Atheism in Hinduism
Encyclopedia
Atheism or disbelief in God or gods
has been a historically propounded viewpoint in many of the orthodox
and heterodox
streams of Hindu philosophies
. Generally, atheism
is valid in Hinduism
, but some schools view the path of an atheist to be difficult to follow in matters of spirituality
.
Hindu atheists treat Hinduism as a "way of life" but not as a religion. Their day-to-day lifestyle will be almost similar to most Hindu theists but they do not accept the existence of God. They live by their Hindu values and traditions.
term ("pious, orthodox") refers to the systems of thought which admit the validity of the Vedas
. Sanskrit means "there is", and (per Pāṇini 4.2.60) derives from the verb, meaning "one who says ".
Technically, in Hindu philosophy
the term refers only to acceptance of authority of Vedas, not belief in the existence of God. However, though not accepted universally; is sometimes translated as "theist" and as "atheist", assuming the rejection of Vedas to be synonymous to the rejection of God.
Among the six Astika schools of Hindu philosophy, the Samkhya
do not accept God, and the early Mimamsa
also rejected the notion of God. However, the school is strongly dualistic
, and thus, should not be likened with the general concept of Western atheism. The early Mimamsa not only did not accept God but said that human action itself was enough to create the necessary circumstances for the enjoyment of its fruits.
The atheistic viewpoint in the Samkhya and Mimamsa schools of Hindu philosophy
takes the form of rejecting a creator-God
. The Samkhya school believed in a dual existence of prakriti ("nature") and purusha
("spirit") and had no place for an Ishvara
("God") in its system. The early Mimamsakas believed in an adrishta ("unseen") that resulted from performing karmas ("works") and saw no need for an Ishvara in their system. Mimamsa, as a philosophy, deals exclusively with karma and thus is sometimes called Karma-Mimamsa. The karmas dealt with in Mimamsa concern the performance of yajna
s (sacrifices to gods
) enjoined in the Vedas.
Even Rig Veda, the oldest of the Vedas deals with a lot of skepticism when dealing with the fundamental question of Creator God and the creation of the universe. It does not, at many instances categorically accept the existence of a creator God. Nasadiya Sukta (Creation Hymn) in the tenth chapter of the Rig Veda says:
The Brihadaranyaka
, Isha
, Mundaka
(in which Brahman
is everything and "no-thing") and especially Chandogya Upanishad
s have also been interpreted as atheistic because of their stress on the subjective self.
, three schools of thought are commonly referred to as nastika for rejecting the doctrine of Vedas: Jainism
, Buddhism
and Cārvāka
. In this usage, nastika refers to the non-belief of Vedas
rather than non-belief of God. However, all these schools also rejected a notion of a creationist god and so the word nastika became strongly associated with them.
, an atheistic school of Indian philosophy, traces its origins to 600 BCE, while some claim earlier references to such positions.
It advocated that no afterlife exists. philosophy appears to have died out some time after 1400 CE.
Dharmakirti
, a 7th century Buddhist philosopher deeply influenced by philosophy, wrote in Pramanvartik:
Buddhism and Jainism have their origins in pre-historic sramana tradition and are not hedonistic. Also worth mentioning are the Ājīvika
s (a movement extinct from at least the 13th century CE), whose founder, Makkhali Gosala
, was a contemporary of Mahavira and Gautama Buddha (the central figures of Jainism and Buddhism, respectively). Gosala and his followers also denied the existence of a creator god.
Amartya Sen
, in an interview with Pranab Bardhan for the California Magazine published in the July–August 2006 edition by the University of California, Berkeley
states:
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
has been a historically propounded viewpoint in many of the orthodox
Orthodoxy
The word orthodox, from Greek orthos + doxa , is generally used to mean the adherence to accepted norms, more specifically to creeds, especially in religion...
and heterodox
Heterodoxy
Heterodoxy is generally defined as "any opinions or doctrines at variance with an official or orthodox position". As an adjective, heterodox is commonly used to describe a subject as "characterized by departure from accepted beliefs or standards"...
streams of Hindu philosophies
Hindu philosophy
Hindu philosophy is divided into six schools of thought, or , which accept the Vedas as supreme revealed scriptures. Three other schools do not accept the Vedas as authoritative...
. Generally, atheism
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
is valid in Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
, but some schools view the path of an atheist to be difficult to follow in matters of spirituality
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
.
Hindu atheists treat Hinduism as a "way of life" but not as a religion. Their day-to-day lifestyle will be almost similar to most Hindu theists but they do not accept the existence of God. They live by their Hindu values and traditions.
Astika atheism
The SanskritSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
term ("pious, orthodox") refers to the systems of thought which admit the validity of the Vedas
Vedas
The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....
. Sanskrit means "there is", and (per Pāṇini 4.2.60) derives from the verb, meaning "one who says ".
Technically, in Hindu philosophy
Hindu philosophy
Hindu philosophy is divided into six schools of thought, or , which accept the Vedas as supreme revealed scriptures. Three other schools do not accept the Vedas as authoritative...
the term refers only to acceptance of authority of Vedas, not belief in the existence of God. However, though not accepted universally; is sometimes translated as "theist" and as "atheist", assuming the rejection of Vedas to be synonymous to the rejection of God.
Among the six Astika schools of Hindu philosophy, the Samkhya
Samkhya
Samkhya, also Sankhya, Sāṃkhya, or Sāṅkhya is one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy and classical Indian philosophy. Sage Kapila is traditionally considered as the founder of the Samkhya school, although no historical verification is possible...
do not accept God, and the early Mimamsa
Mimamsa
' , a Sanskrit word meaning "investigation" , is the name of an astika school of Hindu philosophy whose primary enquiry is into the nature of dharma based on close hermeneutics of the Vedas...
also rejected the notion of God. However, the school is strongly dualistic
Dualism
Dualism denotes a state of two parts. The term 'dualism' was originally coined to denote co-eternal binary opposition, a meaning that is preserved in metaphysical and philosophical duality discourse but has been diluted in general or common usages. Dualism can refer to moral dualism, Dualism (from...
, and thus, should not be likened with the general concept of Western atheism. The early Mimamsa not only did not accept God but said that human action itself was enough to create the necessary circumstances for the enjoyment of its fruits.
The atheistic viewpoint in the Samkhya and Mimamsa schools of Hindu philosophy
Hindu philosophy
Hindu philosophy is divided into six schools of thought, or , which accept the Vedas as supreme revealed scriptures. Three other schools do not accept the Vedas as authoritative...
takes the form of rejecting a creator-God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
. The Samkhya school believed in a dual existence of prakriti ("nature") and purusha
Purusha
In some lineages of Hinduism, Purusha is the "Self" which pervades the universe. The Vedic divinities are interpretations of the many facets of Purusha...
("spirit") and had no place for an Ishvara
Ishvara
Ishvara is a philosophical concept in Hinduism, meaning controller or the Supreme controller in a theistic school of thought or the Supreme Being, or as an Ishta-deva of monistic thought.-Etymology:...
("God") in its system. The early Mimamsakas believed in an adrishta ("unseen") that resulted from performing karmas ("works") and saw no need for an Ishvara in their system. Mimamsa, as a philosophy, deals exclusively with karma and thus is sometimes called Karma-Mimamsa. The karmas dealt with in Mimamsa concern the performance of yajna
Yajna
In Hinduism, yajna is a ritual of sacrifice derived from the practice of Vedic times. It is performed to please the gods or to attain certain wishes...
s (sacrifices to gods
Deva (Hinduism)
' is the Sanskrit word for god or deity, its related feminine term is devi. In modern Hinduism, it can be loosely interpreted as any benevolent supernatural beings. The devs in Hinduism, also called Suras, are often juxtaposed to the Asuras, their half brothers. Devs are also the maintainers of...
) enjoined in the Vedas.
Even Rig Veda, the oldest of the Vedas deals with a lot of skepticism when dealing with the fundamental question of Creator God and the creation of the universe. It does not, at many instances categorically accept the existence of a creator God. Nasadiya Sukta (Creation Hymn) in the tenth chapter of the Rig Veda says:
The Brihadaranyaka
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
The Upanishad is one of the older, "primary" Upanishads. It is contained within the Shatapatha Brahmana, and its status as an independent Upanishad may be considered a secondary extraction of a portion of the Brahmana text. This makes it one of the oldest texts of the Upanishad corpus...
, Isha
Isha Upanishad
The Isha Upanishad is one of the shortest of the Upanishads, consisting of 17 or 18 verses in total; like other core texts of the vedanta, it is considered revealed scripture by diverse traditions within Hinduism...
, Mundaka
Mundaka Upanishad
The Mundaka Upanishad or the Mundakopanishad is one of the earlier, "primary" Upanishads, a genre of Hindu scriptures commented upon by Shankara. It is associated with the Atharvaveda. It figures as number 5 in the Muktika canon of 108 Upanishads.It is a Mantra-upanishad, i.e. it has the form...
(in which Brahman
Brahman
In Hinduism, Brahman is the one supreme, universal Spirit that is the origin and support of the phenomenal universe. Brahman is sometimes referred to as the Absolute or Godhead which is the Divine Ground of all being...
is everything and "no-thing") and especially Chandogya Upanishad
Chandogya Upanishad
The Chandogya Upanishad is one of the "primary" Upanishads. Together with the Jaiminiya Upanishad Brahmana and the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad it ranks among the oldest Upanishads, dating to the Vedic Brahmana period....
s have also been interpreted as atheistic because of their stress on the subjective self.
Nastika atheism
In Indian philosophyIndian philosophy
India has a rich and diverse philosophical tradition dating back to ancient times. According to Radhakrishnan, the earlier Upanisads constitute "...the earliest philosophical compositions of the world."...
, three schools of thought are commonly referred to as nastika for rejecting the doctrine of Vedas: Jainism
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
, Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
and Cārvāka
Carvaka
' , also known as ', is a system of Indian philosophy that assumes various forms of philosophical skepticism and religious indifference. It seems named after , the probable author of the and probably a follower of Brihaspati, who founded the ' philosophy.In overviews of Indian philosophy, Cārvāka...
. In this usage, nastika refers to the non-belief of Vedas
Vedas
The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....
rather than non-belief of God. However, all these schools also rejected a notion of a creationist god and so the word nastika became strongly associated with them.
, an atheistic school of Indian philosophy, traces its origins to 600 BCE, while some claim earlier references to such positions.
It advocated that no afterlife exists. philosophy appears to have died out some time after 1400 CE.
Dharmakirti
Dharmakirti
Dharmakīrti , was an Indian scholar and one of the Buddhist founders of Indian philosophical logic. He was one of the primary theorists of Buddhist atomism, according to which the only items considered to exist are momentary states of consciousness.-History:Born around the turn of the 7th century,...
, a 7th century Buddhist philosopher deeply influenced by philosophy, wrote in Pramanvartik:
वेद प्रामाण्यं कस्य चित् कर्तृवादः स्नाने धर्मेच्छा जातिवादाव लेपः|
संतापारंभः पापहानाय चेति ध्वस्तप्रज्ञानां पञ्च लिङगानि जाड्ये||
Believing that the Veda are standard (holy or divine), believing in a Creator for the world,
Bathing in holy waters for gaining punya, having pride (vanity) about one's caste,
Performing penance to absolve sins,
Are the five symptoms of having lost one's sanity.
Buddhism and Jainism have their origins in pre-historic sramana tradition and are not hedonistic. Also worth mentioning are the Ājīvika
Ajivika
Ājīvika was an ancient philosophical and ascetic movement of the Mahajanapada period of the Indian subcontinent....
s (a movement extinct from at least the 13th century CE), whose founder, Makkhali Gosala
Makkhali Gosala
Makkhali Gosala was an ascetic teacher of ancient India, often identified as the founder of the Ajivika movement. He was a contemporary of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, and of Mahavira, the last and 24th Tirthankara of Jainism.- Sources :Details about Gosala's life are sparse...
, was a contemporary of Mahavira and Gautama Buddha (the central figures of Jainism and Buddhism, respectively). Gosala and his followers also denied the existence of a creator god.
Hindu atheists in recent times
The Indian Nobel Prize-winnerNobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
Amartya Sen
Amartya Sen
Amartya Sen, CH is an Indian economist who was awarded the 1998 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to welfare economics and social choice theory, and for his interest in the problems of society's poorest members...
, in an interview with Pranab Bardhan for the California Magazine published in the July–August 2006 edition by the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
states:
Prominent Hindu atheists
- Jawahar Lal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. From his autobiography: What the mysterious is I do not know. I do not call it God because God has come to mean much that I do not believe in. I find myself incapable of thinking of a deity or of any unknown supreme power in anthropomorphic terms, and the fact that many people think so is continually a source of surprise to me. Any idea of a personal God seems very odd to me.
- Vinayak Damodar SavarkarVinayak Damodar SavarkarVināyak Dāmodar Sāvarkar was an Indian freedom fighter, revolutionary and politician. He was the proponent of liberty as the ultimate ideal. Savarkar was a poet, writer and playwright...
, the president of Hindu Mahasabha, described himself as a Hindu atheist. He is credited for developing a Hindu nationalist political ideology he termed as HindutvaHindutvaHindutva is the term used to describe movements advocating Hindu nationalism. Members of the movement are called Hindutvavādis.In India, an umbrella organization called the Sangh Parivar champions the concept of Hindutva...
("Hinduness"). - Shreela Flather, Baroness FlatherShreela Flather, Baroness FlatherShreela Flather, Baroness Flather is a teacher and British politician.She became a life peer for the Conservative party in 11 June 1990 as Baroness Flather, of Windsor and Maidenhead in the Royal County of Berkshire. She was the first Asian woman to receive a peerage...
of Windsor and Maidenhead (1934– ), the first Hindu woman in British politics. She has described herself as a "Hindu atheist". Broadly, she is an atheist with affinity to secular aspects of Hindu culture such as dress and diet. - Amol PalekarAmol PalekarAmol Palekar is an Indian actor of the 1970s and a director of Hindi and Marathi cinema.-Theater career:Palekar began in Marathi experimental theatre with Satyadev Dubey, and later started his own group, Aniket, in 1972 [citation needed]...
– a notable Hindi and Marathi Filmmaker, openly claims to be agnostic and atheist, even though brought up in a Hindu background. - G. A. KulkarniG. A. KulkarniG. A. Kulkarni or simply "GA" , was a legendary Marathi writer of short stories.GA grew up in Belgaum. After earning his masters degree, he taught English at JSS College in Dharwad for about 30 years. He had very strong liking for Dharwad and Belgaum. For medical treatment of his eyes, he...
– a Sahitya Akademi AwardSahitya Akademi AwardSahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in India which Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of outstanding works in one of the following twenty-four major Indian languagesAssamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri,...
winner MarathiMarathi peopleThe Marathi people or Maharashtrians are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, that inhabit the Maharashtra region and state of western India. Their language Marathi is part of the southern group of Indo-Aryan languages...
writer has expressed his atheist views through his correspondence with other famous literary figures like Sunitabai DeshpandeSunitabai DeshpandeSunita Deshpande was a Marathi writer from Maharashtra, India.Her maiden name was Sunita Thakur.She was born in Kudaldeshkar Goud Saraswat Brahmin community.She met Pu La Deshpande Sunita Deshpande (Devanagari: सुनीता देशपांडे) (July 3, 1926 - 07 Nov 2009) was a Marathi writer from Maharashtra,...
, Jaywant DalviJaywant DalviJaywant Dalvi was a prominent contemporary Marathi writer in Maharashtra, India. Originally hailing from Sawantwadi in Maharashtra he was born in a Gaur Saraswat Brahmin family....
, Shri.Na. PendseShripad Narayan PendseShripad Narayan Pendse was a writer of several Marathi novels. He hailed from Maharashtra, India.His novel Rathachakra received a Sahitya Akademi Award in 1963....
, et al. - K. Shivaram KaranthK. Shivaram KaranthKota Shivaram Karanth was a major Kannada writer, social activist, environmentalist, Yakshagana artist, film maker and thinker. He was described as the "Rabindranath Tagore of Modern India who has been one of the finest novelists-activists since independence" by Ramachandra Guha...
– Jnanapita award winner. He reflects his beliefs in his novel Mookajjiya Kanasugalu. - Kamalahaasan - A well known Tamil Actor and film maker who make films with atheist ideals and has a popular dialog in his film Dasavathaaram "I don't say that God doesn't exist, I just say its good if he existed".
See also
- AdevismAdevismAdevism is a term introduced by Friedrich Max Müller to imply the denial of gods, in particular, the legendary gods of Hinduism. Müller used it in the Gifford Lectures in connection with the Vedanta philosophy, for the correlative of ignorance or nescience...
- Atheism in IndiaAtheism in IndiaWestern concept of Irreligion is not very relevant when dealing with Indian religions, since Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism consider atheism, agnosticism, nontheism etc. to be valid. This incongruity arises from the fact that Indian religions do not fully conform to western definition of religion...
- Ajita KesakambaliAjita KesakambaliAjita Kesakambali was an ancient Indian philosopher in the 6th century BC. He is considered to be the first known proponent of Indian materialism. He was probably a contemporary of Buddha and Mahavira. It has frequently been noted that the doctrines of the Lokayata school were considerably drawn...
- Nontheistic religionsNontheistic religionsNontheistic religions are traditions of thought within religions, some otherwise aligned with theism, others not, in which nontheism informs religious beliefs or practices...
- Hindu Atheism?