Ajita Keshakambalin

Indian philosopher

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June 18, 2026

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Ajita Keshakambalin was an Indian philosopher active around the 6th century BCE. He is recognized as the earliest known materialist in Indian philosophy and a forerunner to the Charvaka school of thought. Keshakambalin, along with other contemporaries of the Buddha, questioned traditional Indian beliefs such as karma and the efficacy of deeds. His materialist views posited that existence resolved into material elements, denying concepts like an afterlife or the efficacy of moral conduct. These ideas were criticized by religious opponents, including Buddhists.123

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Indian philosophy
Background
…and by materialists, such as Ajita Keshakambalin, who, besides denying virtue, vice, and afterlife, resolved being into material elements. Protests were also voiced by Nigantha Nataputta, who believed in salvation by an ascetic life of self-discipline and hence in the efficacy of deeds and the possibility of omniscience, and, finally,…
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…and by materialists, such as Ajita Keshakambalin, who, besides denying virtue, vice, and afterlife, resolved being into material elements. Protests were also voiced by Nigantha Nataputta, who believed in salvation by an ascetic life of self-discipline and hence in the efficacy of deeds and the possibility of omniscience, and, finally,…
Read More