Meet Charvakas, India's modern ancient thinkers

Would you think that an ideology that considers the Vedas to be "incoherent rhapsodies" suffering from contradictions, errors, untruths and tautology, could be part of Hinduism?

- Pavan K Varma

Would you believe that a school of philosophy that denies rebirth, the soul, an atman, religious rites, karma, heaven or hell — svarga-nark— gods or moksha, could be part of Sanatana Dharma?

If you are about to say no, then think again. The eclectic intellectual adventurism inherent in the Hindu faith allows for such a school of thought to be a part of its conceptual corpus. The invigorating philosophical ferment around the 6th century BCE, post the Upanishads but predating the rise of Buddhism and Jainism, saw the emergence of the influential Lokayata materialist school, also known as Charvaka, whose tenets were enunciated in the Brihaspati Sutra, alas no longer extant. The name Charvaka is often traced to the sage Charvaka, a supposed founder, while Lokayata — meaning worldly or prevalent among the people — suggests its appeal to common sense and lived experience.

What is significant — and entirely in keeping with the profundity of Hindu philosophy — is that the Charvakas argued their viewpoint with great logic and insight. According to them, pratyaksha, or direct perception is the only valid way to knowledge, while inference (anumana) and scriptural testimony (shabda) are unreliable.