History of Indian Philosophies part 2:- Charvak Philosophy

 

In the last blog, we discussed Vedic philosophy. In part 2, today, we will study Charvaka philosophy. Unknowingly, many people in today’s world are following Charvaka philosophy in one way or another. So let's discuss Charvaka philosophy.

 

Charvaka philosophy emerged during the Hindu reformation period in the first millennium BC, coinciding with the rise of Buddhist and Jain philosophies. Although some scholars suggest it had already existed for centuries, Charvaka philosophy is also known as Lokayat philosophy. The etymology of Charvaka is uncertain. Hemachandra says “charv” means to chew, so Charvaka chews the self. It may also refer to their philosophy which says “Eat, drink, be merry.” Lokayat is the name given because it was prevalent among many people or because Lokaykta means aiming at the world or a philosophy that is world-oriented.

 

Brihaspati is regarded as its founder. Although some people say that the disciple of Brihaspati, Charvaka, was the founder of Charvaka philosophy, most agree that Brihaspati is the founder of this philosophy. The original book of Charvaka, “Brihaspati Sutra,” is lost. So we take all the references from the critiques of Charvaka philosophy. For this blog, I have taken references from Sarvadarshan Sangrah, a book by Vidyaranya ji.

 

This philosophy focuses on the enjoyment of life and does not believe in other phenomena such as rebirth, karma, etc. They regard sensual pleasures as the highest aim of life. Today, we see most people doing just this. Although they may appear to worship God or perform other religious activities, internally, they are Charvakas.

 

They say, “When life is yours, live joyously. None can escape death’s searching eye. When once this frame of ours (our body) will burn, then how shall it return?” Here, we see that if once our body is dead, then how can it return? They reject the concept of rebirth and say that you have only one life, so enjoy it.

 

They consider wealth and desires as the only ends of men. They do not believe in the afterlife, God, soul, moksha or liberation, or karma theory. They believed that there are four elements: earth, wind, water, and fire. They do not believe in the akash or ether element; they only believe in the four elements. They find nothing wrong with sensual pleasures. They even say, “When life remains, let man live happily. Let him feed on ghee even though he runs in debt.” Practically, this point seems morally wrong.

 

They also say, “The Agnihotra, the three Vedas, these are but means of livelihood for those who have no manliness or sense.” They even reject the authority of the Vedas and call it a business of lowly people who are spreading all sorts of things. They only believe in Anubhav Praman (refer to part 1 to know more).

 

They say, “If shraddha provides gratification to beings who are dead, then there is no need to give food to travellers; it can be transferred by using the technology of shraddha.” Here, they reject the rituals of Vedic philosophy. They do not believe in rituals either.

 

They even call the authors of the Vedas knaves and demons.

 

This was Charvaka philosophy, a very logical philosophy.

In conclusion, Charvaka philosophy, with its emphasis on enjoying life and rejecting traditional beliefs like rebirth and karma, presents a very different perspective from other Indian philosophies. It encourages people to seek happiness in the present and focus on tangible experiences rather than spiritual or metaphysical concepts. Although controversial, Charvaka philosophy challenges us to question established norms and think critically about our beliefs and the way we live our lives. This makes it a significant and thought-provoking part of philosophical discussions even today.