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{{Short description|Atheism in Hinduism}}
{{Nontheism and religion}}
{{Hindu philosophy}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}
'''Hindu atheism''' or '''Hindu''' '''non-theism''', which is known as '''Nirīśvaravāda''' ([[Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]]: {{Langx|sa|निरीश्वर्वाद|lit=Argument against the existence of [[Ishvara]]|translit=nirīśvarvāda}}) has been a historically propounded viewpoint in many of the ''[[Āstika and nāstika|Āstika]]'' (Orthodox) streams of [[Hindu philosophy]].<ref>{{cite web| url = https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/THE-SPEAKING-TREEBRThe-Atheistic-Roots-of-Hindu-Philosophy/articleshow/690490.cms | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120211155756/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2004-05-22/edit-page/28331091_1_god-acceptance-shankara | url-status = live | archive-date = 11 February 2012 |title = The Speaking Tree – The Atheistic Roots of Hindu Philosophy|work = [[The Times of India]]|date = 22 May 2004|last = Daga|first = Mahesh}}</ref> Hindu [[Spirituality|spiritual]] atheists, [[agnostics]] or [[non-theists]] who affirm the sanctity of the [[Vedas]] and the concept of [[Brahman]], as well as those who follow ''āstika'' (orthodox) philosophies but reject personal god(s), are also called [[Dharma|Dharmic]] atheists, Vedic atheists or [[Sanātanī|Sanatani]] atheists.<ref>{{Cite web|date=February 9, 2018|title=Hindu Atheist and their Arguments|url=https://aminoapps.com/c/hinduism/page/blog/hindu-atheist-and-their-arguments/6P7e_r62fzumpkaG6n61v10pxLkMel6lE8|website=Aminoapps.com}}</ref>

In current Indian languages, such as [[Hindi]] or [[Bengali language|Bengali]], ''āstika'' and its derivatives usually mean '[[Theism|theist]]', and ''nāstika'' and its derivatives denote an '[[Atheism|atheist]]'; however, the two terms in ancient- and medieval-era Sanskrit literature do not refer to 'theism' or 'atheism'.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Nicholson|first=Andrew J.|title=Unifying Hinduism: Philosophy and Identity in Indian Intellectual History|year=2013|isbn=978-0231149877|location=Columbia University Press|pages=Ch.9}}</ref> In ancient India, ''āstika'' meant those who affirmed the sanctity of the Vedas, [[Ātman (Hinduism)|''ātman'']] and [[Brahman]], while ''nāstika'', by contrast, are those who deny all the aforementioned definitions of ''āstika''; they do not believe in the existence of self or [[Ishvara]] (God) and reject the sanctity of the Vedas.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Nicholson|first=Andrew J.|title=Unifying Hinduism: Philosophy and Identity in Indian Intellectual History.|year=2013|isbn=978-0231149877|location=Columbia University Press}}</ref>

Sometimes [[Āstika and nāstika|nāstika]] philosophies are also considered as a part of [[Hindu philosophy]] because the word '[[Hindus|Hindu]]' is actually an [[Endonym and exonym|exonym]] and historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for people living in the [[Indian subcontinent]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pennington|first=Brian K.|title=Was Hinduism Invented?: Britons, Indians, and the Colonial Construction of Religion|year=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-803729-3}}</ref> Many scholars, such as [[Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan|S. Radhakrishnan]], [[Surendranath Dasgupta]] and [[Chandradhar Sharma Guleri|Chandradhar Sharma]], consider the [[Nāstika]] philosophies, i.e. the Indian 'Heterodox' Philosophies like [[Buddhism]], [[Jainism]] and [[Charvaka]], to be distinct schools of philosophies,<ref>{{Cite web|date=April 3, 2019|title=Atheism in India|url=https://qz.com/india/1585631/the-ancient-connections-between-atheism-buddhism-and-hinduism/|website=Quartz.com}}</ref> while some others consider them parts of ''Hindu philosophy''.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-12-21|title=Heterodox Hinduism: Supreme Court does well to uphold plural, eclectic character of the faith|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/toi-editorials/heterodox-hinduism-supreme-court-does-well-to-uphold-plural-eclectic-character-of-the-faith/|access-date=2022-02-12|website=Times of India Blog|language=en-US}}</ref> Although Buddhism initially started as yet another school of [[Indian philosophy]] with neutral or undiscussed views of most other philosophies,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mason |first=GJ |date=21 Feb 2022 |title=Buddhism and Hinduism |url=https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/display/document/obo-9780195393521/obo-9780195393521-0273.xml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231125070404/https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/display/document/obo-9780195393521/obo-9780195393521-0273.xml |archive-date=25 Nov 2023 |access-date=25 Nov 2023 |website=Oxford Bibliographies}}</ref> its [[Silk Road transmission of Buddhism|spread through the Silk Road]] during the rule of [[Ashoka|emperor Ashoka]], eventually led to a religious kind of self-organisation with structure, [[Buddhist devotion|rituals and practises]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=How did Buddhism become a global religion? An overview |url=https://tricycle.org/beginners/buddhism/how-did-buddhism-become-a-global-religion/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208021120/https://tricycle.org/beginners/buddhism/how-did-buddhism-become-a-global-religion/ |archive-date=8 Dec 2022 |access-date=25 Nov 2023 |website=Tricycle}}</ref>

There are six major orthodox (''[[Āstika and nāstika|āstika]]'') schools of Hindu philosophy — [[Nyaya]], [[Vaisheshika]], [[Samkhya]], [[Yoga (philosophy)|Yoga]], [[Mīmāṃsā]] and [[Vedanta]]. Among them, Samkhya, Yoga and Mimamsa, while not rejecting either the [[Vedas]] or [[Brahman]],<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.dailyo.in/lifestyle/atheism-schools-indian-philosophy-jainism-buddhism-materialism-religion-vedas/story/1/5904.html|title=Why Indian philosophy is incomplete without atheism|work = Daily O|date= 27 August 2015|author = Hari Ravikumar}}</ref> typically reject a [[personal god]], [[Creator deity|creator god]], or a [[Saguna brahman|god with attributes]].

Some schools of thought view the path of atheism as a valid one, but difficult to follow in matters of [[spirituality]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Chakravarti |first=Sitansu |title=Hinduism, a way of life |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |year=1991 |page=71 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J_-rASTgw8wC&pg=PA71 |isbn=978-81-208-0899-7 |quote=According to Hinduism, the path of the atheist is a very difficult one to follow in matters of spirituality, though it is a valid one.}}</ref>

== Etymology ==
The [[Sanskrit]] term ''{{IAST|Āstika}}'' ("pious, believer") refers to the systems of thought which admit the validity of the [[Vedas]].<ref name="Pruthi">{{Cite book | last = Pruthi| title = Vedic civilization – Culture and civilization series| publisher = Discovery Publishing House| year = 2004| page = 214| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=z3ksBrWoZm0C&pg=PA214| isbn = 978-81-7141-875-6}}</ref> Sanskrit ''{{IAST|asti}}'' means "there is", and ''{{IAST|Āstika}}'' (per [[Pāṇini]] 4.2.60) derives from the verb, meaning "one who says ''{{IAST|'asti'}}''". Technically, in [[Hindu philosophy]], the term {{IAST|[[Astika and Nastika|Āstika]]}} refers only to affirming the [[Vedas]], not a belief in the existence of a god.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Kapoor| first = Subodh| title = The Systems of Indian Philosophy| publisher = Genesis Publishing Pvt Ltd| page = 6| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=FWLRyXBzgsoC&pg=PA6| isbn = 978-81-7755-887-6| date = December 2004}}</ref>

However, even when philosophers professed allegiance to the Vedas, their allegiance did little to fetter the freedom of their speculative ventures.<ref name="Indian philosophy">{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Indian-philosophy#ref12301|title=Indian philosophy|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|language=en|access-date=2019-07-19}}</ref> On the contrary, the acceptance of the authority of the Vedas was a convenient way for a philosopher's views to become acceptable to the orthodox, even if a thinker introduced a wholly new idea.<ref name="Indian philosophy"/> Thus, the Vedas could be cited to corroborate a wide diversity of views; they were used by the [[Vaisheshika]] thinkers (i.e., those who believe in ultimate particulars, both individual souls and atoms) as much as by the non-dualist [[Advaita Vedanta]] philosophers.<ref name="Indian philosophy"/>

== Historical development ==
The [[Rig Veda]], the oldest of the Vedas, deals with significant skepticism around the fundamental question of a divine creator and the createdness of the universe. It does not, in many instances, categorically accept the existence of a creator, or if it seemingly does so, it still remains skeptical about the capacity of such a god. [[Nasadiya Sukta]] (''Creation Hymn'') of the Rig Veda states:<ref>{{cite book| title=World scriptures: an introduction to comparative religions| last=Kramer| first=Kenneth| isbn=978-0-8091-2781-8|year=1986|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RzUAu-43W5oC&pg=PA34 |page=34 | publisher=Paulist Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Subodh Varma | url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-05-06/vintage-wisdom/28377203_1_vedas-philosophy-speculation |title=The deities came afterwards |date= 6 May 2011|work=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=2011-06-09 }}{{dead link|date=October 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
{{blockquote|Whence was it produced? Whence is this creation? The gods came afterwards, with the creation of this universe. Whence this creation has arisen, perhaps it formed itself, or perhaps it did not. The one who looks down on it, in the highest heaven, only he knows, or perhaps he does not know.|title=Rig Veda|source=chapter 10, hymn 129, verses 6 (partial) and 7}}

The [[Brihadaranyaka Upanishad|Brihadaranyaka]], [[Isha Upanishad|Isha]], [[Mundaka Upanishad|Mundaka]] (in which [[Brahman]] is everything and "no-thing") and especially the [[Chandogya Upanishad]]s have also been interpreted as atheistic because of their stress on the subjective self.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Bhatt| first = Chetan| title = Liberation and purity: race, new religious movements and the ethics of post-modernity| publisher = [[Routledge]]| year = 1997| page = 160| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=VukJs0ik0rUC&pg=PA160| isbn = 978-1-85728-424-9 }}</ref> In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (800 BCE), early arguments were made against the emphasis on a personal god.

{{Blockquote|
<poem>
If a man knows "I am [[Brahman]] (ultimate self)" in this way, he becomes this whole world. Not even the gods are able to prevent it, for he becomes their very self (Atman). So when a man venerates another deity, thinking, "He is one, and I am another," he does not understand. As livestock is for men, so is he for the gods. As having a lot of livestock is useful to a man, so each man proves useful to the gods. The loss of even a single head of livestock is painful; how much more if many are lost. The gods, therefore, are not pleased at the prospect of men coming to understand this.
</poem>
|[[Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]|Hymn 1.4.10<ref>[Pg 49] Patrick Olivelle. (1998).[https://archive.org/download/TheEarlyUpanisads/The%20Early%20Upani%E1%B9%A3ads.pdf The Early Upaniṣads] New York; Oxford: Oxford University Press.</ref>}}

[[Mimamsa]] is a [[Philosophical realism|realistic]], pluralistic school of philosophy which was concerned with the [[exegesis]] of the Vedas.<ref name="Vitsaxis">{{citation|last=Vitsaxis|first=Vassilis|title=Thought and Faith: The concept of divinity|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=52b-A2l7QbwC&pg=PA517|year=2009|publisher=Somerset Hall Press|isbn=978-1-935244-05-9|pages=517–518}}</ref> The core text of the school were the [[Purva Mimamsa Sutras]] of [[Jaimini]] (c. 200 BCE–200 CE). Mimamsa philosophers believed that the [[revelation]] of the Vedas was sacred, authorless (''[[apaurusheyatva]]'') and infallible, and that it was essential to preserve the sanctity of the Vedic ritual to maintain Dharma (cosmic order).<ref>Encyclopædia Britannica (2007)</ref><ref name="King">{{citation|last=King|first=Richard|title=Indian Philosophy: An Introduction to Hindu and Buddhist Thought|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uca8R72W8iQC&pg=PA52|year=1999|publisher=[[Edinburgh University Press]]|isbn=978-0-7486-0954-3 }}</ref>{{rp|52–53}} As a consequence of the belief in sanctity of the ritual, Mimamsas rejected the notion of gods in any form.<ref name="Vitsaxis" /> Later commentators of the Mimamsa sutras such as [[Prabhākara]] (c. 7th century CE) advanced arguments against the existence of a god.<ref>{{citation|last=Bales|first=Eugene F.|title=A Ready Reference to Philosophy East and West|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=34cjS0M1rFIC&pg=PA198|year=1987|publisher=[[University Press of America]]|isbn=978-0-8191-6640-1|page=198 }}</ref><ref>{{citation|last=Warder|first=Anthony Kennedy|title=A Course In Indian Philosophy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zw1UD1Mj9DwC&pg=PA187|year=1998|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=978-81-208-1244-4|page=187 }}</ref> The early Mimamsa not only refused the idea of a deity, but said that human action itself was enough to create the necessary circumstances for the enjoyment of its fruits.<ref>{{Cite book | author1 = Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan |author2 = Poolla Tirupati Raju | title = The concept of man: a study in comparative philosophy| publisher = Allen & Unwin| year = 1960| page = 305| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=uLsAAAAAMAAJ |author1-link = Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan }}</ref>

[[Samkhya]] is a strongly dualistic<ref>{{Cite book | last = Dasgupta| first = Surendranath| title = A history of Indian philosophy, Volume 1| publisher = Motilal Banarsidass Publ.| year = 1992| page = 258| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=PoaMFmS1_lEC&pg=PA258| isbn = 978-81-208-0412-8}}</ref><ref>{{citation |last = Michaels |first = Axel |title = Hinduism: Past and Present |year = 2004 |publisher = [[Princeton University Press]] |location = Princeton, New Jersey |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=PD-flQMc1ocC |isbn = 0-691-08953-1 |page=264 }}</ref><ref>{{citation |last = Sen Gupta |first = Anima |year = 1986 | title = The Evolution of the Samkhya School of Thought |publisher = South Asia Books |location = New Delhi | isbn = 81-215-0019-2 |page =6 }}</ref> orthodox ([[Āstika and nāstika|āstika]]) school of Indian [[Hindu philosophy]] that's ambivalent about the concept of a god. The earliest surviving authoritative text on classical Samkhya philosophy is the [[Samkhyakarika]] (c. 350–450 CE) of Iśvarakṛṣṇa.<ref name="King" />{{rp|63}} The Samkhyakarika is silent on the issue of Isvara's (the creator god's) existence or nonexistence, although first millennium commentators, such as Gaudapada, understand the text as being compatible with some concept of a god. However, the Samkhya Sutra (14th c. CE) and its commentaries explicitly attempt to disprove a god's existence through reasoned argument.<ref name="nicholson">{{cite book|last = Nicholson|first = Andrew J.|chapter = Hindu Disproofs of God: Refuting Vedāntic Theism in the Sāṃkhya Sūtra|title = Oxford Handbook of Indian Philosophy|date = 2016|chapter-url = http://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199314621.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199314621-e-29|chapter-url-access = subscription|editor-first = Jonardon|editor-last = Ganeri |doi = 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199314621.013.29|isbn = 978-0-19-931462-1}}</ref>

== Arguments against existence of a god in Hindu philosophy ==
Mimamsas argued that there was no need to postulate a maker for the world, just as there was no need for an author to compose the Vedas or a god to validate the rituals.<ref>{{cite book|title=Religious truth|first=Robert|last=Neville|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ThLR13JpCWsC|page=51|isbn=9780791447789|date=January 2001|publisher=SUNY Press }}</ref> They further thought that the gods named in the Vedas had no physical existence apart from the ''[[mantra]]s'' that speak their names. In this regard, the power of the mantras was what was seen as the power of gods.<ref>{{cite book|title=The perfectibility of human nature in eastern and western thought |first=Harold |last=Coward |author-link=Harold Coward |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LkE_8uch5P0C|page=114|isbn=9780791473368 |date=7 February 2008 |publisher=SUNY Press }}</ref> Mimamsas reasoned that an incorporeal god could not author the Vedas, for he would not have the organs of speech to utter words. An embodied god could not author the Vedas either because such a god would be subject to the natural limitations of sensory knowledge and therefore, would not be able to produce supernatural revelations like the Vedas.<ref>{{citation |last1=Cowell|first1=E. B.|last2=Gough|first2=A. E.|title=The Sarva-Darsana-Samgraha or Review of the Different Systems of Hindu Philosophy: Trubner's Oriental Series|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xkrCRbOq-HUC|year=2001|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-415-24517-3 |pages=189–191 }}</ref>

Samkhya gave the following arguments against the idea of an eternal, self-caused, creator god:<ref name="nicholson" />
* If the existence of [[Karma (Hinduism)|karma]] is assumed, the proposition of a god as a moral governor of the universe is unnecessary. For, if a god enforces the consequences of actions then he can do so without karma. If however, he is assumed to be within the law of karma, then karma itself would be the giver of consequences and there would be no need of a god.
* Even if karma is denied, god still cannot be the enforcer of consequences. Because the motives of an enforcer god would be either egoistic or altruistic. Now, god's motives cannot be assumed to be altruistic because an altruistic god would not create a world so full of suffering. If his motives are assumed to be egoistic, then god must be thought to have desire, as agency or authority cannot be established in the absence of desire. However, assuming that god has desire would contradict god's eternal freedom which necessitates no compulsion in actions. Moreover, desire, according to Samkhya, is an attribute of [[prakriti]] and cannot be thought to grow in god. The testimony of the Vedas, according to Samkhya, also confirms this notion.
* Despite arguments to the contrary, if a god is still assumed to contain unfulfilled desires, this would cause him to suffer pain and other similar human experiences. Such a worldly god would be no better than Samkhya's notion of higher self.
* Furthermore, there is no proof of the existence of god. He is not the object of perception, there exists no general proposition that can prove him by inference and the testimony of the Vedas speak of prakriti as the origin of the world, not God.
Therefore, Samkhya maintained not only that the various cosmological, ontological and teleological arguments could not prove god, but that god as normally understood—an [[Omnipotence|omnipotent]], [[Omniscience|omniscient]], [[Omnibenevolence|omnibenevolent]] creator who is free from suffering—cannot exist.

The Indian [[Nobel Prize|Nobel Prize-winner]] [[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:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://alumni.berkeley.edu/california-magazine/july-august-2006-indo-chic/arguing-indian/|title=The Arguing Indian|website=Cal Alumni Association|accessdate=22 April 2024}}</ref>
{{blockquote|In some ways people had got used to the idea that India was spiritual and religion-oriented. That gave a leg up to the religious interpretation of India, despite the fact that [[Sanskrit]] had a larger atheistic literature than what exists in any other classical language. [[Vidyaranya|Madhava Acharya]], the remarkable 14th century philosopher, wrote this rather great book called Sarvadarshansamgraha, which discussed all the religious schools of thought within the Indian structure. The first chapter is "Atheism" – a very strong presentation of the argument in favor of atheism and materialism.|sign=|source=}}

== Demographics ==

=== India ===
A 2021 nationwide survey by the [[Pew Research Center]] found that 2% of the self-described Indian Hindus didn't believe in God, while 18% believe in God but "with less certainty".<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 June 2021 |title=Excluding Buddhists, Indians of all religions overwhelmingly believe in God |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/06/29/beliefs-about-god-in-india/pf_06-29-21_india-12-0-png/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250318130114/https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/06/29/beliefs-about-god-in-india/pf_06-29-21_india-12-0-png/ |archive-date=18 March 2025 |website=[[Pew Research Center]]}}</ref>

=== Canada ===
A 2022 study by [[Cardus]] found that 15% of the self-described [[Hinduism in Canada|Canadian Hindus]] don't believe in "God or a Higher Power".<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 November 2022 |title=The Shifting Landscape of Faith in Canada |url=https://www.cardus.ca/research/faith-communities/reports/the-shifting-landscape-of-faith-in-canada/ |website=Cardus |author=Ray Pennings and Jenisa Los}}</ref>

=== United States ===
A 2025 study by the [[Pew Research Center]] found that 15% of the self-described [[Hinduism in the United States|American Hindus]] "don't believe in God or a universal spirit and they are certain in this belief".<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 February 2025 |title=Half of U.S. atheists say they are absolutely certain there is no God |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/02/26/religious-and-spiritual-beliefs/pr_2025-02-26_religious-landscape-study_011-08/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250307170152/https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/02/26/religious-and-spiritual-beliefs/pr_2025-02-26_religious-landscape-study_011-08/ |archive-date=7 March 2025 |website=Pew Research Center}}</ref>

== Notable Hindu atheists ==
*[[Jawaharlal Nehru]], famed [[Indian independence movement|Indian independence activist]] and first [[Prime Minister of India]] was described as a 'Hindu agnostic',<ref>{{Cite book |title=Jawaharlal Nehru: A Biography, Volume 3; Volumes 1956–1964 |last=Sarvepalii|first=Gopal|page=17|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|quote=Nehru was still an agnostic, but a Hindu agnostic.|authorlink=Sarvepalli Gopal}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2013/may/28/death-of-nehru-archive-1964|title = The death of Nehru: From the archive, 28 May 1964|website = [[TheGuardian.com]]|date = 28 May 2013}}</ref> and styled himself as a "[[secular humanism|scientific humanist]]".<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Times of India]]|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Nehrus-Scientific-Humanism/articleshow/8590304.cms|title=Nehru's Scientific Humanism|last=Vohra | first=Ashok |date=27 May 2011|access-date=18 August 2017}}</ref>
* [[Brahmananda Swami Sivayogi]] was an atheist and [[rationalist]] who founded the organization Ananda Mahasabha.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Journal of Indian History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c25DAAAAYAAJ|year=1996|publisher=Department of Modern Indian History|page=270|title = Journal of Indian History}}</ref>
* [[Vinayak Damodar Savarkar]], a leading figure of [[Hindu Mahasabha]], founded and promoted the principles of [[Hindutva]], a Hindu nationalist ideology. Savarkar was an atheist who saw Hinduism as a cultural identity rather than a religious one. Savarkar wanted to "minimize the importance of religion in his definition of Hindu".<ref>{{citation |last=Quack|first=Johannes|title=Disenchanting India:Organized Rationalism and Criticism of Religion in India: Organized Rationalism and Criticism of Religion in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=55wFpydSZ8oC&pg=PA263|year=2011|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=978-0-19-981260-8|page=263}}</ref>
* [[Shreela Flather, Baroness Flather]] of Windsor and Maidenhead, the first Hindu woman in British politics. She has described herself as a "Hindu atheist". Broadly, she is an atheist with affinity to aspects of [[Hindu culture]] such as dress and diet.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/features/hindu_lives/script1.shtml|title=BBC News|accessdate=22 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/baroness-flather-accused-of-bigotry-over-her-views-on-marriages-in-pakistani-community-10373492.html|title=Baroness Flather accused of 'bigotry' over her views on marriages in Pakistani community|website=[[Independent.co.uk]] |date=7 July 2015}}</ref>
*[[Raj Patel]] stated in an interview with [[The New Yorker]] that he grew up a theist Hindu but is now an atheist Hindu.<ref>{{cite news| last= Collins| first= Lauren| title= Are you the Messiah?|url=http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/11/29/101129fa_fact_collins|access-date=29 July 2012|newspaper=[[The New Yorker]]|date=29 November 2010|quote=Patel grew up a "God-fearing Hindu," but now calls himself an "atheist Hindu."}}</ref>
*[[S. S. Rajamouli]], most known for directing [[Baahubali: The Beginning|Baahubali]], [[Baahubali 2: The Conclusion|Baahubali 2]] and [[RRR (film)|RRR]], in a March 2022 interview he stated that "I don't believe in God or religion the way it is portrayed now. if you ask me 'Do you believe in the existence of God?' I'd say 'I don't know'."<ref>{{Citation |title=10 Questions With SS Rajamouli {{!}} Baradwaj Rangan {{!}} RRR |date=24 March 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl_l2vcccYw&t=532s |language=en |access-date=2 May 2022 |archive-date=16 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516161019/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl_l2vcccYw&t=532s |url-status=live }}; From 8:52 to 9:55</ref> Rajamouli said that he is not a Hindu in the religious sense, but considering it as [[Dharma]], he is 'very much' a [[Hindus|Hindu]]. "I am a follower of Hindu dharma", he said.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report-rrr-director-ss-rajamouli-cites-difference-between-hindu-dharma-and-religion-says-i-am-not-hindu-2991241/amp|title=RRR director SS Rajamouli cites difference between Hindu dharma and religion|website=DNA INDIA|access-date=30 November 2022|archive-date=30 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130130404/https://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report-rrr-director-ss-rajamouli-cites-difference-between-hindu-dharma-and-religion-says-i-am-not-hindu-2991241/amp|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/s-s-rajamouli-on-hindu-religion-and-hindu-dharma-if-you-take-the-religion-i-am-also-not-a-hindu/articleshow/94725399.cms|title=S S Rajamouli on Hindu religion and Hindu dharma|website=The Times of India|access-date=30 November 2022|archive-date=24 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230224083734/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/s-s-rajamouli-on-hindu-religion-and-hindu-dharma-if-you-take-the-religion-i-am-also-not-a-hindu/articleshow/94725399.cms|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-08 |title=SS Rajamouli highlights difference between Hindu religion and Hindu dharma: 'If you take the religion, I am also not a Hindu' |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/telugu/ss-rajamouli-highlights-difference-between-hindu-religion-and-hindu-dharma-8197490/ |access-date=2022-10-20 |website=The Indian Express |language=en |archive-date=20 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020080025/https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/telugu/ss-rajamouli-highlights-difference-between-hindu-religion-and-hindu-dharma-8197490/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-10 |title=SS Rajamouli explains difference between Hindu religion and Hindu dharma |url=http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/regional-indian-cinema-news/article/ss-rajamouli-explains-difference-between-hindu-religion-and-hindu-dharma-23249668 |access-date=2022-10-20 |website=Mid-day |language=en |archive-date=21 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021170400/https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/regional-indian-cinema-news/article/ss-rajamouli-explains-difference-between-hindu-religion-and-hindu-dharma-23249668 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[File:Dhruv Rathee.jpg|thumb|Indian YouTuber, vlogger, and social media activist [[Dhruv Rathee]] has identified himself as a "Hindu atheist"]][[Dhruv Rathee]], an Indian YouTuber, vlogger and social media activist. Known for his YouTube videos on social, political and environmental issues has also identified himself as "Hindu atheist" in his 25 Million Special Q&A video.<ref>{{cite tweet|user=dhruv_rathee
|number=1252703937838354433|title=As a practicing Hindu Atheist, I'm deeply offended at this insult of my religion}} {{better source|date=April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1936&si=g792n0Ue0ghRzojg&v=SuFG1pJ2e70&feature=youtu.be |title=25 Million Diwali Special Q&A ft. Baby Rathee with Dhruv Rathee |date=2024-10-31 |last=Dhruv Rathee |access-date=2024-11-01 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Religion|Hinduism|Philosophy}}
* [[Āstika and nāstika]]
* [[Śramaṇa]]
* [[Adevism]]
* [[Irreligion in India]]
* [[Nontheistic religion]]
* [[Atheism|Athiesm]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.lokayata.info/ Lokayata/Carvaka - non-believers in ancient India]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080723120304/http://www.dbskeptic.com/2008/04/02/atheism-in-hinduism/ Modern Hinduism, Atheism, and their philosophical roots]

{{Indian Philosophy|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Hinduism and atheism]]
[[Category:Religious atheism]]

Hindu atheism - Revision history

Gnfcmussorie at 21:40, 25 April 2026