Why is Carvaka considered a "dharma tradition?"

[raghu_001]

What does Carvaka's philosophy even have to do with "dharma?"

[OmSriShivaShakti]

I have also had the same question, I think the answers is that Carvaka has nothing to do with Dharma. Rather the term "Dharmic" has been applied to all religions originating from India/Hinduism, not just traditional faiths like Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Jainism, but also less mainstream faiths like Ayyavazhi and Carvaka.

[anirvan]

since majority(99.99%) of individual follows carvac"s principle,how can we refute it. definitely its dharma. dharma is what dharayati.it is holding the basic creation.so it is pravriti dharma.

vedas,upanishadas are nivriti-margi dharma.those who dont like this creation and bhoga may try nivriti marga,

[sunyata07]

Namaste,

Could one of our esteemed members here give me a quick explanation as to what Carvaka philosophy encompasses? Is it a materialist form of Sanatana Dharma, or is it just ancient atheism? I have looked at some explanations online, but I am skeptical of wikipedia and the like.

Om namah Shivaya

[anirvan]

charvak school of thought is considered among main 6 school of thought of hinduism.

Yaavat jeevet sukham jeevet, Rinam kritwa Ghritam pibet |
Bhasmeebhootasya Dehasya Punaraagamanam Kutah ||

it says that human is made of 5 elements.so its purely advocates the present day science philosophy,that from natures 5 elements body is developed.and its subtle elements constitute the consciousness. with death of body,every thing finishes. so deny the atman,its eternity and rebirth.

naturally it advocates the materialistic happiness.as long as one is alive,he should try to enjoy each moment maximum possible. you can open a matrimony site and see majority of BRIDE's PROFILE. they all says we want to enjoy each moment of life as we born and live for once.:)

[sunyata07]

Thank you for the explanation.

Does this mean Carvaka school of philosophy condones a hedonistic lifestyle? What are its stands on good conduct, karma and dharma? I am curious.

Om namah Shivaya

[Sahasranama]

naturally it advocates the materialistic happiness.as long as one is alive,he should try to enjoy each moment maximum possible. you can open a matrimony site and see majority of BRIDE's PROFILE. they all says we want to enjoy each moment of life as we born and live for once.:)

This living in the moment cra.p is becomming popular everywhere, even so called "spiritual" teachers do nothing but emphasize this nonsense. Whenever I hear someone say "you gotta live in the now, live in the moment, the present moment is all you've got," I want to smack them right in the face. I am sorry for being so violent today.

[sunyata07]

This living in the moment cra.p is becomming popular everywhere, even so called "spiritual" teachers do nothing but emphasize this nonsense. Whenever I hear someone say "you gotta live in the now, live in the moment, the present moment is all you've got," I want to smack them right in the face. I am sorry for being so violent today.


I agree that this has become the linchpin philosophy for a lot of new ageist life coaches. That said, I wouldn't totally discount the power of being aware in a particular moment. It's a powerful way of focusing the mind during meditation, giving neither the past (regrets) nor future (hopes) excessive thought. What I would have problems with is using this as an excuse to debauch oneself in as many sense pleasures as possible, thinking this is the substitute for living in the now. There's a difference between mindfulness and reckless hedonism.

Om namah Shivaya

[devotee]

Charvak philosophy is not one of the Astika schools but it is one of the Nastika schools.

This school which taught that there was no after-life & everything came from nature and went back to nature ... and so enjoy the life fully by whatever means ... is almost dead and rejected by the Hindus in general.

In fact, Charvak is perhaps not a person because even today, this word is used even today (in some part of Hindi belt in India) to describe anyone who excels in debating and can win a debate even when he has no substance ... just by his special skill of debating. So, you can very well guess, what the general Hindus thought about these people ! :)

OM

[Sahasranama]

I agree that this has become the linchpin philosophy for a lot of new ageist life coaches. That said, I wouldn't totally discount the power of being aware in a particular moment. It's a powerful way of focusing the mind during meditation, giving neither the past (regrets) nor future (hopes) excessive thought. What I would have problems with is using this as an excuse to debauch oneself in as many sense pleasures as possible, thinking this is the substitute for living in the now. There's a difference between mindfulness and reckless hedonism.

Om namah Shivaya

Yes I agree that's a powerful tool in (Buddhist) meditation, but I think that mindfulness can become dogmatic even besides hedonism, look at Eckart Tolle for example and other new age teachers.

[Surya Deva]

Carvaka is not included among the six schools of Hindu philosophy. It is a heretical school of philosophy(nastika) meaning that it rejects the Vedas as supreme authority.

Carvaka is basically the philosophy of materialism. It is interesting to note while in India it was never taken seriously, in the West it has become the most popular philosophy and most people in the world today are living by its hedonistic principles.