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Cārvāka

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions | 1997 | 700+ words | Copyright

Cārvāka. A school of Indian materialism, also known as Lokāyata dārśana (i.e. restricting truth to this world (loka)). The traditional founder is said to have been Bṛhaspati, of uncertain date (c.6th cent. BCE?) to whom is attributed Bārhaspati Sūtra, a work which has long since disappeared, although it is quoted in later works. Carvakins see no permanence, but constant change, in all appearance, so that the self is nothing more than the sum of its parts. Since there cannot be a future personal immortality, the only wise course is to grasp life now—but with the moral control that a good action is more likely to produce happiness than the reverse.

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JOHN BOWKER. "Cārvāka." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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