that some spiritual power governs the material principle or its ultimate source." Similarly, though Buddhism is considered to be nāstika, Gautama Buddha is considered an avatar of the god Vishnu in some Hindu denominations.Literature review of secondary references of Buddha as Dashavatara which regard Buddha to be part of standard list:

• Britannica
• A Dictionary of Asian Mythology By David Adams Leeming p. 19 "Avatar"
• Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide By Roshen Dalal p. 112 "Dashavatara" ""The standard and most accepted list found in Puranas and other texts is: ... Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Kalki."
• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M p. 73 "Avatar"
• Hindu Gods and Goddesses By Sunita Pant Bansal p. 27 "Vishnu Dashavatara"
• Hindu Myths (Penguin Books) pp. 62–63
• The Book of Vishnu (see index)
• Seven secrets of Vishnu By Devdutt Pattanaik p. 203 "In the more popular list of ten avatars of Vishnu, the ninth avatar is shown as Buddha, not Balarama."
• A Dictionary of Hinduism p. 47 "Avatara"
• BBC
• Gavin D. Flood (1996). 9780521438780, Cambridge University Press. . ISBN 9780521438780
  Due to its acceptance of the Vedas, āstika philosophy, in the original sense, is often equivalent to Hindu philosophy: philosophy that developed alongside the Hinduism.

Āstika (; from Sanskrit: asti, 'there is, there exists') means one who believes in the existence of a Self or Brahman, etc. It has been defined in one of three ways:GS Ghurye, Indian Sociology Through Ghurye, a Dictionary, Ed: S. Devadas Pillai (2011), , page 354

1. as those who accept the Pramana authority of the Vedas;
2. as those who accept the existence of ātman;
3. as those who accept the existence of Ishvara.

Nāstika (Sanskrit: नास्तिक; from Sanskrit: na, 'not' + ), by contrast, are those who deny all the respective definitions of āstika; they do not believe in the existence of Self.

The six most studied Āstika schools of Indian philosophies, sometimes referred to as orthodoxy schools, are Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Samkhya, Yoga, Mīmāṃsā, and Vedanta. The five most studied Nāstika schools of Indian philosophies, sometimes referred to as Heterodoxy schools, are Buddhism, Jainism, Charvaka, Ājīvika, and Ajñana.For an overview of this method of classification, with detail on the grouping of schools, see: However, this orthodox-heterodox terminology is a construct of Western languages, and lacks scholarly roots in Sanskrit. Recent scholarly studies state that there have been various Heresiology translations of Āstika and Nāstika in 20th century literature on Indian philosophies, but many are unsophisticated and flawed.

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Etymology

Āstika is a Sanskrit adjective and noun that derives from asti ('there is or exists'), meaning 'knowing that which exists' or 'Piety.' The word Nāstika ( na, not, + ) is its negative.

One of the traditional etymologies of the term āstika—based on Pāṇini's Aṣṭādhyāyī 4.4.60 (" astināstidiṣṭam matiḥ")—defines the concept as 'he whose opinion is that Ishvara exists' ( asti īśvara iti matir yasya).

Federico Squarcini (2025). 9781843313977, Anthem Press. ISBN 9781843313977

According to Sanskrit grammarian Hemachandra, āstika is a synonym for 'he who believes'. Other definitions include:

• 'opposite of nāstika' ( nāstika bhinna);
• 'he whose idea is that Īśvara exists' ( īśvara asti iti vādī); and
• 'he who considers the Vedas as authorities' ( vedaprāmāṇyavādī).

As used in Hindu philosophy, the differentiation between āstika and nāstika does not refer to theism or atheism. The terms often, but not always, relate to accepting Vedic Literature as an authority, particularly on their teachings on Self. The Veda and Hinduism do not subscribe to or include the concept of an almighty that is separate from oneself i.e. there is no concept of God in the Christianity or sense. N. N. Bhattacharya writes:

Āstika is also a name, such as that of a Vedic scholar born to the goddess Manasa ('Mind') and the sage Jaratkaru.George Williams (2003), Handbook of Hindu Mythology, Oxford University Press, , page 65

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Classification of schools The terms Āstika and Nāstika have been used to classify various Indian intellectual traditions.

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Āstika The āstika schools are six systems or ṣaḍdarśana that consider the Vedas a reliable and authoritative source of knowledge. These are often coupled into three groups for both historical and conceptual reasons.

• Nyāyá-Vaiśeṣika
• Nyaya, the school of logic
• Vaisheshika, the atomism
• Sāṃkhya-Yoga
• Samkhya, the enumeration school
• Yoga, the school of Patañjali (which assumes the metaphysics of Sāṃkhya)
• Mimāṃsā-Vedanta
• Mīmāṃsā, the tradition of Vedic exegesis
• Vedanta or Uttara Mimāṃsā, the Upaniṣadic tradition.

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Nāstika The main schools of Indian philosophy that reject the Vedas were regarded as heterodox in the tradition:

• Buddhism
• Jainism
• Charvaka
• Ājīvika
• Ajñana

The use of the term nāstika to describe Buddhism and Jainism in India is explained by Gavin Flood as follows:

Tantra in Hinduism have both āstika and nāstika lines; as Banerji writes in Tantra in Bengal:

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Usage in religion

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Hinduism Manusmriti, in verse 2.11, defines Nāstika as those who do not accept "Vedic literature in entirety based on two roots of science of reasoning (Śruti and Smriti)". The 9th century Indian scholar Medhatithi analyzed this definition and stated that Nāstika does not mean someone who says "Vedic literature are untrue", but rather one who says "Vedic literature are immoral". Medhatithi further noted verse 8.309 of Manusmriti, to provide another aspect of the definition of Nāstika as one who believes, "there is no other world, there is no purpose in giving charity, there is no purpose in rituals and the teachings in the Vedic literature."

Manusmriti does not define, or imply a definition for Astika. It is also silent or contradictory on specific rituals such as animal sacrifices, asserting Ahimsa (non-violence, non-injury) is dharma in its verses such as verse 10.63 based on Upanishadic layer of Vedic literature, even though the older layer of Vedic literature mention such sacrifices unlike the later layer of Vedic literature.Sanskrit: Manusmriti with six scholar commentaries VN Mandlik, page 1310
English: Manusmriti 10.63 Berkeley Center for World Religion, Peace and World Affairs, Georgetown University Indian scholars, such as those from Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya and Vedanta schools, accepted Astika to be those that include Shabda (; or Aptavacana, testimony of Vedic literature and reliable experts) as a reliable means of epistemology, but they accepted the later ancient layer of the Vedic literature to be superseding the earlier ancient layer.

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Without reference to Vedas

In contrast to Manusmriti, the 6th century CE Jain scholar and Doxography Haribhadra, provided a different perspective in his writings on Astika and Nāstika. Haribhadra did not consider "reverence for Vedas" as a marker for an Astika. He and other 1st millennium CE Jaina scholars defined Astika as one who "affirms there exists another world, transmigration exists, virtue ( punya) exists, vice ( paapa) exists."

The 7th century scholars Jayaditya and Vamana, in Kasikavrtti of Pāṇini tradition, were silent on the role of or authority of Vedic literature in defining Astika and Nāstika. They state, "Astika is the one who believes there exists another world. The opposite of him is the Nāstika."P. Haag and V. Vergiani (Eds., 2009), Studies in the Kāśikāvṛtti, Firenze: Società Editrice Fiorentina,

Similarly the widely studied 2nd–3rd century CE Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna, in Chapter 1 verses 60–61 of Ratnāvalī, wrote Vaisheshika and Samkhya schools of Hinduism were Nāstika, along with Jainism, his own school of Buddhism and Pudgalavadins ( Vātsīputrīya) school of Buddhism.Markus Dressler and Arvind Mandair (2011), Secularism and Religion-Making, Oxford University Press, , page 59 note 39Ernst Steinkellner (1991), Studies in the Buddhist Epistemological Tradition: Proceedings of the Second International Dharmakīrti Conference, Vienna, Volume 222, Austrian Academy of Sciences Press, , pages 230–238

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Based on belief in Atman

Astika, in some texts, is defined as those who believe in the existence of Atman (Self), while Nastika being those who deny there is any "Self" in human beings and other living beings.C Sharma (2013), A Critical Survey of Indian Philosophy, Motilal Banarsidass, , page 66 All six schools of Hinduism classified as Astika philosophies hold the premise, "Atman exists". Buddhism, in contrast, holds the premise, "Atman does not exist."Dae-Sook Suh (1994), Korean Studies: New Pacific Currents, University of Hawaii Press, , page 171John C. Plott et al (2000), Global History of Philosophy: The Axial Age, Volume 1, Motilal Banarsidass, , page 63, Quote: "The Buddhist schools reject any Ātman concept. As we have already observed, this is the basic and ineradicable distinction between Hinduism and Buddhism". Asanga Tilakaratna translates Astika as 'positivism' and Nastika as 'negativism', with Astika illustrated by Brahmanic traditions who accepted "Self and God exists", while Nastika as those traditions, such as Buddhism, who denied "Self and God exists."Asanga Tilakaratna (2003, Editors: Anne Blackburn and Jeffrey Samuels), Approaching the Dhamma: Buddhist Texts and Practices in South and Southeast Asia, Pariyatti, , pages 128–129;
God, states Tilakaratna, in Brahmanic traditions is Parama-atma (universal Self, Ishvara, Brahman)

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Jainism

According to G. S. Ghurye, the Jain texts define na+ astika as one "denying what exists" or any school of philosophy that denies the existence of the Self.

S. Devadas Pillai (1997). 9788171548071, Popular Prakashan. . ISBN 9788171548071

The Vedanta sub-traditions of Hinduism are "astika" because they accept the existence of Self, while Buddhist traditions denying this are referred to as "nastika".

One of the earliest mentions of astika concept in Jain texts is by Manibhadra, who states that an astika is one who "accepts there exist another world ( paraloka), transmigration of Self, virtue and vice that affect how a Self journeys through time".

Andrew J. Nicholson (2025). 9780231149877, Columbia University Press. . ISBN 9780231149877

The 5th–6th century Jainism scholar Haribhadra, states Andrew Nicholson, does not mention anything about accepting or rejecting the Vedas or god as a criterion for being an astika or nastika. Instead, Haribhadra explains nastika in the manner of the more ancient Jain scholar Manibhadra, by stating a nastika to be one "who says there is no other worlds, there is no purpose in charity, there is no purpose in offerings". An astika, to Haribhadra, is one who believes that there is a purpose and merit in an ethical life such as ahimsa (non-violence) and ritual actions. This exposition of the word astika and nastika by Haribhadra is similar to one by the Sanskrit grammarian and Hindu scholar Pāṇini in section 4.4.60 of the Astadhyayi.

Andrew J. Nicholson (2025). 9780231149877, Columbia University Press. . ISBN 9780231149877

The 12th century Jaina scholar Hemachandra similarly states, in his text Abithana Chintamani, that a nastika is any philosophy that presumes or argues there is "no virtue and vice."

Ramkrishna Bhattacharya (2025). 9780857284334, Anthem Press. . ISBN 9780857284334

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Buddhism

Nagarjuna, according to Chandradhar Sharma, equates Nastikya to "nihilism".

Chandradhar Sharma (2025). 9788120803657, Motilal Banarsidass. . ISBN 9788120803657

The 4th century Buddhist scholar Asanga, in Bodhisattva Bhumi, refers to nastika Buddhists as sarvaiva nastika, describing them as who are complete deniers. To Asanga, nastika are those who say "nothing whatsoever exists", and the worst kind of nastika are those who deny all designation and reality.

Andrew J. Nicholson (2025). 9780231149877, Columbia University Press. . ISBN 9780231149877

Astika are those who accept merit in and practice a religious life. According to Andrew Nicholson, later Buddhists understood Asanga to be targeting Madhyamaka Buddhism as nastika, while considering his own Yogachara tradition to be astika. Initial interpretations of the Buddhist texts with the term astika and nastika, such as those composed by Nagarjuna and Aśvaghoṣa, were interpreted as being directed at the Hindu traditions. However, states John Kelly, most later scholarship considers this as incorrect, and that the astika and nastika terms were directed towards the competing Buddhist traditions and the intended audience of the texts were Buddhist monks debating an array of ideas across various Buddhist traditions.

John D Kelly (1996). 9789004106130, BRILL Academic. . ISBN 9789004106130

The charges of being a nastika were serious threat to the social standing of a Buddhist, and could lead to expulsion from Buddhist monastic community. Thus, states Nicholson, the colonial era Indologist definition of astika and nastika schools of Indian philosophy, was based on a narrow study of literature such as a version of Manusmriti, while in truth these terms are more complex and contextually apply within the diverse schools of Indian philosophies.

The most common meaning of astika and nastika, in Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism was the acceptance and adherence to ethical premises, and not textual validity or doctrinal premises, states Nicholson. It is likely that astika was translated as orthodox, and nastika as heterodox, because the early European Indologists carried the baggage of Christian theological traditions and extrapolated their own concepts to Asia, thereby distorting the complexity of Indian traditions and thought.

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See also

• Ātman (Buddhism)
• Atheism in Hinduism
• Atman (Hinduism)
• Jīva (Jainism)
• Śāstra pramāṇam in Hinduism
• Transtheism

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Notes

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Citations

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Sources

• Francis Clooney (2025). 9780631215356, Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 9780631215356

Categories: Hindu Philosophical Concepts, Schools And Traditions In Ancient Indian Philosophy

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