This word denotes a general category
in Indian speculative thought and is
often translated as “nonbeing.” It is
the absolute opposite of sat and is
formed by the addition of the negative
prefix. If sat is “that which (really and
truly) exists,” then its opposite is “that
which does not exist.” Since the word
sat also carries connotations of
Truth—that things that exist are both
“real” and “true”—asat carries connotations of falseness.