# आस्तिक (āstika)

Canonical page: https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/astika

आस्तिक (āstika) is a Sanskrit word meaning believing in the existence of God or another world, pious, faithful, astika, a believer in sacred tradition, God, or another world, name of a sage or saint, one who believes in God and another world. Its 14 recorded definitions are grouped into 3 contexts, among them Believer in God/afterlife/tradition (theist/orthodox), Believing, pious, faithful (general quality), Name of the sage Āstīka.

- **Etymology:** E. अस्ति who is, and वुञ् affix; from an expression of his father, (he is in the womb,) pronouncing his conception to have taken place before there were any external indications of it. mfn. ( -कः-की-कं ) A believer, pious, faithful — E. asti who is, and vuñ affix; from an expression of his father, (he is in the womb,) pronouncing his conception to have taken place before there were any external indications of it. mfn. ( -kaḥ-kī-kaṃ ) A believer, pious, faithful
- **SLP1:** `Astika`  **IAST:** āstika  **Devanagari:** आस्तिक
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astika_%28sage%29
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/astika/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** आस्तीक (āstīka), अस्तीक (astīka)

## Meanings by context

### Believer in God/afterlife/tradition (theist/orthodox) (9 definitions)
- believing in the existence of God or another world  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1) [Printed book page 161,1] आस्तिक (āstika) mf( ई (ī) )n. ( fr. अस्ति (asti), ‘there is or exists’, Pāṇini (Author) iv, 4, 60 ), one who believes in the existence (of God, of another world, &c.) [ ID=28119 ]
- One who believes in God and another world  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आस्तिक (āstika) [Printed book page 0269-c ] आस्तिक (āstika) a. ( की (kī) f. ) [ अस्ति परलोकः (asti paralokaḥ) इति मतिर्यस्य, ठक् (iti matiryasya, ṭhak) ] 1 One who believes in God and another world; यन्नास्त्येव (yannāstyeva) तदस्ति वस्त्विति मृषा जल्पद्भिरेवास्तिकैः (tadasti vastviti mṛṣā jalpadbhirevāstikaiḥ) Prabodhacandrodaya (Bombay) 2
- A believer in sacred tradition.  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आस्तिक (āstika) [Printed book page 0269-c ] आस्तिक (āstika) a. ( की (kī) f. ) [ अस्ति परलोकः (asti paralokaḥ) इति मतिर्यस्य, ठक् (iti matiryasya, ṭhak) ] 2 A believer in sacred tradition
- 1. The name of a saint. 2. A believer, pious, or faithful.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आस्तिक (āstika) [Printed book page 127 ] आस्तिक (āstika) m. ( - कः (-kaḥ) ) The name of a Muni or saint. E. अस्ति (asti) who is, and वुञ् (vuñ) affix; from an expression of his father, (he is in the womb,) pronouncing his conception to have taken place before there were any external indications of it. mfn. ( - कः (-kaḥ)- की - कं (-kaḥ-kī-kaṃ) ) A believer, pious, faithful. E. अस्ति (asti) as before, saying that there is a GOD, &c. in opposition to the नास्तिक (nāstika) an atheist, and ठक् (ṭhak) aff. [ ID=6075 ]
- 1. The name of a sage. 2. A believer in God or a deist.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आस्तिक (āstika) [Printed book page 103-a ] आस्तिक (āstika) ( कः ) ((kaḥ)) 1. m. The name of a Muni; a believer in God; a deist. [ ID=5455 ]
- 1. Believing in God and another world. 2. Pious and faithful.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आस्तिक (āstika) [Printed book page 113-27 ] आस्तिक (āstika) a. (f. की (kī) ) 1. One who believes in God and another world; 2. believing, pious, faithful, आस्तिक (āstika) ः श्रद्धधानश्च (āstikaḥ śraddhadhānaśca) Yaj. i.268. [ ID=5632 ]
- 1. The name of a saint. 2. A believer, pious, or faithful.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आस्तिक (āstika) [Printed book page 104-a ] आस्तिक (āstika) m. ( - कः (-kaḥ) ) The name of a Muni or saint. E. अस्ति (asti) who is and वुञ् (vuñ) affix; from an expression of his father, (he is in the womb,) pronouncing his conception to have taken place before there were any external indications of it. mfn. ( - कः (-kaḥ)- की - कं (-kaḥ-kī-kaṃ) ) A believer, pious, faithful. E. अस्ति (asti) as before, saying that there is a God, &c. in opposition to the नास्तिक (nāstika) an atheist, and ठक् (ṭhak) aff. [ ID=6073 ]
- A believer, religious, or pious  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आस्तिक (āstika) [Printed book page 0093-b ] आस्तिक (āstika) āstika, i. e. asti, third ps. of the pres. of 1. as, + ika, m. A believer, religious, pious, Rām. 2, 109, 37. [ ID=1808 ]
- 1. A believer in sacred tradition, God, or another world. 2. Pious, faithful, or believing. 3. Name of a sage or saint.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > आस्तिक (āstika) [Printed book page 0135-c ] आस्तिक (āstika) āstika, as, ī, am (fr. asti, 3rd pers. sing. of rt. 1. as ), a believer in sacred tradition; one who believes in God and another world; believing, pious, faithful; ( as ), m., N. of a Muni or saint, more correctly written āstīka, q. v. —Āstika-tā, f. or āstika-tva, am, n. belief in God. [ ID=9685 ]

### Believing, pious, faithful (general quality) (4 definitions)
- pious, faithful  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > believing, pious, faithful, Mahābhārata (Title); Yājñavalkya (Author); Suśruta (Title) [ ID=28120 ]
- Pious, faithful, believing  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आस्तिक (āstika) [Printed book page 0269-c ] आस्तिक (āstika) a. ( की (kī) f. ) [ अस्ति परलोकः (asti paralokaḥ) इति मतिर्यस्य, ठक् (iti matiryasya, ṭhak) ] 3 Pious, faithful, believing; आस्तिक (āstika) ः श्रद्दधानश्च (āstikaḥ śraddadhānaśca) Yājñavalkya (Mr. Mandlik’s Edition) 1. 268
- Believing, pious  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आस्तिक (āstika) [Printed book page 044-2 ] आस्तिक (āstika) āsti-ka, a. believing, pious. [ ID=4022 ]
- pious, faithful  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आस्तिक (āstika) [Printed book page 071 ] आस्तिक (āstika) a. pious, faithful; abstr. ° क्य (°kya) n. [ ID=4819 ]

### Name of the sage Āstīka (1 definition)
- astika  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > आस्तिक (āstika) m. = आस्तीक (āstīka), q.v. [ ID=28121 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872); Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

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