Venkataraman Iyer writes:
>
>This is correct. aastika = 'possessor' (of belief in God),
>and naastika = 'non-possessor'. naasti is explained as the
>opposite of aasti by pauranikas.
Surely these terms are usually taken as being derived from asti ("there
is") and naasti ("there isn't"): hence "one who says there is/isn't [a
God]?"
Valerie J Roebuck
Manchester, UK