Most Indian philosophies believe in the existence of God and soul. One major exception is Charvaka, which is an atheist school of Indian philosophy. They are the most materialist of all schools, and declare that anything that cannot be perceived through the senses could not possibly exist; thus, denying God, soul and afterlife.
Not many people know about this philosophy in detail, as there are no books on it because they were probably destroyed. Its ideas can be found in the book Sarva Darsana Sangraha written by Madhavacharya. The description is completely negative and features Charvaka tenets that are most easily attacked. So, what do the Charvakas teach?
Some people say Charvakas are those whose philosophy can be stated in char vakya (four sentences).
*Yavat jivet sukham jivet—As long as you live, live happily.
*Rinam kritva ghritam pibet—Take debt and drink ghee (clarified butter). Conserve and nurture this body because if you lose it, you cannot get it back.
*Bhasmi bhutasya dehasya—This body will be burnt on the pyre. Nothing will remain. You will not find any evidence of soul.
*Punaragaman kutah—This body will not come back. There is no evidence that you will be born again.
The Charvakas opposed Brahminical practices, and the Brahmins too left no stone unturned to portray them negatively. Brahmins gave them the name ‘charvanti’—those who graze. They were said to be the people who grazed into oblivion, the difference between paap (evil) and punya (good). In other words, they were said to have blurred the boundaries between good and evil.
