The Importance of Naturalism in Indian Philosophy

The story of Payasi demonstrates that naturalism was a strong undercurrent in Indian philosophy from the very beginning. Ajita and Payasi dismiss the pretensions of Vedic ritual as a means to satisfying desire; rejected idea that God exists on earth. Their skepticism regarding the soul was thus part and parcel of a more general philosophy, which had the potential to offer a serious challenge to the Vedic tradition... once it was systematized as a proper school of thought.