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The Lokāyata, Nāstika and Cārvāka 519 definition of nāstika in Manu's own words as one who controverts the Vedic doctrines (veda-nindaka"). Thus the word nāstika means, firstly, those who do not believe in the existence of the other world or life after death, and, secondly, those who repudiate the Vedic doctrines. These two views, however, seem to be related to each other, for a refusal to believe in the Vedic doctrines is equivalent to the denial of an after-life for the soul and also of the efficacy of the sacrifice. The nāstika view that there is no other life after the present one and that all consciousness ceases with death seems to be fairly well established in the Upanişadic period; and this view the Upanişads sought to refute. Thus, in the Katha Upanişad Naciketa says that there are grave doubts among the people whether one does or does not exist after death, and he was extremely anxious to have a final and conclusive answer from Yama, the lord of death?. Further on Yama says that those who are blinded with greed think only of this life and do not believe in the other life and thus continually fall victims to death. Again, in the Brhad-āranyaka l'panişad (11. 4. 12, IV. 5. 13) a view is referred to by Yājñavalkya that consciousness arises from the elements of matter and vanishes along with them and that there is no consciousness after death. Jayanta says in his Nyāya-mañjarī that the Lokāyata system was based on views expressed in passages like the above which represent only the opponent's (pūrvu-pakşa) view5. Jayanta further states in the same passage that no duties are prescribed in the lokāyata; it is only a work of tricky disputation (vaitandika-kathai'vā'sau) and not an āgama.
References to the nāstikas are found also in the Buddhist litera
1 Manu, II. 11. Medhătithi in explaining năstika'-krāntam (Manu, VIII. 22) identifies nāstikas with lokāyatas who do not believe in the other world. Thus he says, yathā nästikaih para-lokā-pavādibhir lokāyatikā-dyair ākrāntam. But in Manu, IV. 163, năstikya is explained by him as meaning the view that the Vedic doctrines are false: t'eda-pramāņakānām arthānām mithyātva-dhyavasāyasya nästikya-sabdena pratipādanam.
ye'yam prete ricikitsă manusye asti'ty eke nā'yam asti'ti cai'ke, etad-vidyām anusistas trayā'ham varāņām esa varas tȚtīyah. Katha, 1. 20.
3 na sämparāyaḥ pratibhāti bālam pramādy-antamvitta-mohena mūdham; ayam loko nästi para iti māni punah punar vasam āpadyate me. Ibid. n. 6.
• vijñāna-ghana eta etebhyaḥ bhūtebhyo samutthāya tāny evă'nuvinaśyati, na pretya samjñā'sti ity are bratīmi. Bịhad-aranyaka, II. 4. 12.
6 tad eram parva-paksa-vacana-mülatvāt lokāyata-śāstram api na svatantram. Nyāya-mañjari, p. 271, V.S. Series, 1895.
nahi lokāyate kiñ cit kartavyam upadiśyate vaitandika-kathai'va'san na punaḥ kaś cid agamah. Ibid. p. 270.
