The Positive Sciences of the Ancient Hindus c10.16

c10.16

*The Chárváka View.*—Among the Chárvákas there were two classes, the cruder school of materialists who accepted perception (प्रत्यक्ष) as a valid source of knowledge, as well as the reality of natural law (स्वभाव), and the finer school of sceptics, who impugned all kinds of knowledge, immediate as well as mediate, and all evidence, Perception as well as Inference; *vide* Jayanta's reference in the Nyáyamañjarí to सुशिक्षितचार्वाकाः; also चार्वाकधूर्तस्तु अथातस्तत्त्वं व्याख्यास्याम इति प्रतिज्ञाय प्रमाणप्रमेयसंख्यालक्षणनियमशक्यकरणीयत्वमेव व्याख्यातवान्—Áhnika 1, Mañjarí.