Āstika

Synonym

Iśvaravadin; Orthodox; Theist; Vedavadin

Definition

Āstika is basically the philosophy or religions or persons who accept the authority of the Vedas or existence of God (Iśvara) or believe in soul or life after death (janmāntara or paraloka).

Introduction

The Sanskrit word āstika is used in common parlance to denote peoples or systems of philosophy or religion which accept the existence of God as the Supreme Being, and the Sanskrit word nāstika as the negative of āstika denotes the opposite of āstika. But the meaning of the word āstika is not so simple in the Indian tradition and has been given different meanings and interpretations by Indian philosophers and thinkers owing allegiance to different schools of Indian philosophy from the ancient times.

Etymological Meaning

Āstika is a Sanskrit adjective (and noun) that is derived from asti. The literal meaning of the word āstika, according to M Williams, is “there is, there exists” (or one who believes in the existence of God, of...