An essay on Carvaka philosophy

While life is yours, live joyously; None can escape Death's searching eye: When once this frame of ours they burn, How shall it ever again return?i
(Sarva Darsana Sangraha- Cited in Cowel and Gough 2001)

The above lines contain the essence of Carvaka, an ancient Indian school of philosophy, that was radically different from all other philosophical traditions till then. Similar to the orthodox/ heterodox classification of the west, Indian Philosophical schools could be broadly classified to Astika and Nastika, based on their acceptance of the vedas as the supreme revealed scripture. Carvaka, in this sense, belongs to the Nastika (it doesnt exist) category, rejecting the supremacy of Vedas. In doing so, it is in the group of Buddhist and Jainist philosophies. However, Carvaka is different from Buddhist and Jainist philosophies as well as there is a clear difference in its approach to life and nature of knowledge. The key aspect of Carvaka philosophy that differentiates itself from Buddhism and Jainism it is materialistic and is sceptic of anything that is beyond perceived knowledge. It rejects the notion of Dharma and is focused on Kama and Artha as the key focuses of human life.
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Origins The origins of Carvaka are not very clear. Some authors like Dasgupta (1962) are of the opinion that Carvaka grew almost parallel to the Buddhist schools of thought. However, since its emphasis on materialism, which was a radical shift in the ancient Indian thought schools , it was more often than not considered to be acceptable among the elitist groups. While the epic of Ramayana contains one of the first positive statements of Carvaka , the existence of it as an organized body cannot be traced beyond 6th Century. Its other name, Lokayata, variously meant "the system which has its base in the common, profane world," "the art of sophistry," and also "the philosophy that denies that there is any world other than this one." It could be assumed that Carvaka essentially originated as a collection of sceptical thoughts around 600-500 BC as an after effect of the socio-cultural settings of the ancient India where the study of Vedas was limited only for the upper castes. In addition, there was a rich and supporting intellectual social context where intellectual and philosophical schools could flourish. (Romila Thapper 2001)

Concepts The Carvakas offered an epistemological justification for their materialism that are somewhat similar to the modern schools of sceptical empiricism and logical positivism. The Carvakas admitted "sense perception alone as a means of valid knowledge", and challenged inferential knowledge "on the ground that all

inference requires a universal major premise (e.g., "All that possesses smoke possesses fire") but there is no way to reach certainty about such a premise". The premise "may be vitiated by some unknown "condition,"" and we can't know that such a vitiating condition does not exist. "Since inference is not a means of valid knowledge, all supersensible things" like "destiny," "soul," or "afterlife," do not exist. To say that such entities exist "is regarded as absurd, for no unverifiable assertion of existence is meaningful".(Madavacharya) The First Principle of Carvaka is that only perceived knowledge is real. If it has to be inferred, it is not valid. Thus, a traditional concept of destiny or soul or karma have no place in Carvaka as these concepts are inferred , not directly perceivable. The Carvaka approach towards life was thus based on the pleasure principle. It promoted the idea of doing more that which gives you pleasure, than say, focusing on the finding the root cause of suffering as in Buddhism. The Carvaka follower would have been one of the early sceptic of the whole religious establishments. They rejected the supremacy of Vedas and claimed that they were just an elaborate set up for the upper caste priests to maintain their business. Carvaka rejected all notions of life after death, reincarnation, karma and destiny which were the common building blocks of pretty much all other philosophical schools. It also denounced the need for austerity and detaching from pleasure for the possibility of being in later pain. Carvaka reasoning was that since there is no evidence that supports the religious claims,
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it was better to enjoy the happiness of this life time and avoid pain as much as possible.

Significance of Carvaka As Amartya Sen has argued the history of India is incomplete without its tradition of scepticism. To see India "as overwhelmingly religious, or deeply anti-scientific, or exclusively hierarchical, or fundamentally unsceptical involves significant oversimplification of India's past and present.". (Amartya Sen 2005). Carvaka school of thought is the proof that the Indian philosophical tradition is not just about blind faith on the metaphysical phenomena. Carvaka philosophy in fact balances the Indian philosophical tradition by offering an alternative explanation to the religious views on existence and promoting reasoning and empirical scepticism.

Conclusion Crvka was a living philosophy from the eighth century to the twelfth century after which this system seems to have disappeared without leaving any trace. Some scholars attribute it to the spread of Bakti movement that sweeped the Indian peninsula after 12th century. However, although no body refers to it, it seems todays world pretty much follows a great deal of Carvaka principles. A look around on the fast paced world around us is all that is needed to see that Carvaka is a thought stream that cannot be gotten rid of.

References Amartya Sen (2005). The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian Culture, History and Identity, Penguin Chattopadhyaya, D. (1968) Lokayata: A Study in Ancient Indian Materialism. New Delhi: Peoples Publishing House. Cowell, E. B.; Gough, A. E. (2001). The Sarva-Darsana-Samgraha or Review of the Different Systems of Hindu Philosophy: Trubner's Oriental Series. Taylor & Francis. Dasgupta, Surendranath (1962) A History of Indian Philosophy: vol. V. New York, N.Y.: The Cambridge University Press. Hiriyanna, M. (1968) Outlines of Indian Philosophy. London: George Allen & Unwin LTD. Madhavacharya, cited in Hiriyanna (1968). Original text: Sarva-darsanasamgraha (Compendium of All Philosophies), 14th century CE Romila Thapar, The Penguin History of Early India, 2002, p. 164. Schermerhorn, R. A. When Did Indian Materialism Get Its Distinctive Titles?, Journal of the American Oriental Society (1930)

Originally from s