Charvaka!Charvaka!

by Guest Wed Aug 27, 2014 9:39 am

The video whose link I have given shows a narrator talking about the Charvaka philosophy. It is not a religious interpretation of Charvaka philosophy; on the other hand it is a superficial interpretation of Charvaka philosophy.

Charvakas were not nihilists which would imply that they believed life was futile and they did not really believe in anything. They in fact had a positive thesis to defend and this was the principle of svabhava-vada in which one expresses belief in nature, and the laws of nature.

Also Ajit Kesakamblin is identified in the video as a Charvaka. This is a mistake. Ajit never identifies himself as a Charvaka and his philosophy is in fact a philosophy of nihilism. But the point is that Ajit never talks of svabhava vada as well. There are six famous heretics, including Ajit, who were around during or around the time of the Budha which was a time of intense intellectual churning in India. The reason their philosophy seems similar to Charvaka philosophy is that nihilism and
Charvakism have many features in common, like the complete rejection of hindu religious rituals, and disbelief in God, rebirth, reincarnation, karma ( according to the traditional definition of the term in orthodox hinduism) and the idea of a soul being separate from the body and which lives on even after the death of an individual.

Charvaka!Charvaka!

Charvaka!Charvaka!

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